Fantasy Football Player Notes

After a triumphant rookie season in 2023, C.J. Stroud's production fell dramatically last season. In 2023, Stroud was QB8 in fantasy points per game (18.7) among quarterbacks who made at least nine starts. In 2024, he slipped to QB26 in fantasy points per game (13.7). His passing yardage per game dropped from 273.9 to 219.2. Much of the blame goes to a shoddy offensive line that allowed Stroud to be sacked 52 times and yielded a league-worst 27.2% pressure rate. Houston's offensive line could still be a problem in 2025. The Texans traded away their best offensive lineman, left tackle Laremy Tunsil, although they acquired a solid replacement in Cam Robinson. The Texans added to Stroud's pass-catching arsenal by drafting Iowa State WRs Jaden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, but WR Stefon Diggs left via free agency, and WR Tank Dell might not play in 2025 after sustaining a gruesome knee injury in December. It's probably best to expect something between the highs of 2023 and the lows of 2024, and to regard Stroud as a midrange QB2.