Stroud is not an immobile pocket passer, but his rushing profile doesn't project to offer much at the NFL level so he'll need to accrue most of his Fantasy points through the air. In Year 1, that could be an issue. The Texans don't offer Stroud any true No. 1 wide receivers as a rookie, but they did find success in the run game with Dameon Pierce last season, which could be important for Stroud in the play-action passing game. With an offensive line that has one elite piece and a lot of question marks, it's hard to envision a recipe for immediate Fantasy success for Stroud. Ultimately, you can swing for a higher-upside QB2 and shouldn't look to target Stroud until the late rounds of one-QB leagues and not until the middle rounds in two-QB formats. In rookie-only drafts, look for Stroud to go late in the first round in one-QB formats, while he's a top-five pick in two-QB formats.
Texans' C.J. Stroud: Over 300 yards, three total TDs
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Stroud completed 26 of 36 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 24-21 loss to the Jaguars. He added six rushing attempts for 47 yards and one touchdown.
One drive after having what would have been a 62-yard connection to Tank Dell called back on a penalty, Stroud found Dell for a seven-yard touchdown to get the Texans on the board in the second quarter. Stroud ran one in himself from one yard out in the third quarter, then threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Nico Collins in the fourth. Houston got the ball back after Collins' touchdown and Stroud led an 11-play, 50-yard drive that culminated with a missed 58-yard field goal from Matt Ammendola. The loss snapped Houston's three-game winning streak and dropped the Texans' record to 6-5. Stroud has exceeded 300 passing yards in four consecutive games and will take a 19:5 TD:INT into a Week 13 home game against the Broncos, which could prove pivotal in the AFC playoff race.
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Texans' C.J. Stroud: QBs to Start
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Stroud already faced Jacksonville in Week 3 on the road and had 280 passing yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, along with 14 rushing yards, for 24.6 Fantasy points. That's one of five games this season with at least 21 Fantasy points, and I expect him to remain above that threshold in the rematch with the Jaguars this week. Jacksonville allows an average of 20.3 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks on the season, and the only quarterbacks who failed to top 20 Fantasy points are Desmond Ridder, Gardner Minshew, Derek Carr, Kenny Pickett and Will Levis.
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Texans' C.J. Stroud: Another standout performance Sunday
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Stroud completed 23 of 39 passes for 356 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the Texans' 30-27 win over the Bengals on Sunday. He also rushed twice for eight yards and a touchdown and lost two fumbles.
Stroud went into enemy territory and helped the Texans continue to defy expectations with the fourth 300-yard effort of his nascent career. The rookie did throw multiple interceptions for the first time and was separated from the ball twice, but he impressively adapted to not having top receiver Nico Collins (calf) by pivoting to Noah Brown (7-172-0), Dalton Schultz (4-71-0) and Tank Dell (6-56-1). The second overall pick also got plenty of help from a career-best 150-yard rushing day from Devin Singletary, and Stroud capped off another stellar afternoon by coolly leading Houston on a six-play, 55-yard march that culminated in a game-winning 38-yard field goal by Matt Ammendola. Stroud next faces off with Kyler Murray and the Cardinals in what could be another high-scoring contest at home Week 11.
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Texans' C.J. Stroud: Sit Him (Lineup Decisions)
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The Buccaneers have given up some big numbers lately, but it's been to good quarterbacks (Josh Allen and Jared Goff) who threw at least 40 times in high-functioning offenses that either chose to or had to ignore their run games. Stroud and the Texans are a different story. If I had confidence in Stroud overcoming the pass rush and hitting targets deep downfield I'd feel better about starting him. Instead, he's on the fringe of being a QB1 for me this week. I feel much better starting Sam Howell, Derek Carr or Gardner Minshew.
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Texans' C.J. Stroud: Disappointing numbers in loss
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Stroud completed 16 of 24 passes for 140 yards in Sunday's 15-13 loss to the Panthers. He added 13 rushing yards and a touchdown on two carries.
The 140 passing yards were a season low for Stroud, while this was the first time he'd failed to toss a TD since his Week 1 NFL debut. The second overall pick in this year's draft has seen his yardage total decline in three straight games, suggesting the league's defensive coordinators might be developing a book on the young QB, but Stroud could bounce back in Week 9 against a Buccaneers defense that had given up the third-most passing yards in the league coming into Sunday.
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Texans' C.J. Stroud: QBs to Sit
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The Falcons cooled Stroud off in Week 5, holding the rookie to 16.2 Fantasy points, which snapped a three-game streak of him scoring at least 24.6 points. I expect the Saints to also keep Stroud in check in Week 6. Safety Marcus Maye returns to the New Orleans secondary after his three-game suspension, and we'll see if the Saints can be the first team to get an interception off Stroud. He also hasn't been sacked in three games in a row. The key will be if Stroud gets a second touchdown or not if he remains without a turnover (he hasn't fumbled since Week 2), and rookie receiver Nathaniel Dell (concussion) could be out in Week 6. I would only start Stroud in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in this matchup.
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Texans' C.J. Stroud: QBs to Start
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Stroud has been exceptional to start his NFL career, and he's scored at least 24.6 Fantasy points in three games in a row. He hasn't thrown an interception yet, and he hasn't been sacked in the past two games against Jacksonville and Pittsburgh. His receiving corps is playing great with Nico Collins and Nathaniel Dell making plays, and I expect Stroud to stay hot in this matchup against the Falcons. Two of the past three quarterbacks against Atlanta (Jordan Love and Jared Goff) have scored at least 20 Fantasy points, and Stroud should do the same in Week 5.
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Texans' C.J. Stroud: One To Stash (QB Preview)
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It's early and I don't want to overreact, but C.J. Stroud's first three NFL games have gone about as well as anyone could have hoped. His 906 yards are the third best mark ever for a QB's first three starts, behind only Cam Newton and Justin Herbert. He's done that without throwing one interception and playing behind a patchwork offensive line. This is a big test in Week 4 against Pittsburgh's pass rush. If Stroud passes the test, we may be talking about him as a top-12 QB in Week 5 against the Falcons.
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Texans' C.J. Stroud: Week 4 Waiver Priority List
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Stroud is coming off two standout Fantasy outings the past two weeks against the Colts and Jaguars where he passed for 664 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, and he scored at least 24.6 Fantasy points in each outing. Hopefully, his offensive line is improving after he wasn't sacked in Week 3 against the Jaguars, and his receiving corps is playing great with Nico Collins, Nathaniel Dell and Robert Woods. I'm not ready to call Stroud a starting Fantasy quarterback in Week 4 against the Steelers, but he should be stashed on your bench. If he keeps this up then he will emerge as a No. 1 quarterback in all leagues. He's worth 5-10 percent of your FAB.
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Texans' C.J. Stroud: Week 3 Early Waiver Targets (Add/Drop)
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And hey, maybe the guy throwing Dell the ball deserves some credit at some point. Stroud now has consecutive multi-touchdown games and has thrown for 664 yards on 8.6 yards per attempt over the past two weeks. The Texans have been surprisingly pass-heavy in Stroud's first three starts, and even Sunday, when they beat the Jaguars by 20, they dropped back to pass 31 times while running just 25 times. Stroud has looked excellent so far, his coaching staff clearly trusts him, and he might actually have better weapons than expected, too. With bye weeks coming up, Stroud might actually be worth starting moving forward. I did not expect to see that this early.
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Texans' C.J. Stroud: Listed as limited Wednesday
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Stroud (shoulder) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice.
Stroud threw for 384 yards and two touchdowns on 47 attempts while playing through shoulder pain in Sunday's 31-20 loss to Indianapolis. With no report of the rookie having suffered any setbacks, he'll likely suit up again Week 3 at Jacksonville even if he remains limited at practice Thursday and/or Friday. Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle reports that Stroud didn't throw much during Wednesday's practice, mostly working on handoffs with the running backs instead.
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Texans' C.J. Stroud: Outstanding yardage total in loss
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Stroud completed 30 of 47 passes for 384 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Texans' 31-20 loss to the Colts on Sunday. He also rushed three times for one yard and committed two fumbles, losing one and recovering the other.
The turnover and shaky ball security wasn't completely surprising considering Stroud was missing four starting offensive linemen overall, but the rookie signal-caller persevered through constant pressure and a sore shoulder he entered the game with to put together an excellent statistical performance during which he showed good command of the offense. Stroud connected with Nico Collins (eight yards) and Tank Dell (23 yards) for touchdown passes in the first and fourth quarters, respectively, and fought until the final whistle, taking a sack in Colts territory as time expired. Per Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle, Stroud said after the game that he played with some shoulder pain "here and there" Sunday after working hard all week to be active, and Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle separately reports the second overall pick feels he'll be back to full health for a Week 3 road divisional matchup against the Jaguars.
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Texans' C.J. Stroud: Expected to play Week 2
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Stroud (shoulder) is expected to suit up for Sunday's game against the Colts, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Stroud popped up on Friday's injury report and is officially listed as questionable for Week 2 with a sore throwing shoulder, but the Texans don't believe the issue is serious enough to keep the rookie quarterback sidelined Sunday. Official word on Stroud's status will come around 11:30 a.m. ET, when the Texans release their inactive list approximately 90 minutes prior to Sunday's kickoff. In his NFL debut in the Texans' Week 1 loss to the Ravens, Stroud completed 28 of 44 passes for 242 yards without a touchdown or interception.
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Texans' C.J. Stroud: Scores quick TD
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Stroud completed two of four pass attempts for 16 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's preseason finale against New Orleans.
Stroud started Houston's first two offensive drives Sunday, finishing his brief appearance with a touchdown pass to Nico Collins after going three-and-out on the team's first possession. The promising rookie has been operating the first-unit offense all preseason despite not being officially named Week 1 starter by head coach DeMeco Ryans. Assuming this pattern holds true, Stroud will make his first regular-season start against the Ravens on Sept. 10.
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Texans' C.J. Stroud: Sunday start on tap
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Stroud is slated to start Sunday's preseason finale against the Saints, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
The assignment will mark Stroud's third straight exhibition start, and the rookie signal-caller is expected to log about two series' worth of action, according to Drew Dougherty of the Texans' official site. Once Stroud gets his reps in against New Orleans, he'll turn his focus to preparing for Houston's Sept. 10 regular-season opener against the Ravens.
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Texans' C.J. Stroud: Picked off in preseason debut
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Stroud completed two of four passes for 13 yards and an interception in Thursday night's 20-9 preseason-opening win over the Patriots.
Stroud started in his first NFL action and was sacked and picked off on the opening drive. The second pick in this year's draft played only two series before giving way to Davis Mills, who completed nine of 12 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown and lost a fumble. Stroud should get more playing time next Saturday against Miami.
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Texans' C.J. Stroud: Named starter Thursday
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Stroud will start Thursday's preseason opener against the Patriots, per coach DeMeco Ryans, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.
Stroud will make his NFL debut Thursday. The second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft is competing with Davis Mills for the starting quarterback job in Houston, but considering Stroud has been receiving the vast majority of recent first-team reps, the starting spot is his to lose.
