Texans QB C.J. Stroud Lands Favorable Week 3 Fantasy Projection

Through the first two weeks of the NFL season, the Houston Texans have had a pretty stagnant offensive unit, and thus, from a fantasy football lens, it hasn't led to many of their fantasy stars showing out in a major way to kick off the new year.

The passing offense hasn't looked as explosive as expected through both Weeks 1 and 2, the run game struggled to get going on Monday Night Football, and for C.J. Stroud, those offensive lapses have inevitably led to him being the 26th-highest scoring quarterback after two contests with 23.7 points. Not ideal.

However, when looking ahead to Week 3 vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars, Stroud might have the perfect opportunity with an extremely complementary matchup to bounce back from a slow start to the year.

The Athletic's KC Joyner recently named Stroud as one of two quarterbacks to have the most favorable Week 3 matchups, circling one key name in the Jacksonville secondary: Tyson Campbell.

"Stroud is a bit of a question mark because he only scored 14.98 points against a weak Buccaneers secondary on Monday night," Joyner wrote. "His numbers could vastly improve this week due to being able to throw at Jacksonville cornerback Tyson Campbell. Per Next Gen Stats, Campbell was targeted 12 times by Cincinnati quarterbacks and allowed 7 receptions for 108 yards and 2 touchdowns. Look for Stroud to throw plenty of passes in Campbell’s direction (often to Nico Collins) and put up his best point total of the season."

Not only could the matchup present good things for Stroud, but also for his number one wideout in Nico Collins. Collins was able to get on the board with his first touchdown of the year early vs. Tampa Bay, but was limited to just two receptions for the rest of the night. Campbell lining up on the other side of him, that might boost those totals.

Sep 15, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) drops back to pass during the third quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Another aspect of Stroud's fantasy outlook playing in his favor is the work he's done on the ground through the first two weeks. The Texans quarterback has had at least four carries vs. both the Rams and Buccaneers for a total of 59 yards, and could look to follow that trend vs. Jacksonville for even more fantasy upside.

Stroud could be worth a look as a top-end streaming option in Week 3, but his upside also banks on the Texans' offense rebounding after a sluggish start.

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