Early 2026 fantasy expert consensus rankings: Houston Texans edition

TL;DR

Early fantasy expert consensus rankings for the 2026 season highlight undervalued players on the Houston Texans, particularly C.J. Stroud, whose potential is not reflected in his current draft position.

Key points

Fantasy expert consensus rankings are emerging for 2026.
C.J. Stroud's fifth-year option was picked up, ensuring his role as starter.
Stroud's post-rookie-year struggles were impacted by injuries to his receivers.
He finished as the overall QB20 last year.
Stroud has one of the highest ceilings among undervalued quarterbacks.

Houston TexansC.J. Stroud

Heading into the 2026 season, here are the biggest Texans bargains based on early fantasy expert consensus rankings

Fantasy expert consensus rankings (“ECR”) are starting to pop up across the Internet, giving managers an early glimpse into how the market might value hundreds of players this summer. As we look ahead to the 2026 season, here are the biggest Texans bargains based on ECR.

This team is loaded with potentially undervalued players, as experts aren’t giving them the benefit of the doubt. It begins with C.J. Stroud, whose fifth-year option recently was picked up, meaning he should remain entrenched as Houston’s starter for at least two more seasons. His post-rookie-year struggles are not all his fault. Massive injuries to his receiving corps have upended what had been a promising start to his career.

Last year’s overall QB20, Stroud was on track to be the QB13 if he’d played all 17 games. His QB22 ADP assumes he won’t do any better and probably will do worse. That seems far-fetched. Among all “undraftable” fantasy quarterbacks, he has one of the highest ceilings.

Dalton Schultz is one reason why. Houston QBs (predominantly Stroud, of course) had a 106.5 passer rating when targeting the team’s #1 tight end last year, as Schultz posted TE10 numbers. So why is his ECR TE21? Perhaps because he’s going on 30 years old and doesn’t command the massive upside of most top-14 TEs. Yet he remains a solid floor and near-elite after-the-catch ability for a tight end. He’s a great get at the end of drafts.

Finally, experts value David Montgomery (RB25 ECR) ahead of Woody Marks (RB37 ECR). I predict that Marks will score more points this season. The youngster has college bell cow experience and elite RB pass-catching skills. His ranking suggests he’s purely a fringe-streaming 1B running back. In actuality, he should be viewed as the Texans’ #1 running back.

This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Early 2026 fantasy expert consensus rankings: Houston Texans edition

Q&A

What are the biggest fantasy bargains for the Houston Texans in 2026?

The biggest fantasy bargains for the Houston Texans in 2026 include players like C.J. Stroud, who is undervalued despite his potential.

How did C.J. Stroud perform in his rookie season?

C.J. Stroud finished as the overall QB20 last year but was on track to be the QB13 if he had played all 17 games.

Why is C.J. Stroud's draft position considered low for 2026?

C.J. Stroud's draft position is considered low due to assumptions that he won't improve, despite his high ceiling and the challenges he faced with injuries to his receiving corps.