Will Levis vs CJ Stroud: Who should I start in Fantasy Football Week 9?

Will Levis burst onto the scene last week, while C.J. Stroud has been excellent all year long. These two are popular streaming options this week, as both have decent projections. With fantasy matchups needing to be won, which rookie is the better option?

Will Levis vs CJ Stroud: Who should I start in Fantasy Football Week 9?

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Is Will Levis a good pick in Week 9?

Will Levis could be a surprisingly good pick in Week 9. The rookie quarterback had his first NFL action against a pretty solid defense in the Atlanta Falcons, and he tossed four touchdowns against them with a passer rating over 100.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, his Thursday night matchup, have been dead middle in terms of a QB matchup: 16th. That definitely leaves the door open for a good performance.

One thing they do have that the Falcons might be lacking a little bit is a good pass rush. Mike Tomlin is an excellent defensive coach, and he'll be able to get T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith into the backfield.

Rookie quarterbacks can struggle against elite pass rushes, and the Steelers' coaching staff knows that. Therefore, Levis' expectations have to be tempered, but their secondary is not all that great this season.

Patrick Peterson will likely cover DeAndre Hopkins, but he's not the elite corner he once was. This is not likely to be a starring role for Levis, but for streaming options, you could do far worse.

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Is C.J. Stroud a good pick in Week 9?

C.J. Stroud was beginning to look like a good pick in every single week. That was until the Houston Texans faced the Carolina Panthers, who earned their first win. Stroud was outdueled by Bryce Young, and Stroud looked like a rookie for the first time.

Chalk it up to some emotion regarding facing his childhood friend and the pick number one vs. pick number two narratives. Playing on the road against a team desperate for their first win can be tough.

Nevertheless, Stroud wasn't bad in the game and he will likely continue playing pretty well. He faces a good matchup in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have been 21st in terms of quarterback scoring.

He has all his weapons back on the field in the form of Nico Collins, Dalton Schultz and Tank Dell. The Buccaneers defense isn't all that strong, so it could be a bounceback performance for the rookie quarterback.

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Will Levis vs CJ Stroud: Who should I start in Fantasy Football Week 9?

Will Levis had perhaps the best performance of any rookie quarterback last week, so the temptation is to ride the hot hand into this fantasy matchup, but there are a few caveats.

The Steelers now have NFL game tape on Levis. They also have time to gameplan, whereas the starter last week was Malik Willis and the Falcons didn't know how much Levis would play.

Furthermore, it's a short week after an emotional debut for Levis. All of these things work against him. On the other hand, Stroud has been playing well all year. He has more experience and a better matchup.

The projections suggest there will be a few points of difference between these two this week, with Stroud having the advantage. That is probably sage advice, and it will probably be true. Start Stroud if you can, but Levis wouldn't be a bad choice, either.

Be sure to check out our fantasy start/sit optimizer for any matchup questions you have concerns about this week and every week.