C.J.Stroud

News: 5 days agoStroud completed 22 of 35 passes for 276 yards with no touchdowns and one interception while rushing once for no gain in the Texans' 20-16 win over the Colts on Sunday.

Spin: Stroud made his return from a three-game absence due to a concussion and looked very sharp despite the multi-game layoff, finishing with his second-highest passing yardage total of the season. He spread the ball around effectively to six different targets, and after rookie Jayden Higgins had built up plenty of momentum while working with Davis Mills in the previous three games, Stroud helped extend his strong stretch of play by connecting with him on five occasions for 65 yards. Now back to full health for the stretch run, Stroud figures to be busy once again in a Week 14 road showdown against the Chiefs next Sunday night.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Stroud enters his third NFL season looking for a rebound following a bit of a step back in 2024. Stroud had one of the best seasons ever by a rookie QB in 2023 (12th in QBR, eighth in pass yards, ninth in fantasy PPG), but he plummeted to 26th in QBR, 14th in pass yards and 28th in PPG last season. He opened the season with two seventh-place fantasy weeks in his first four games, but proceeded to finish 14th or worse each of the 13 remaining weeks. He reached 20 fantasy points only once (Week 4). Still only 23, Stroud is still on the ascent, but he'll need to produce more through the air in order to offset mild-to-moderate rushing contributions. He's best viewed as a serviceable QB2 with limited upside.