Wondering who you should start this week — C.J. Stroud or Malik Willis? 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 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
C.J. StroudSTART
@ LAC
17.8
26th · tough
20.5
624
healthy
Malik Willis
vs DET
17.8
1st · soft
20.8
163
healthy
QBs vs LAC recently: Bo Nix 7.9 pts (W5) · Patrick Mahomes 11.5 pts (W6) · Matthew Stafford 9.3 pts (W8).
QBs vs DET recently: Jacoby Brissett 25.3 pts (W5) · Jordan Love 18 pts (W7) · Kyler Murray 20.9 pts (W8).
🎓 The coach's read
They carry identical projections — projection alone cannot separate them.
C.J. Stroud has the higher floor (8.8) — the safer start if you are favoured.
Malik Willis has the higher ceiling (30) — 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.
Malik Willis is boom-or-bust — about 24% more volatile week to week than a typical QB projected here — wider range in both directions.
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 163 (a 74% gap). In a one-for-one, the side receiving C.J. Stroud gets the most.
Momentum: C.J. Stroud +355 and Malik Willis +97 over the last 30 days.