Bryce Young · C.J. Stroud · 2026 week 9

Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud?

Wondering who you should start this week — Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud? The start/sit call and the numbers behind it are below, plus who wins a straight-up trade. Rebuilt nightly.

Start C.J. Stroud — barelyThis one is a coin flip — the projections are within 0.7 points. The matchup leans C.J. Stroud (LAC allow the 26th-most QB points), but you can defend either call.

Player	Wk 9	Proj (PPR)	Matchup	Form L3	Trade value	Status
Bryce Young	vs DEN	17.1	19th	12.9	289	healthy
C.J. Stroud START	@ LAC	17.8	26th · tough	20.5	624	healthy

QBs vs DEN recently: Sam Darnold 13 pts (W6) · Jacoby Brissett 16.5 pts (W7) · Patrick Mahomes 25.4 pts (W8).

QBs vs LAC recently: Bo Nix 7.9 pts (W5) · Patrick Mahomes 11.5 pts (W6) · Matthew Stafford 9.3 pts (W8).

🎓 The coach's read

Projections are 0.7 apart — too close to call on projection alone.
C.J. Stroud has the higher floor (8.8) — the safer start if you are favoured.
Bryce Young has the higher ceiling (27.2) — the play if you need points.
C.J. Stroud is steady — about 15% less volatile week to week than a typical QB projected here — higher floor, lower ceiling.
Bryce Young faces DEN, 19th most generous to QBs.
C.J. Stroud faces LAC, 26th most generous to QBs.

Who wins a straight-up trade?

C.J. Stroud carries the higher trade value — 624 against 289 (a 54% gap). In a one-for-one, the side receiving C.J. Stroud gets the most. Momentum: Bryce Young -942 and C.J. Stroud +355 over the last 30 days.

Open in Start/Sit (any scoring) Open in the Trade Analyzer

More QB decisions

Bryce Young or Bo Nix?Bryce Young or Kirk Cousins?C.J. Stroud or Jordan Love?C.J. Stroud or Tyler Shough?C.J. Stroud or Matthew Stafford?

All numbers are the 2026 season, refreshed nightly.