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

Wednesday, October 29, 5:24 PM

The Baltimore Ravens officially removed quarterback Lamar Jackson (hamstring) from their Week 9 injury report on Wednesday, and he will make his return for a Thursday night clash against the Miami Dolphins. Fantasy managers have been without Jackson since he tweaked his hamstring in the Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The two-time MVP was a full participant at practice during the short week of preparation and should be without limitations in his return to the gridiron. Jackson said on Tuesday that he is 100% healthy and ready to go. The four-time Pro Bowler should be put back into all starting fantasy lineups for Week 9 action against a Dolphins defense that has been a top-12 matchup for opposing QBs this season. Jackson comes into Thursday's game with 869 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and only one interception in his four starts, adding 166 yards and a score on the ground.

Tuesday, October 28, 11:59 AM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has played some of his best football in recent weeks. Across his team's last three games, Stroud has thrown for 791 yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions. Perhaps most importantly for his fantasy outlook, Stroud has attempted 88 passes over his last two games alone. That marks a notable shift in the Houston offense, as Stroud cracked 28 pass attempts just once over his first five games. If the Texans' game plan on offense is shifting to a more pass-heavy approach, Stroud could be a more viable streaming option for fantasy managers in single-quarterback formats going forward. Houston has a difficult matchup in Week 9 against the Denver Broncos, so Stroud may not be a player to target specifically for this week. However, his uptick in pass attempts is still a trend worth monitoring for fantasy managers as the Texans hit the second half of their season.