C.J. Stroud

Over the last two years, CJ Stroud has been unable to match the splendor of his 2023 rookie season. Shoddy offensive line play was undoubtedly part of the problem in 2024. The Texans' O-line outperformed expectations in 2025, but Stroud was a league-average starter at best. As a rookie, Stroud threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns, with only five interceptions. He averaged 273.2 passing yards per game and 8.2 yards per pass attempt. In 31 starts over the last two seasons, Stroud has averaged 218.3 passing yards per game and 7.1 yards per attempt. His yearly finishes in fantasy points per game among QBs with at least nine starts: QB7, QB26, QB20. The Texans have worked on upgrading Stroud's offensive line, but Houston's pass-catching corps took a hit in mid-August with the loss of promising second-year WR Jayden Higgins to a torn ACL. With Houston having one of the NFL's top defenses, Stroud probably won't be presented with a lot of pass-happy game scripts. Consider Stroud a low-end QB2 or high-end QB3 for fantasy.

C.J. Stroud had another struggle bus season last year as the QB20 in fantasy points per game. He had only four weeks in which he cracked the top 12 in weekly scoring among quarterbacks. Among 38 qualifying quarterbacks, he ranked 15th in yards per attempt, 18th in passing yards per game, 28th in highly accurate throw rate, 31st in catchable target rate, and 28th in hero throw rate (per Fantasy Points Data). Houston tried to hide him, as he had only five games last year with 35 or more passing attempts. I still have the hope candle lit for Stroud that MAYBE he can recapture some of his rookie season magic, but I won't be drafting him in any league unless it is in a Superflex format.