The Houston Texans finally got their 2026 season underway on Sunday, picking up their first victory of the season in a 26-3 drubbing of the winless Tennessee Titans. Although only one team that started 0-4 has ever gone on to make the postseason, Houston has remained aggressive, trading for disgruntled former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. The Texans paid a steep price — a 2027 second-round pick — but Harrison is a first-round talent, going fourth overall in 2024.
The addition of Harrison strengthens an already solid wide receiver room in Houston that may also soon welcome Tank Dell back after a gruesome knee injury ended his 2024 season. It could also further raise C.J. Stroud’s fantasy ceiling.
Results and Usage
Stroud spent much of the offseason catching heat online after a horrid performance in the Divisional Round against the New England Patriots, completing just 42.6% of his passes for 212 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions in a game that the Texans ultimately lost by 12 points. The weather played a factor, but some were simply atrocious throws and worse decision-making.
He needed a bounce-back, and so far, he’s gotten one; Stroud has completed 64.3% of his passes so far this season for 1,402 yards, six touchdowns, and no interceptions. He’s never averaged more yards per game or a higher success rate, and his passer rating is the second-highest of his career so far. Stroud has been forced into difficult throws — his 57.6% expected completion percentage is the second-lowest in the league — but he’s completed his passes at a rate 6.7 percentage points higher than expected, the third-best mark in football. The 2023 second overall pick had never previously posted a completion percentage over expectation higher than 1.1 percentage points.
Stroud has been the 10th-best among 40 qualified quarterbacks this season by Pro Football Focus’ standards, the highest ranking of his career. Plus, because of his volume, he’s also been QB12 by fantasy standards, making him viable as a starter in most leagues. He’s recorded at least 20 FPTS in three of his five games.
Future Outlook
This season, Stroud ranks eighth in passing attempts and sixth in passing yards, and his volume should remain high as long as the Texans’ running game continues to struggle. This season, David Montgomery and Woody Marks have produced basically nothing on the ground, as Houston ranks second-to-last in rushing yards and third-to-last in yards per attempt. Since recording 124 rushing yards in the season opener against the Buffalo Bills, the Texans haven’t had more than 79 in any contest since. Houston did run the ball a few times late in Week 5, but that was in large part a product of the lopsided score.
Stroud’s production leapt when Nico Collins, who missed Weeks 2 and 3 with a hamstring strain, returned to the lineup, and Collins, Jaylin Noel, Xavier Hutchinson and tight end Dalton Schultz have each crossed the 200-yard threshold. Kayshon Boutte, too, has been a steady target, amassing 153 yards. Finding immediate snaps for Harrison will be tricky, given the Texans’ solid wide receiver depth and Dell’s imminent return, but Houston wouldn’t have given up significant draft capital for him if he didn’t figure into its long-term plans. He graded out as an above-average receiver in both 2024 and 2025 by PFF’s standards, and although he’s consistently ranked near the bottom of the league in average separation per targeted route, Stroud’s accuracy and Harrison’s ability to serve as a deep threat could serve the signal-caller well. I still don’t expect Harrison to play much of a factor on Sunday, although he might be best-suited to take over Boutte’s role.
Stroud has a fairly difficult matchup in Week 6 in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have been by far the best team in the AFC South so far this season. Overall, Jacksonville has allowed the 11th-fewest FPTS per game to opposing quarterbacks, and it is tied for the third-most interceptions on paper. However, the Jaguars are heavily reliant on their takeaways, as they’ve given up the third-most yards and the eighth-most yards per attempt, and Stroud has had the fourth-fewest turnover-worthy plays among qualified passers. They also get pressure relatively infrequently, mitigating one of his relative weaknesses. He’ll be worth starting regardless of Harrison’s role.
