Who Should I Start? Dillon Gabriel or C.J. Stroud

Sunday, December 28, 11:49 AM

Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel (shoulder) injured his left shoulder at some point during the week and has been ruled out for the Week 17 divisional clash against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. With Gabriel inactive, Bailey Zappe has been elevated to the 53-man active roster from the practice squad and will serve as rookie Shedeur Sanders' backup this weekend. The 25-year-old Gabriel ended up making six starts for Cleveland in his first year in the NFL in 2025, but he was largely mediocre while failing to push the ball downfield. Gabriel's reign as the team's starting QB ended in Week 11 when he suffered a concussion, opening the door for Sanders to take over. In his six starts, the Oregon product completed 58.9% of his passes for 918 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions while adding 86 rushing yards. Gabriel is expected to compete for the starting gig next year with Sanders and Deshaun Watson (Achilles).

Tuesday, January 20, 12:30 PM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud threw four interceptions in the first half of the Divisional Round loss to the New England Patriots, becoming just the second QB since 1991 to throw four picks in a playoff half. The No. 2 pick in the 2023 NFL draft has rapidly regressed since his impressive rookie season. The Texans are expected to pick up his fifth-year option, but so far, the Texans are non-committal on a long-term contract extension for Stroud. Under first-year offensive coordinator Nick Caley in 2025, Stroud completed 64.5% of his passes for 3,041 yards and 19 touchdowns with eight interceptions. Despite having three playoff wins in his three seasons, Stroud has just five TDs with six interceptions and seven fumbles (two lost) in the postseason. Stroud said he was still "getting adjusted" to the new offense this year. Perhaps he'll be better in 2026 if Caley sticks around as the OC, but for fantasy purposes, Stroud has become a QB2 instead of a legitimate QB1 option.