Start C.J. Stroud or Lamar Jackson? Week 7

Updated Oct 21, 11:26 PM ET. Locks at kickoff, graded after. Week 8 answer posts Tuesday.

Latest

Oct 21, 4:54 PM ET: Ravens' Lamar Jackson returns to practice but status remains unclear vs. Bengals (ESPN)

Start Lamar Jackson over C.J. Stroud

Start

Lamar Jackson

QB · BAL · vs CIN · Questionable

Market projects: 19.2; fantasy pts
CIN D vs QB: 17.3; 16th fewest to QBs (2026)
Upside: Limited; 26 of 100 at QB
Snap share: 88%; Through Week 4

Sit

C.J. Stroud

QB · HOU · vs NYG

Market projects: 17.6; fantasy pts
NYG D vs QB: 21.1; 7th most to QBs (2026)
Upside: High; 89 of 100 at QB
Snap share: 100%; Through Week 6

Should I drop Lamar Jackson for C.J. Stroud?

Yes, on the rest of the season. C.J. Stroud projects 169 market-implied PPR points from Week 7 through Week 17 (16.9 a game over 10 games), Lamar Jackson 116 (11.6 a game over 10 games). For Week 7 the call starts Lamar Jackson over C.J. Stroud, 19.2 to 17.6 projected PPR points. So make the move after his Week 7 game. Lamar Jackson is listed questionable.

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Our Week 7 call

Start Lamar Jackson over C.J. Stroud in Week 7.

Market-based projections have Lamar Jackson at 19.2 points and C.J. Stroud at 17.6, a gap of 1.6. Lamar Jackson's number is scaled up from a partial market: not every stat the position needs is posted yet, so the rest is estimated from what is. Drafters take Lamar Jackson at ADP 57 and C.J. Stroud at 185. Market coverage on Lamar Jackson is 45 percent of what his position needs, so the market side of this carries proportionally less weight.

What the market projects

Player markets imply 19.2 fantasy points for Lamar Jackson, with 45 percent of the markets a QB needs posted.

The market-based projection for Lamar Jackson is 0.4 touchdowns (6 market sources).

Player markets imply 17.6 fantasy points for C.J. Stroud, with 100 percent of the markets a QB needs posted.

The market-based projection for C.J. Stroud is 257 passing yards, 1-2 passing touchdowns, 10 rushing yards and 0.2 rushing touchdowns (10, 13, 12 and 13 market sources).

That puts Lamar Jackson 1.6 points ahead of C.J. Stroud on the market projections.

Week 7 matchups

Lamar Jackson and BAL host CIN on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.

CIN allowed 17.3 fantasy points a game to QBs this season over 5 games, the 16th fewest in the league.

Quarterbacks threw for 245 yards and a touchdown a game against CIN, with 0.6 interceptions a game.

C.J. Stroud and HOU host NYG on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.

NYG allowed 21.1 fantasy points a game to QBs this season over 6 games, the 7th most in the league.

Quarterbacks threw for 199 yards and 2.0 touchdowns a game against NYG, with an interception a game.

By points allowed to the position, C.J. Stroud has the softer matchup.

Injury status

Lamar Jackson is listed as questionable with a ankle injury.

C.J. Stroud is not on the injury report.

Usage before Week 7

Through Week 4, Lamar Jackson played 88 percent of BAL snaps, dropped back 111 times and threw an average of 10.4 air yards per attempt.

Lamar Jackson, Week 1 against IND: 68 of 68 snaps, 17 of 24 passes for 324 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions, 4 carries for 43 yards.

Lamar Jackson, Week 2 against NO: 58 of 58 snaps, 21 of 30 passes for 235 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception, 4 carries for 34 yards.

Lamar Jackson, Week 3 against DAL: 64 of 64 snaps, 15 of 20 passes for 186 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, 6 carries for 50 yards.

Lamar Jackson, Week 4 against TEN: 33 of 64 snaps, 15 of 20 passes for 222 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, 2 carries for 20 yards.

Through Week 6, C.J. Stroud played 100 percent of HOU snaps, dropped back 237 times and threw an average of 9.5 air yards per attempt.

C.J. Stroud, Week 3 against IND: 54 of 54 snaps, 16 of 27 passes for 167 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions, 2 carries for 10 yards.

C.J. Stroud, Week 4 against DAL: 55 of 55 snaps, 21 of 29 passes for 347 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, 2 carries for 12 yards.

C.J. Stroud, Week 5 against TEN: 66 of 66 snaps, 26 of 34 passes for 261 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions, 4 carries for 7 yards.

C.J. Stroud, Week 6 against JAX: 63 of 63 snaps, 24 of 34 passes for 312 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception, 1 carry for 5 yards.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025, Lamar Jackson played 13 games for BAL and scored 221.9 PPR points, 17.1 a game, finishing QB20.

He completed 192 of 302 passes for 2549 yards, 21 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, and ran 67 times for 349 yards and 2 touchdowns.

He was on the field for 92 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

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

He completed 273 of 423 passes for 3041 yards, 19 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, and ran 48 times for 209 yards and 1 touchdown.

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

Their other Week 7 calls

Locks at kickoff, graded after. When the start/sit engine grades week 7, the call and the result appear on the public record, wrong ones included.

Drop or keep

Should I drop Lamar Jackson for C.J. Stroud?
Yes, on the rest of the season. C.J. Stroud projects 169 market-implied PPR points from Week 7 through Week 17 (16.9 a game over 10 games), Lamar Jackson 116 (11.6 a game over 10 games). For Week 7 the call starts Lamar Jackson over C.J. Stroud, 19.2 to 17.6 projected PPR points. So make the move after his Week 7 game. Lamar Jackson is listed questionable.
Should I drop C.J. Stroud for Lamar Jackson?
No. Keep C.J. Stroud: he projects 169 market-implied PPR points from Week 7 through Week 17 (16.9 a game over 10 games), Lamar Jackson 116 (11.6 a game over 10 games). For Week 7 the call starts Lamar Jackson over C.J. Stroud, 19.2 to 17.6 projected PPR points. Lamar Jackson is listed questionable.