Who Should I Start? C.J. Stroud or Caleb Williams

Monday, April 21, 7:07 PM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said he'll be "taking full ownership, running the show" in new offensive coordinator Nick Calley's system and appreciates how Calley is already putting trust in him. Stroud didn't look at all like a rookie in 2023 under previous offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, but he came back down to Earth a bit in 2024 in his sophomore campaign and finished as the QB17 in fantasy while throwing for 3,727 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 17 regular-season games. Protection was the biggest issue, as the former second overall pick took a whopping 52 sacks in 2024 after being sacked 38 times in 15 regular-season games as a rookie. Stroud could be more effective again with more control of the offense, particularly before the snap, leaving him as a fine midrange QB1 bounce-back target in fantasy.

Tuesday, April 1, 11:47 PM

Chicago Bears new head coach Ben Johnson said the team plans to go "back to the basics" with quarterback Caleb Williams heading into his second year as a pro after a disappointing rookie campaign after he was the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft. "It's the fundamentals of the quarterback position: What's our footwork going to look like under center? From the shotgun? What are we calling the formations? What's the defensive identification going to look like? So that we're all speaking the same language," Johnson said. The 23-year-old will take more snaps under center during offseason workouts to gauge his comfort level. Chicago ran 70.8% of their plays from shotgun in 2024 (tied for 16th-most), but the Lions lined up in shotgun less than any other team under Johnson. Williams took a league-high 68 sacks last year, so using more play-action should help better protect him. On paper, the addition of Johnson should be excellent news for Williams' development.