Houston Texans' C.J. Stroud Overvalued in Fantasy Football Ahead of Training Camp

Houston Texans' C.J. Stroud Overvalued in Fantasy Football Ahead of Training Camp

Jan 20, 2024; Baltimore, MD, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) drops back to pass against the Baltimore Ravens in the first half of a 2024 AFC divisional round game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports / Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

It is that time of the offseason when we start looking to predict how the season will shape out and dive into fantasy football as leagues are preparing to draft.

The Houston Texans are one of the more exciting teams to gauge when it comes to who will produce the most from a fantasy perspective after putting together one of the more exciting rosters in the NFL. Most fantasy leagues also incorporate a team defense, but mainly, players on the offensive side of the ball will either win or lose a league.

READ MORE: Stefon Diggs on Trade From Bills: 'I Asked God to Light My Path'

With so many mouths to feed on the Texans, it's once again difficult to pinpoint who will be the standout fantasy guy, but one thing is for certain: QB C.J. Stroud has the potential to put together an all-time great performance in 2024.

Last season, Stroud finished as the 11th-best fantasy quarterback in the league slotting just behind Baker Mayfield and ahead of Sam Howell after putting up 4,108 passing yards for 23 touchdowns to just five interceptions. However, despite the elite offense that has been put together, Bleacher Report believes that the hype of Stroud being a top-five fantasy quarterback is overvalued.

"Average Draft Position: QB5; 44th Overall

C.J. Stroud had an outstanding first season with the Houston Texans in 2023.

The Ohio State product completed almost 64 percent of his passes, topped 4,100 passing yards and threw 23 touchdown passes against just five interceptions. He was the first rookie quarterback ever to produce two top-15 fantasy receivers in terms of PPR points per game.

With Stefon Diggs also now in Houston, expectations are sky-high for Stroud in 2024—so high that he's being drafted ahead of the likes of Joe Burrow and Dak Prescott.

For all Stroud's talent, his lack of scrambling caps his fantasy ceiling. Top-five fantasy numbers would require truly gaudy passing stats, such as 5,000 yards, 30-plus touchdowns gaudy.

Counting on that to happen is an awfully risky bet."

As much as I would like to agree with this take, I will not. Stroud outperformed expectations in 2023 as a rookie and will once again have a shot at even outdoing those numbers in his sophomore campaign.

Add in the fact that Tank Dell is now 100% healthy after missing portions of last season, the additions of Joe Mixon and Stefon Diggs, and the return of Dalton Shultz and Nico Collins, and the Texans' offense should be almost unstoppable—aligning Stroud to be one of the best quarterbacks not only in the league but also in fantasy.

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