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Start C.J. Stroud or Sam Darnold? Week 9

Updated Nov 4, 9:56 AM ET.

Start C.J. Stroud over Sam Darnold

Start

C.J. Stroud

QB · HOU · at LAC

Market projects
16.9
fantasy pts
LAC D vs QB
14.3
8th fewest to QBs (2026)
Upside
Moderate
48 of 100 at QB
Snap share
100%
Through Week 7
Sit

Sam Darnold

QB · SEA · vs ARI

Market projects
15.5
fantasy pts
ARI D vs QB
22.4
2nd most to QBs (2026)
Upside
High
85 of 100 at QB
Snap share
90%
Through Week 8

Should I drop Sam Darnold for C.J. Stroud?

Yes, on the rest of the season. C.J. Stroud projects 152 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (16.9 a game over 9 games), Sam Darnold 124 (15.5 a game over 8 games). For Week 9 the call starts C.J. Stroud over Sam Darnold, 16.9 to 15.5 projected PPR points.

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Our Week 9 call

Start C.J. Stroud over Sam Darnold in Week 9.

Market-based projections have C.J. Stroud at 16.9 points and Sam Darnold at 15.5, a gap of 1.4. That is inside the noise of a single catch, so treat it as close to a coin flip. Drafters take C.J. Stroud at ADP 185 and Sam Darnold at 155.

What the market projects

Player markets imply 16.9 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 248 passing yards, 1-2 passing touchdowns, 8 rushing yards and 0.1 rushing touchdowns (9, 9, 9 and 9 market sources).

Player markets imply 15.5 fantasy points for Sam Darnold, with 100 percent of the markets a QB needs posted.

The market-based projection for Sam Darnold is 225 passing yards, 1-2 passing touchdowns, 0-1 interceptions, 6 rushing yards and 0.1 rushing touchdowns (7, 8, 7, 7 and 8 market sources).

That puts C.J. Stroud 1.4 points ahead of Sam Darnold on the market projections.

Week 9 matchups

C.J. Stroud and HOU visit LAC on Sunday at 4:05 PM ET.

LAC allowed 14.3 fantasy points a game to QBs this season over 7 games, the 8th fewest in the league.

Quarterbacks threw for 208 yards and 1.1 touchdowns a game against LAC, with 0.9 interceptions a game.

Sam Darnold and SEA host ARI on Sunday at 4:25 PM ET.

ARI allowed 22.4 fantasy points a game to QBs this season over 8 games, the 2nd most in the league.

Quarterbacks threw for 238 yards and 2.3 touchdowns a game against ARI, with 0.4 interceptions a game.

By points allowed to the position, Sam Darnold has the softer matchup.

Injury status

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

Sam Darnold is not on the injury report.

Usage before Week 9

Through Week 7, C.J. Stroud played 100 percent of HOU snaps, dropped back 266 times and threw an average of 9.3 air yards per attempt.

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.

C.J. Stroud, Week 7 against NYG: 61 of 61 snaps, 17 of 28 passes for 153 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, 2 carries for 4 yards.

Through Week 8, Sam Darnold played 90 percent of SEA snaps, dropped back 235 times and threw an average of 6.9 air yards per attempt.

Sam Darnold, Week 5 against SF: 63 of 63 snaps, 18 of 29 passes for 195 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions, 1 carry for 5 yards.

Sam Darnold, Week 6 against DEN: 85 of 85 snaps, 27 of 49 passes for 278 yards, 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, 2 carries for 19 yards.

Sam Darnold, Week 7 against KC: 69 of 69 snaps, 20 of 28 passes for 257 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception, 2 carries for 17 yards.

Sam Darnold, Week 8 against CHI: 63 of 63 snaps, 17 of 34 passes for 188 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception, 2 carries for 20 yards.

Their 2025 seasons

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.

In 2025, Sam Darnold played 17 games for SEA and scored 249.4 PPR points, 14.7 a game, finishing QB13.

He completed 323 of 477 passes for 4048 yards, 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, and ran 35 times for 95 yards and 0 touchdowns.

He was on the field for 96 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

Their other Week 9 calls

Locks at kickoff, graded after. When the start/sit engine grades week 9, the call and the result appear on the public record, wrong ones included.

Drop or keep

  • Should I drop Sam Darnold for C.J. Stroud?

    Yes, on the rest of the season. C.J. Stroud projects 152 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (16.9 a game over 9 games), Sam Darnold 124 (15.5 a game over 8 games). For Week 9 the call starts C.J. Stroud over Sam Darnold, 16.9 to 15.5 projected PPR points.

  • Should I drop C.J. Stroud for Sam Darnold?

    No. Keep C.J. Stroud: he projects 152 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (16.9 a game over 9 games), Sam Darnold 124 (15.5 a game over 8 games). For Week 9 the call starts C.J. Stroud over Sam Darnold, 16.9 to 15.5 projected PPR points.

Should I drop C.J. Stroud?

Week 9 on the board

Elsewhere on the board