Should I start C.J. Stroud or Drew Lock in Week 9?

The market-based projections

C.J. Stroud's market-based projection is 16.8 PPR points a game, built from 5 markets across 14 market sources. That is the 21st highest figure of the 224 players with a market-based projection.

Drew Lock's market-based projection is 15.3 PPR points a game, built from 5 markets across 6 market sources. That is the 38th highest figure of the 224 players with a market-based projection.

Where the draft room stands

Live drafts hold no current pick on C.J. Stroud, and the board ranks him 99th overall on the rest of his evidence.

In 2QB drafts he goes at ADP 30.

Live drafts hold no current pick on Drew Lock, and the board ranks him 122nd overall on the rest of his evidence.

This season so far

Through Week 7, C.J. Stroud has been on the field for 100 percent of HOU snaps, dropped back 266 times and thrown 9.3 air yards an attempt.

He has been sacked or hit on 35 of 266 dropbacks and scrambled 8 times.

In Week 5 against TEN he completed 26 of 34 passes for 261 yards, threw 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions and ran 4 times for 7 yards.

In Week 6 against JAX he completed 24 of 34 passes for 312 yards, threw 3 touchdowns and 1 interception and ran 1 time for 5 yards.

In Week 7 against NYG he completed 17 of 28 passes for 153 yards, threw 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and ran 2 times for 4 yards.

Through Week 2, Drew Lock has been on the field for 96 percent of SEA snaps, dropped back 51 times and thrown 7.6 air yards an attempt.

He has been sacked or hit on 8 of 51 dropbacks and scrambled 1 time.

In Week 1 against NE he completed 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards, threw 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions and ran 1 time for 14 yards.

In Week 2 against ARI he completed 19 of 26 passes for 235 yards and threw 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 C.J. Stroud played 14 games and scored 216.5 PPR points, 15.5 a game, finishing QB21.

He threw for 3041 yards on 423 attempts with 19 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, and ran for 209 yards and 1 touchdown.

That came to 30.2 attempts a game at 7.2 yards an attempt.

He was on the field for 93 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

In 2025 Drew Lock played 5 games and scored 0.1 PPR points, 0.0 a game, finishing QB73.

He threw for 15 yards on 3 attempts with 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, and ran for -5 yards and 0 touchdowns.

That came to 0.6 attempts a game at 5.0 yards an attempt.

He was on the field for 4 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

C.J. Stroud was available for 9 games more.

Head to head

In 2025 C.J. Stroud scored 15.5 PPR points a game and Drew Lock 0.0, 15.4 a game between them.

C.J. Stroud finished QB21 that year and Drew Lock QB73.

C.J. Stroud had 420 more pass attempts than Drew Lock, 423 to 3.

C.J. Stroud had 3026 more passing yards than Drew Lock, 3041 to 15.

This season C.J. Stroud holds the bigger snap share, 100 percent against 96 percent.

Their target share this season is the same, 0 percent each.

Byes and availability

C.J. Stroud is off in Week 8 and Drew Lock in Week 11, so either can cover the other's bye.

Drew Lock is listed as questionable on the injury report.

What would change the answer

1.5 points a game is the entire case. The market restates it every week, and a line that moves moves the order with it.

The draft market is the half that is missing: when live drafts hold these two again they can order them differently from the projection, and this page will follow the drafts rather than the market-based projection when they do.