THE The Houston Texans fell to the New England Patriots in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs this weekend 28-16. to end their season. On paper, it seems like the Texans have what it takes to be contenders. An elite defense, a solid head coach and a quality young QB in CJ Stroud. Well, at least we thought Houston had the latter.
Stroud had one of the worst performances by a QB in NFL playoff history against New England on the road. Even though it was in pretty bad weather conditions, Stroud couldn’t do it in a huge venue and has regressed in every season since winning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2023.
Advertisement
Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski discussed whether or not Stroud will continue to be a fantasy football liability in 2026. on the latest episode of Yahoo Fantasy Forecast.
Harmon begins the segment by pointing out that Stroud’s performance against the Patriots ranked 418th among 429 playoff QB performances since 2007 in EPA by drop. Stroud finished the game with just 212 yards on 20/47 completions with one touchdown and four interceptions while taking three sacks. That was good for a 28.0 passer rating.
The regression is real and Harmon believes the Texans need to look for answers as to why Stroud hasn’t improved since his first year in the league. Pianowski points to the absence of top WR Nico Collins due to a concussion as a big factor as he has struggled to stay healthy all season.
Advertisement
Houston needs to understand the offense or it could end up missing the playoffs next season, which doesn’t bode well for the fantasy prospects of Stroud, Collins and others around them.
Stroud, 24, is still young but his career path has been strange. In 2023, as a rookie, Stroud threw for over 4,000 yards with 23 TDs to just five INTs. In 2024, Stroud took a step back as the defense stepped up. He threw for less than 4,000 yards while his INT total dropped to 12 (his TDs to 20). Stroud missed three games this season but had a passer rating below his freshman mark.
Justin Boone, analyst at Yahoo, in Stroud ranked QB19 in its first fantasy football rankings for next season. Boone a Stroud has the QB14 in his dynasty rankings and trade value charts for 2026.
