Who Should I Start? Joe Flacco or C.J. Stroud

Sunday, November 23, 9:38 AM

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco will get one more opportunity to start after Joe Burrow (toe) was ruled out for Sunday's Week 12 contest against the New England Patriots. While Burrow was trending in the right direction for this week, the Bengals have ultimately decided to keep him on injured reserve for at least a few more days. As a result, Flacco will remain installed as Cincinnati's starting quarterback for Week 12. He's coming off an uninspiring 199-yard clunker against the Steelers, and although he has five touchdowns over his last two games, he also has four turnovers during that span. To make matters worse, he'll be without Ja'Marr Chase (suspension), shifting Tee Higgins to the top receiver role. New England's defense has been strong this season, but it's best at stopping the run. The Patriots have allowed the ninth-most passing yards, seventh-most passing touchdowns, and 12th-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in 2025. This matchup and situation are best defined as "good, not great." That sentiment is reflected in RotoBaller's ranking of Burrow as the overall QB17 this week.

Tuesday, December 16, 10:19 AM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is coming off one of his most efficient performances of the season against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15, completing 22 of 29 passes for three touchdowns. It marked his fourth game this season in which he completed more than 75% of his passes with at least two touchdown passes, tying for the second-most in the league. The third-year signal-caller is emerging as a strong streaming option with the Texans' offense finding its best form and an ideal Week 16 matchup on deck against the Las Vegas Raiders. While he doesn't add much value as a runner, Stroud is showing the passing upside to be worth consideration as a plug-and-play starter this week.