Who Should I Start? Matthew Stafford or C.J. Stroud

Monday, January 19, 11:00 AM

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford managed to lead his team to victory, but he did not have his most productive day in the NFC Divisional Round against the Chicago Bears. The 37-year-old completed 20 of 42 pass attempts for 258 yards (6.1 yards per attempt) without a touchdown. He also fumbled twice, although both were recovered by the Rams. Stafford is playing through a sprained right index finger that he suffered in the Wild Card Round, which could be negatively impacting his performance. Still, his team will likely need more from him in the NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle completely dominated San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy in the Divisional Round, holding him to 140 passing yards and holding the 49ers to just six total points. However, Stafford had plenty of success against the Seahawks in the regular season, completing 44 of 77 pass attempts for 587 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions across two meetings between the two NFC West foes. Fantasy managers may be wise to closely monitor reports on Stafford's injured finger heading into the NFC Championship Game.

Tuesday, January 20, 12:30 PM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud threw four interceptions in the first half of the Divisional Round loss to the New England Patriots, becoming just the second QB since 1991 to throw four picks in a playoff half. The No. 2 pick in the 2023 NFL draft has rapidly regressed since his impressive rookie season. The Texans are expected to pick up his fifth-year option, but so far, the Texans are non-committal on a long-term contract extension for Stroud. Under first-year offensive coordinator Nick Caley in 2025, Stroud completed 64.5% of his passes for 3,041 yards and 19 touchdowns with eight interceptions. Despite having three playoff wins in his three seasons, Stroud has just five TDs with six interceptions and seven fumbles (two lost) in the postseason. Stroud said he was still "getting adjusted" to the new offense this year. Perhaps he'll be better in 2026 if Caley sticks around as the OC, but for fantasy purposes, Stroud has become a QB2 instead of a legitimate QB1 option.