Fantasy Football Video: After another season of regression, will C.J. Stroud be a liability in 2026?

The Houston Texans fell to the New England Patriots in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs over the weekend 28-16 to end their season. On paper, it looks like the Texans have everything they need to be contenders. An elite defense, a solid head coach and a quality young QB in C.J. Stroud. Well, at least we thought Houston had that last one.

Stroud had one of the worst performances by a QB in NFL playoff history against New England on the road. While it was in pretty bad weather conditions, Stroud was unable to get it done in a huge spot and has regressed in every season since he winning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors back in 2023.

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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 the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast.

Harmon starts the segment by pointing out that Stroud’s performance against the Patriots ranked 418th among 429 QB performances in the playoffs since 2007 in EPA per dropback. Stroud finished the game with just 212 yards on 20/47 completed passes with one touchdown and four interceptions while taking three sacks. That was good for a passer rating of 28.0.

The regression is real and Harmon believes the Texans need to search 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, who was out with a concussion, being a big factor as he struggled to stay healthy all season.

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Houston needs to figure out the offense or else it may end up missing the playoffs next season, which wouldn’t bode well for the fantasy prospects of Stroud, Collins and others surrounding them.

Stroud, 24, is still young but his career trajectory has been odd. 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 while the defense stepped up. He threw for under 4,000 yards while his INT total went up to 12 (his TDs down to 20). Stroud missed three games this season but had a passer rating below his mark from Year 1.

Yahoo analyst Justin Boone has Stroud ranked as the QB19 in his early fantasy football rankings for next season. Boone has Stroud has the QB14 in his dynasty rankings and trade value charts for 2026.