Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or C.J. Stroud

Friday, December 5, 11:12 AM

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is a riskier option in Week 14 against the Atlanta Falcons. Despite the Falcons' terrible record, they have been solid against the pass this season. Darnold himself has hit a serious skid over the last several weeks. He has only cracked double-digit fantasy points once in the last four weeks. The recent run of bad games has been primarily caused by a plethora of turnovers and a lack of touchdown passes to make up for them. Darnold's 10 interceptions and five fumbles lost are already one turnover shy of his total from 2024. The Seahawks should have plenty of success running against the Falcons, which may be a better game plan for the team while Darnold works through his struggles. Of course, the Seahawks have great offensive potential, and Darnold could get back on track in any given week. There are some desperate fantasy managers out there with the Patriots and Giants on bye this week. Darnold is a risky play with an extremely low floor, but with a solid ceiling as well.

Saturday, December 6, 7:45 AM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud got a big win over the Colts in his return from a concussion last week, and he'll be in another huge matchup this week against the tough Chiefs' defense on Sunday Night Football. Stroud completed 22 of 35 passes for 276 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in last week's win, but looked very sharp overall, even though his fantasy numbers weren't huge. One encouraging sign is that he did have 35 pass attempts, continuing the team's recent trend of throwing the ball more during their current winning streak. If that trend continues again this week, Stroud has good upside if he can convert touchdowns. He's the No. 21 QB in RotoBaller's Week 14 rankings, making him a low-end QB2 that does bring potential upside despite his tough primetime matchup.