Who Should I Start? C.J. Stroud or Trey Benson

Thursday, December 4, 10:44 AM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud returned from his concussion last week against the Colts and led his team to a fourth straight win. After starting 0-3, Stroud's Texans are 7-5 and pushing for a playoff spot. In his return, he completed 22 of 35 passes for 276 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. In his nine games, he has racked up 1,978 yards, 11 touchdowns, and six interceptions. In their recent charge, though, the team has relied more heavily on the passing game, and Stroud has aired it out with 35+ pass attempts in each of his last three full games. He and the Texans face another critical matchup this week on Sunday Night Football against the Chiefs. It should be a great game, and Stroud and the Texans have favorable home matchups against the Cardinals and Raiders after Sunday night's road showdown. Stroud is a fringe option in single-QB leagues and a strong second QB in dual-QB leagues, as he tries to guide his team back to the postseason again this season.

Thursday, December 4, 1:55 PM

Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson (knee) was not seen practicing in the portion open to the media on Thursday, according to Tyler Drake of Arizona Sports. Benson has now missed five straight practices, dating back to last week, making it more unlikely that he comes off Injured Reserve to play this Sunday against the division-rival Los Angeles Rams. If the 23-year-old second-year RB misses yet another game, Bam Knight figures to once again do most of the heavy lifting after he had 11 carries for a season-high 62 yards while adding three catches for a season-high 36 yards and a touchdown in the Week 13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Emari Demercado (ankle) is trending in the right direction to return this weekend, though, so he could steal valuable backfield touches from Knight. Benson should be stashed in all fantasy football leagues, but he's running out of time to contribute with the fantasy playoffs looming.