Who Should I Start? Marquise Brown or C.J. Stroud

Wednesday, December 24, 4:30 PM

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown will face the Denver Broncos on Christmas Day in Week 17. Brown caught three passes for 22 yards on three targets in last week's loss to the Tennessee Titans. With Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton placed on IR, Brown's role in the passing attack should increase. The veteran receiver should be more involved, but with Chris Oladokun operating as the Chiefs QB1, Brown's upside could be severely capped. Brown will also have to deal with a Denver Broncos defense that has allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season. Brown is ranked WR79 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a difficult player to start in any league regardless of depth or format.

Tuesday, January 6, 12:34 AM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud rested in the second half of the season finale versus the Colts after completing 14 of 23 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown in the first half. Once it was known that the Jaguars were up big in their game against the Titans, thus eliminating the Texans from winning the division, the team decided to give Stroud the rest of the day off with a playoff spot already locked up. Houston will travel on the road to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild-Card round. The 24-year-old signal-caller has had another solid season, completing a career-high 64.5% of his passes for 3,041 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while adding 48 carries for 209 yards and another score on the ground in 14 games. The Ohio State product has posted 7.0 yards per attempt or higher in 10 of 14 games this season. The Steelers sit in the middle of the pack against the pass in most metrics, ranking 14th in net yards per pass attempt (6.3) and 16th in dropback EPA (0.060). Stroud and the Texans may need to air it out more often Monday night, with how dominant Pittsburgh has been against the run recently, allowing a league-low 73.3 rushing yards per game over the final four weeks. In one career game versus Pittsburgh in Week 4 of the 2023 season, Stroud threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns, posting the second-highest yards per attempt (10.2) in a game of his career. Stroud projects as a quality option for fantasy managers in playoff leagues and can be trusted as a borderline QB1/QB2.