Who Should I Start? Geno Smith or C.J. Stroud

BENCH

Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
18.7 12.7 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0

Geno Smith News

Geno Smith Won't Play in Preseason Opener Due to Foot Soreness

Friday, August 14, 2:00 PM

New York Jets veteran quarterback Geno Smith (foot) will not play in the team's preseason opener on Friday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to foot soreness, a source told Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. The Jets are not concerned about the injury, though, and if it were a regular-season game, Smith would be a go. Depending on how Smith recovers in the next week, he could be active for the second preseason contest next Friday, Aug. 21, against the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the 35-year-old now sitting out on Friday, rookie Cade Klubnik, Brady Cook, and Bailey Zappe will split the reps under center for the Jets. Smith flopped last year in his lone season with the Las Vegas Raiders, throwing for 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns, and a league-high 17 interceptions in 15 starts while being benched late in the year. He has more intriguing offensive weapons to work with in New York than he did in Vegas, but at best, Smith will probably be no better than a potential QB2 bounce-back candidate in superflex fantasy formats.

START

Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
21.4 13.5 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0

C.J. Stroud News

C.J. Stroud, Other Texans Starters Won't Play on Thursday

Thursday, August 13, 2:19 PM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and other key offensive starters like running backs David Montgomery and Woody Marks and wide receiver Nico Collins will not play in the team's preseason opener on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Chargers, league sources told Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790 AM. With Stroud sitting, Davis Mills and Graham Mertz will take the snaps under center. The Texans will be short-handed at the RB position with Jawhar Jordan (hip) and British Brooks (hand) also out with injuries, meaning Noah Whittington, Josh Pitsenberger, and Owen Wright should handle the backfield duties against the Bolts. The 24-year-old Stroud took another step back in 2025 in his third year in the NFL after an impressive rookie season. The former second overall pick from Ohio State completed a career-high 64.5% of his pass attempts last year, but he threw for a career-low 3,041 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions in 14 regular-season starts. Stroud will certainly be motivated to deliver if he wants the Texans to seriously consider giving him a long-term extension in the future. Fantasy managers should treat him as a low-end QB2 with bounce-back potential.

Geno Smith vs. C.J. Stroud

Still trying to decide between Smith and Stroud? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Geno Smith is projected to score 18.7 points this week while C.J. Stroud is projected to score 21.4 points.