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

Thursday, January 22, 8:47 PM

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (oblique) was limited in practice again on Thursday, according to Seahawks PR. Darnold suffered an oblique injury in practice a week ago, but he played through the injury in the blowout win over the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round last Saturday night. Head coach Mike Macdonald said earlier this week that Darnold didn't suffer any sort of setback with his oblique last weekend, although he's being considered day-to-day this week. Barring something unforeseen, the 28-year-old signal-caller should be active on Sunday in the NFC Championship against the division-rival Los Angeles Rams, but it doesn't mean he won't carry a questionable tag into that game for the second straight week. There are valid concerns about Darnold going into this weekend, surrounding his health, but also the fact that he threw only two touchdowns and six interceptions against the Rams in two games in 2025.

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.