Rookie quarterbacks Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud are ready to roll after being the top picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, but which signal caller will have more success in Year 1? Read on as we analyze Young vs. Stroud props based on the latest NFL odds from our best sports betting apps.
Quarterbacks Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud were the first names to be called in the 2023 NFL Draft, with the former going No. 1 overall to the Carolina Panthers and the latter being selected by the Houston Texas with the No. 2 pick. These quarterbacks will now be compared to each other for the rest of their careers. That is simply how things work in the NFL.
Young and Stroud can help themselves by setting the tone with a strong rookie campaign. Both signal callers are likely to start the majority of the regular-season games for their respective teams, which is why they opened near the top of the Offensive Rookie of the Year oddsboard.
But DraftKings is giving bettors the chance to have even more action on these two quarterbacks with head-to-head player props for Young vs. Stroud. Between passing yards and passing touchdowns, there are multiple season matchups worth playing if you know which quarterback to back.
Let's take a look at the Young vs. Stroud season matchups via our best sports betting sites to figure out the best betting angle ahead of the 2023-24 NFL campaign.
Head-to-head passing yards
| Quarterback | DraftKings |
| Bryce Young | -120 |
| C.J. Stroud | -110 |
As expected, Young has a slight edge to finish his rookie season with more passing yards than Stroud. You have to pay -120 odds to take the No. 1 overall pick in this head-to-head matchup, which comes out to an implied probability of 54.55%.
Of all the Young vs. Stroud markets, this is the best bet for my money. NumberFire projects Young to finish with roughly 3,643 passing yards in Year 1, which is comfortably ahead of Stroud's projection of approximately 3,463 passing yards.
Mike Clay of ESPN recently released his league-wide projections for fantasy football, in which he has Young throwing for 3,560 yards and Stroud tossing 3,328 yards.
Both Young and Stroud are listed at 80/1 to be the NFL's passing yards leader this season, which is obviously unlikely. But we believe Young steps into a more favorable s ituation on Day 1, and that should lead to better production in Year 1.
Andrew Luck holds the record for most passing yards by a rookie, as he finished with 4,374 yards through the air in 2012 for the Indianapolis Colts.
Head-to-head passing touchdowns
| Quarterback | DraftKings |
| Bryce Young | -120 |
| C.J. Stroud | -110 |
Similar to the passing yards matchup, Young is a -120 favorite to finish with more passing touchdowns than Stroud this season.
Stroud recorded 85 touchdowns in his collegiate career at Ohio State, while Young tossed 80 scores through the air at Alabama. And there might be some value on Stroud in this market. According to Clay's projections, both quarterbacks will throw 18 passing touchdowns in 15 games.
The reason we prefer to stray from this market is because touchdowns tend to be a bit fluky. Carolina is projected to have a better offense, which could lead to more scores, but I'm not sure I'm confident enough in that assessment at these odds.
The record for most passing touchdowns in a rookie season belongs to Justin Herbert, who tossed 31 scores during his 2020 campaign with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Rookie of the Year odds
| Quarterback | DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | PointsBet |
| Bryce Young | +500 ?? | +450 | +450 | +400 ?? | +450 |
| C.J. Stroud | +750 | +900 ?? | +650 | +650 | +700 |
For the best payout on the top rookie quarterbacks, consider betting them in the Offensive Rookie of the Year market. A quarterback has not won this award since 2020, but 11 different signal callers have been named OROY in NFL history.
In this case, DraftKings has the best deal on Young while FanDuel offers the best price on Stroud.
You can also take advantage of the team specials market at DraftKings for more potential wagers on either quarterback. All 32 teams are featured in their own tab under team specials on your mobile app.
For example, Young is +150 to throw for 400-plus yards in any regular-season game during his rookie year. Young only accomplished this feat in three of his 34 collegiate appearances, including a career-best 559 yards against Arkansas.
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