CJ Stroud has leapt onto the MVP scene with his performances in Week 9 and Week 10. The rookie quarterback, whom the Houston Texans selected with the second overall pick of the 2023 draft, put together back-to-back wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Cincinnati Bengals.
After Week 10, Stroud now has 15 passing touchdowns and just two interceptions on the season. He has also added two rushing touchdowns this year. While the Texans have had their ups and downs, which is to be expected in a rebuilding year, their very young and rookie-heavy team is beginning to perform at a high level more consistently. That all begins with Stroud.
This week alone, against a Bengals team that just rolled through the Niners on the road and the Bills at home, Stroud had 356 passing yards, one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdown, and just his second interception of the season. He led his second consecutive game-winning drive, setting up the Texans to kick a walk-off field goal. Last week, he did the same against Tampa Bay, passing for 470 yards and five touchdowns and marching down the field in under a minute for the game-winner.
Before Week 9, Stroud was set at +15000 to win MVP at DraftKings Sportsbook. After last week’s performance, he moved to +13000, and after this week, he sits at +4000.
There are still eight quarterbacks with better odds to win than Stroud, and it’s the regular crowd, including Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, and Patrick Mahomes. Stroud has a mountain to climb ahead to surpass the elite group in the league, but if he keeps playing like this, he could do it. .