Who Should I Start? Jimmy Garoppolo or C.J. Stroud

Saturday, September 6, 9:56 PM

According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay views quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo as a "starting-caliber" option. Matthew Stafford is in line to start on Sunday versus the Houston Texans. However, with the veteran signal-caller battling a lingering back injury, the Rams are confident Garoppolo can fill in admirably if necessary. From a fantasy standpoint, Stafford has had a better career. Still, with concerns about his health, Garoppolo may get a chance to start at some point moving ahead. The 33-year-old played for the Patriots, 49ers, and Raiders before arriving in Los Angeles in 2024 to suit up for the Rams. In 82 regular-season contests, he's thrown for 15,828 yards, 96 touchdowns, and 52 interceptions off 67.4% passing while also leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2019. All things considered, Garoppolo doesn't have much fantasy value at the moment. If Stafford goes down this season due to the nagging back issue, Garoppolo could prove useful for those participating in deeper SuperFlex formats, especially with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams at his disposal.

Monday, November 3, 12:56 PM

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said on Monday that quarterback C.J. Stroud (concussion) is in the league's "concussion protocol," and the team will continue to evaluate him more throughout the week, per DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN. Stroud suffered a concussion in the first half of Sunday's Week 9 loss to the visiting Denver Broncos and was unable to return. The 24-year-old finished 6-for-10 passing for 79 yards while adding 12 rushing yards on two carries. Davis Mills took over under center and was unable to lead the team to a touchdown in the three-point loss. Stroud will now hope he can clear the NFL's concussion protocol to play on Sunday versus the division-rival Jacksonville Jaguars. In his third year in the league, he hasn't been much more than a high-end QB2 for fantasy managers, throwing for 1,702 yards, 11 touchdowns, and five interceptions on 242 pass attempts over eight games.