Who Should I Start? Lamar Jackson or C.J. Stroud

Wednesday, December 17, 5:34 PM

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said that quarterback Lamar Jackson (illness) was kept at home on Wednesday due to flu-like symptoms, according to Cordell Woodland of 105.7 The Fan. Jackson has been a regular DNP in Wednesday practices this year, but mainly due to nagging lower-body injuries. This week, he's under the weather. The 28-year-old two-time MVP has been held out of practice early in the week in recent weeks with an ankle injury, but he said last week that he has been improving. He should be ready to go by Sunday night for a showdown against the New England Patriots, where he'll be more of a low-end QB1 in fantasy football. Jackson looked a little more like himself in last week's shutout win over the Bengals, but he completed only eight passes and ran the ball twice. He hasn't thrown for over 300 yards at all in 2025 and has had more than one touchdown pass just once in his last six contests. On top of that, Jackson only has two rushing touchdowns this season.

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.