Houston Texans’ C.J. Stroud Receives Ominous Take From NFL Analyst

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud took the NFL by storm during the 2023 season. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft was setting records, helping lead the Texans to a shocking AFC South title.

Heading into Year 2, there is a lot of excitement about what Stroud and Houston will be able to accomplish. The supporting cast around him was upgraded, as the Houston Texans acquired running back Joe Mixon and wide receiver Stefon Diggs this past offseason.

The more weapons Stroud has to work with, the better his performance should be. Slowing down this Texans offense through the air will be difficult with those two joining wide receivers Nico Collins and Tank Dell, and tight end Dalton Schultz.

In the Fantasy Football world, that is music to managers’ ears. More weapons should equal more efficient production, which is what will carry over into the world of Fantasy Football.

However, Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report believes that Stroud is one of the riskiest players you can target in your fantasy draft. Currently projected to come off the board somewhere in the fourth round, Davenport doesn’t believe his ranking matches up with his value.

“Stroud is absolutely an ascending young talent as a passer. But he doesn’t offer fantasy managers much rushing upside—just 167 yards on the ground last year. In order to finish as a top-five fantasy quarterback, he’ll have to approach or surpass 4,500 passing yards and throw well over 30 touchdown passes,” wrote Davenport.

As a rookie, Stroud completed 63.9 percent of his passes for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns with only five interceptions in 15 games. The benchmarks that Davenport shared which the Houston Texans star would need to reach to provide the value of a fourth-round pick are certainly attainable.

But, that isn’t what makes Stroud a risky pick. What makes him a risky pick is that selecting him in the fourth round is the high point of where he should be selected, meaning the value may never be there.

“Is that possible? Yes. But fantasy managers are drafting Stroud as though it’s a certainty.

And again, drafting fantasy players at ceiling has a tendency to lead to disappointment,” Davenport wrote.

C.J. Stroud is an ascending star in the football world, but that has skewed his value in Fantasy Football. Without the rushing stats, he just doesn’t have the upside of some of his peers.

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