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

Where the draft room stands

Live drafts hold no current pick on C.J. Stroud, and the board ranks him 102nd overall on the rest of his evidence.

In 2QB drafts he goes at ADP 30.

Live drafts hold no current pick on J.J. McCarthy, and the board ranks him 109th overall on the rest of his evidence.

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 22nd highest figure of the 225 players with a market-based projection.

The market has J.J. McCarthy at 15.9 PPR points a game off 4 markets across 13 market sources. That is 80 percent of what a quarterback's projection needs, so it is a fragment of one rather than a projection.

J.J. McCarthy's projection is not complete, so the two figures are not set against each other here.

This season through Week 7

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 7, J.J. McCarthy has been on the field for 42 percent of NYG snaps, dropped back 49 times and thrown 11.8 air yards an attempt.

He has been sacked or hit on 8 of 49 dropbacks and scrambled 1 time.

In Week 5 against WAS he completed 0 of 0 passes for 0 yards, threw 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and ran 2 times for 2 yards.

In Week 6 against NO he completed 11 of 17 passes for 243 yards, threw 1 touchdown and 1 interception and ran 2 times for 26 yards.

In Week 7 against HOU he completed 20 of 27 passes for 252 yards, threw 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and ran 1 time for 1 yards.

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 J.J. McCarthy played 10 games and scored 137.4 PPR points, 13.7 a game, finishing QB30.

He threw for 1632 yards on 243 attempts with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, and ran for 181 yards and 4 touchdowns.

That came to 24.3 attempts a game at 6.7 yards an attempt.

He was on the field for 94 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

C.J. Stroud was available for 4 games more.

Head to head

In 2025 C.J. Stroud scored 15.5 PPR points a game and J.J. McCarthy 13.7, 1.7 a game between them.

C.J. Stroud finished QB21 that year and J.J. McCarthy QB30.

C.J. Stroud had 180 more pass attempts than J.J. McCarthy, 423 to 243.

C.J. Stroud had 1409 more passing yards than J.J. McCarthy, 3041 to 1632.

This season C.J. Stroud holds the bigger snap share, 100 percent against 42 percent.

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

Byes and availability

C.J. Stroud is off in Week 8. No bye is listed for J.J. McCarthy.

What would change the answer

J.J. McCarthy has only a partial projection, so the market half of this page is whole for only one of them.