C.J. Stroud put the NFL world on notice during his rookie campaign, as he led the Houston Texans not just to the AFC South title but also a playoff win in 2023. The Texans were an exciting team to watch and boasted several game-winners in fantasy football, and Stroud was certainly among them.
While he isn’t exactly a threat in the running game, Stroud’s ability to put receivers in the endzone makes him a valuable asset in fantasy, and he was a very safe pair of hands. Stroud finished as the QB11 last season, but with Houston sensing its Super Bowl window might be opening, the franchise has invested in some key offensive pieces.
With Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon joining an already talented offense, C.J. Stroud is expected to have a dominant campaign and that is expected to translate into fantasy football. Stroud is the consensus QB6 for the 2024 season (as per Fantasy Pros) and has an average draft position of 51.
This means that depending on your league size, you might be able to get C.J. Stroud in the late fourth round of fantasy drafts (or maybe fifth). This would enable you to get some top-quality pieces at WR, RB and TE. Stroud could well be one of the best-performing QBs in 2024, so this would represent great value and be a good draft strategy.
C.J. Stroud’s 2024 NFL fantasy outlook: What numbers to expect from the TexansQB?
Normally, when predicting a QBs numbers, you’d take a look at their career’s ups and downs, injury history and where the team is, and from that draw a conclusion. As C.J. Stroud is entering his sophomore NFL campaign, we have a limited sample size to go on. That said, Stroud looked phenomenal for a rookie and was drawing some elite comparisons all season long.
In 2023, Stroud threw for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions, highlighting how safe a prospect he is in fantasy. He also rushed for 167 yards and 3 TDs on top. Given the Texans’ impressive wide receiver core and a year of NFL XP under his belt, Stroud is poised to improve on his rookie campaign.
Presuming he stays healthy, a baseline of 4,300 yards and 28 TDs feels a good bet, with Stroud finishing comfortably in the top five QBs in NFL fantasy. Factor in another 150 yards and 3 TDs on the ground and if you hit gold with your WRs and RBs, you will be in for a dominant season.
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