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.
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 for. 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: Masterful in upset victory
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Stroud completed 20 of 30 passes for 280 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Texans' 37-17 win over the Jaguars on Sunday. He also rushed three times for 14 yards.
While the Dolphins' 50-point drubbing of the Broncos arguably qualified as the most eye-catching score of the early window of games Sunday, the Texans' 20-point road victory that Stroud spearheaded has to qualify as a close second. The rookie looked like anything but an inexperienced player while facing a defense that had given Patrick Mahomes and his squad plenty of trouble in Week 2, not taking any sacks or committing any turnovers while connecting with eight different pass catchers. Stroud hit fellow rookie Tank Dell, who he's already flashed impressive chemistry with, for a 68-yard score in the fourth quarter that served as the first-year signal-caller's longest pass of his nascent career, a play preceded by a four-yard scoring strike to little-used tight end Brevin Jordan halfway through the second period. Stroud has seemingly adapted quickly to NFL defenses, throwing for at least 242 yards in each of his first three contests while producing a 4:0 TD:INT. His next opportunity to build on an impressive early career resume comes in a Week 4 home matchup against a tough Steelers defense.
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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.
