Who Should I Start? Darius Slayton or C.J. Stroud


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
15.5 0.0 0.0 5.8 70.6 0.4

Darius Slayton News

Darius Slayton Could Remain Stuck as No. 3 Receiver in 2026

Thursday, February 12, 7:34 AM

New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton has shown flashes of upside plenty of times throughout his career, but he continues to struggle to emerge as a consistent fantasy threat week over week. Part of the difficulty for Slayton has been quarterback play, but that changed in 2025 when rookie Jaxson Dart took the reins of the offense. However, the other part of the problem has been Slayton's role on the depth chart, and the outlook there remains bleak. We did temporarily jump to second on the depth chart behind Wan'Dale Robinson after Malik Nabers (knee) tore his ACL -- resulting in 37 catches, 538 yards, and a touchdown -- he'll drop back to third if Nabers is healthy for the start of 2026. Plus, tight end Theo Johnson will continue to command plenty of targets, and the same can be said about running back Cam Skattebo (ankle). If there's any glimmer of hope for Slayton, it's the fact that Robinson is an impending free agent. However, the Giants have been very outspoken about their plans to bring Robinson back. It seems likely that Slayton will remain the Giants' No. 3 receiver in 2026, leaving his value to hinge on a teammate's injury. He's not worth drafting in typical redraft leagues, and he can be stashed on the bench only in deeper dynasty formats.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
18.2 9.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0

C.J. Stroud News

Texans Sticking With C.J. Stroud as Their Starting QB

Tuesday, February 24, 7:36 AM

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio said that any talk about trading quarterback C.J. Stroud is "moronic," according to Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle. Caserio said that Stroud will be the team's starting QB in 2026. Stroud was a Pro Bowler in his rookie campaign in 2023, but he has regressed each of the last two seasons. The 24-year-old former second overall pick in 2023 out of Ohio State completed 64.5% of his passes for 3,041 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions in 14 regular-season games in 2025 to finish as the QB21 in overall fantasy points. He was much worse in two playoff games, going 41-for-79 passing for 462 yards, two touchdowns, and five interceptions. He also lost two fumbles. The one positive takeaway from 2025 is that Stroud had a career-high completion percentage. He's still young enough to bounce back, but fantasy managers shouldn't feel comfortable rolling with him as their QB1 in 2026.


Darius Slayton vs. C.J. Stroud

Still trying to decide between Slayton and Stroud? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Darius Slayton is projected to score 15.5 points this week while C.J. Stroud is projected to score 18.2 points.