C.J. Stroud · Jordan Love · 2026 week 8

C.J. Stroud or Jordan Love?

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

Start Jordan Love — barelyThis one is a coin flip — the projections are within 1 point. The matchup leans Jordan Love (CAR allow the 20th-most QB points), but you can defend either call.

Player	Wk 8	Proj (PPR)	Matchup	Form L3	Trade value	Status
C.J. Stroud	@ LAC	16.1	26th · tough	20.5	714	healthy
Jordan Love START	vs CAR	17.1	20th	21.5	854	healthy

QBs vs LAC recently: Sam Darnold 14.3 pts (W4) · Bo Nix 7.9 pts (W5) · Patrick Mahomes 11.5 pts (W6).

QBs vs CAR recently: Jared Goff 20.5 pts (W4) · Tanner McKee 12.6 pts (W6) · Baker Mayfield 6.7 pts (W7).

🎓 The coach's read

Jordan Love projects 1 point higher in PPR.
C.J. Stroud faces LAC, 26th most generous to QBs.
Jordan Love faces CAR, 20th most generous to QBs.

Who wins a straight-up trade?

Jordan Love carries the higher trade value — 854 against 714 (a 16% gap). In a one-for-one, the side receiving Jordan Love gets the most. Momentum: C.J. Stroud +466 and Jordan Love +335 over the last 30 days.

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

More QB decisions

C.J. Stroud or Matthew Stafford?C.J. Stroud or Tyler Shough?Jordan Love or Jared Goff?Jordan Love or Patrick Mahomes?Jordan Love or Matthew Stafford?

All numbers are the 2026 season, refreshed nightly.