Who Should I Start? Jared Goff or C.J. Stroud

Wednesday, October 30, 3:25 PM

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (ankle) is not practicing on Wednesday due to an ankle injury. The veteran said his ankle is sore, but he expects to be fine. Goff posted just 85 passing yards in the Week 8 blowout win over the Tennessee Titans, but he tossed three touchdown passes. The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft has at least two touchdowns in each of his last five games and has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league in recent weeks. It would be a surprise if he misses the Week 9 game against the Green Bay Packers, but fantasy managers of Goff and the Detroit pass-catchers should monitor his status. Assuming Goff is good to go, he'll face a tough matchup against a Green Bay defense that has surrendered the 11th-fewest fantasy points per game to QBs. If he's at risk of being out, second-year quarterback Hendon Hooker would draw the start.

Wednesday, October 30, 4:30 PM

Bad luck and bad timing make Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud tough to start in one-QB formats on Thursday against the New York Jets. Despite the Jets being dysfunctional, even for them, they rank second in the NFL in yards after catch allowed and tied for third with six passing touchdowns surrendered in eight games. New York boasts two excellent coverage corners in Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed, and Houston will face them when top wide receivers Nico Collins (hamstring) and Stefon Diggs (knee) are on injured reserve. Backup wide receivers, a short week, and a bad matchup is a lot to dislike, so fantasy managers should strongly consider their other options in Week 9.