Who Should I Start? Justin Herbert or C.J. Stroud

Thursday, August 14, 3:37 PM

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert will play in his first career preseason game on Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams. Head coach John Harbaugh said the plan is for offensive and defensive starters, and Herbert will play "a series or two." While Herbert is viewed by many as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, his fantasy floor and ceiling took hits last season in Greg Roman's run-first offense. After throwing for at least 4,336 yards in the first three seasons of his career, the Oregon product tallied just 3,870 passing yards in 17 games a season ago. While he has a ton of upside in shootout game conditions, Harbaugh and Roman are unlikely to transition into a high-flying passing attack.

Monday, August 18, 8:49 AM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud played just two series on Saturday against Carolina, but he looked sharp, completing 6-of-8 pass attempts for 44 passing yards and a touchdown to Nico Collins. He wasn't satisfied with his preseason debut, though, expressing frustration that he missed Collins on a deep ball on the team's first possession, which ended in a punt. Stroud only played two series, but did enough to put his Texans ahead in a game they went on to win 20-3. After winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023, Stroud struggled a little bit last season, throwing for 3,727 yards and 20 touchdowns but also throwing 12 interceptions. With new offensive coordinator Nick Caley taking over from Bobby Slowik, Stroud will look to bounce back and be a fantasy factor again this season. He's a QB2 with upside coming into the season, but he has the potential to be a borderline QB1 if he can return to his 2023 form with better protection than he had last year.