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

Monday, March 31, 12:02 PM

The Baltimore Ravens have had early contract-extension talks with quarterback Lamar Jackson, and head coach John Harbaugh said that when a deal does get completed, Jackson will become the highest-paid player in NFL history. It's not that big of a surprise after Jackson came close to winning his third MVP award in 2024. The four-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro had another excellent season for the Ravens last year, throwing for a career-high 4,172 yards, career-high 41 touchdowns and only four interceptions in 17 regular-season starts while also adding 915 rushing yards on 139 attempts for another four touchdowns on the ground. Baltimore's season came to a disappointing end in the Divisional Round in a loss to the Buffalo Bills, but the 28-year-old dual-threat signal-caller was the QB1 overall in fantasy points and should be the first quarterback off the board in fantasy drafts in 2025.

Monday, April 21, 7:07 PM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said he'll be "taking full ownership, running the show" in new offensive coordinator Nick Calley's system and appreciates how Calley is already putting trust in him. Stroud didn't look at all like a rookie in 2023 under previous offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, but he came back down to Earth a bit in 2024 in his sophomore campaign and finished as the QB17 in fantasy while throwing for 3,727 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 17 regular-season games. Protection was the biggest issue, as the former second overall pick took a whopping 52 sacks in 2024 after being sacked 38 times in 15 regular-season games as a rookie. Stroud could be more effective again with more control of the offense, particularly before the snap, leaving him as a fine midrange QB1 bounce-back target in fantasy.