Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or C.J. Stroud

Saturday, September 13, 12:47 AM

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley tied for the sixth-most rushing attempts in the league last week (18), once again proving that he has one of the most reliably-heavy workloads in the NFL. He also made PPR managers happy with his four receptions on five targets-both good for second-most on the team. In Week 2 Barkley faces a Chiefs defense that held Omarion Hampton to just 48 yards on 15 attempts last Friday, but that was a rookie, and this is Saquon Barkley. After leading Philly in targets and receptions in their last meeting against Kansas City in the Super Bowl, expect Barkley to have a prominent role in the passing game again this week. He's a top-tier RB1 as per usual.

Sunday, September 14, 6:08 AM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is hoping for a bounce-back season after a down year in 2024, but the new season didn't start well in the Texans' 14-9 loss to the Rams in Week 1. Stroud was limited to just 188 passing yards while completing 19-of-27 passes. He was under pressure from the Rams' strong pass rush most of the day and wasn't able to create enough big plays down the field. His interception came on a pass that was snatched out of the hands of his receiver, so it wasn't really on him. However, he didn't make enough big plays or lead any touchdown drives. Even with new offensive coordinator Nick Caley in command, the issues from last season were evident once again in Week 1. Stroud and the Texans will look to get on track against the Buccaneers in the first game of Monday Night Football's doubleheader, but with how rough the Texans' offense looked, it's hard to support Stroud as a QB1. In the RotoBaller rankings, he's QB17, making him a decent QB2 but a long shot to start in standard, single-QB leagues.