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C.J. Stroud NFL Player Props, Odds Divisional Round: Predictions for Texans vs. Ravens

Mike Spector

Last Updated: January 20, 2024 3:34 PM EST • 3 min 63 sec read.

C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans celebrates as we look at our C.J. Stroud NFL player props for the Texans vs. Ravens NFL Divisional Round
C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans celebrates after the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 06, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Andy Lyons/Getty Images/AFP

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is aiming to keep his outstanding rookie season alive as the team travels to face the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round, and we offer our best C.J. Stroud NFL player prop predictions based on the best NFL odds.

C.J. Stroud's exceptional rookie season proved instrumental as he led the Houston Texans to their first division title since 2019, orchestrating a remarkable turnaround from finishing last in the AFC South in 2022.

Houston was the first team in the Super Bowl era to clinch a division title with a rookie quarterback and a rookie head coach, DeMeco Ryans. For his part, Stroud made history as the youngest quarterback to start and win a playoff game in NFL history when the Texans defeated the Cleveland Browns on Wild Card Weekend.

Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens are the most likely team to emerge from the AFC by our Super Bowl odds, but will they get out of the conference? To help your Super Bowl predictions, here are the latest 2024 Super Bowl odds from our best sports betting apps.  

Our Shane Jackson discusses what to expect from the Ravens' signal-caller in his Lamar Jackson NFL player props.

To accompany our NFL Divisional Round predictions, Texans vs. Ravens prediction, Texans-Ravens prop picks, and Lamar Jackson prop picks, here are our best C.J. Stroud NFL player prop predictions for the Texans vs. Ravens Divisional Round matchup (odds via our best NFL betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

C.J. Stroud NFL player prop predictions for the Divisional Round

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C.J. Stroud player props

C.J. Stroud Over 34.5 passing attempts (-120 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐

The narrative that C.J. Stroud is a rookie and, therefore, is not likely to find success in the playoffs is a tired one, especially after his performance last week. Stroud set an NFL rookie playoff record with three passing touchdowns, and his 199 passing yards were the most by a rookie in the first half of a playoff game since the merger, per PFF. The fact that Stroud accomplished that without two of his three leading receivers and his starting right tackle and center against a defense that was No. 1 in total defense makes it more impressive. 

Stroud seems to save his best performances for the biggest games, even dating back to college, as he has six touchdowns and 573 yards in the 2022 Rose Bowl and 348 yards and four touchdowns in the 2022 Peach Bowl. And since returning from concussion protocol, Stroud has completed 60 of 79 passes for 751 yards, compiled a 6-0 TD-INT ratio and 130.3 passer rating, and won all three of his starts. 

DeMeco Ryans and the coaching staff likely know that their best chance to win is to let Stroud air it out. He was held to a 34.9 QBR in Week 1 by the Ravens (his second-lowest QBR of the season), but with 16 starts now under his belt, we expect him to be even more comfortable in the offense, and we expect him to snap a five-game streak without attempting 35-plus passes.

FanDuel and BetRivers offer plus-money odds to back the Over of 35.5 passing attempts for Stroud if you are so inclined. Still, we are comfortable paying up slightly at the lower number at bet365, as our other best sportsbooks charge a slightly higher -125 price.

C.J. Stroud longest completion Over 36.5 yards (-115 via DraftKings, bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

When the Texans faced the Ravens in Week 1, 31 of Stroud’s 44 pass attempts traveled nine or fewer yards or were behind the line of scrimmage. Stroud attempted just two passes of 20-plus air yards and did not complete either, while his longest completion was 26 yards. However, Houston has opened up the playbook and taken many more deep shots of late, and Stroud’s longest completion has been at least 59 yards in three of his last five starts.

Per Next Gen Stats, Stroud is the only player with 1,000 or more passing yards and zero interceptions on deep throws this season while ranking second in completion percentage (58.8%), passing yards (1,057), TD-INT ratio (8-0), and passer rating (142.8) on deep passes. Thus, this is a four-star play, as Houston had the third-most explosive passing plays (66) this season.

C.J. Stroud most passing yards (-143 via BetRivers) ⭐⭐⭐

Instead of wagering on the O/U for Stroud’s passing yards, we prefer the value of Stroud having more passing yards than his counterpart, Lamar Jackson. 

Stroud is coming off of a game where he produced a 98.4 QBR, the second-highest for any quarterback in a playoff game since 2006. And since Week 16, Stroud ranks third among all quarterbacks in QBR. Entering Wild Card Weekend, Stroud had a 38.8 QBR against man coverage (27th) but a league-leading 73.9 QBR against zone.

We expect Houston to continue to be aggressive on early downs, as it ranks in the bottom seven in early down passing frequency, but has had a 60% success rate or better on early down passes the last two weeks. We are only making this a three-star play, as the Ravens are sixth in EPA per play among all teams for the past 10 seasons. But despite Baltimore’s defense leading the league in sacks in the regular season (60), we still expect the Texans to be aggressive through the air, and game script could also play a role in cashing this wager with the Ravens being 9.5-point favorites. 

We are making this wager at BetRivers, as FanDuel charges a slightly higher -148 price for this wager.

C.J. Stroud player prop picks made Thursday at 6:24 a.m. ET.

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Written By:
Mike Spector
I have been in the sports writing industry for over three years, working for sites like BettingPros/FantasyPros, Oddschecker, and Sportsbook Review. In my first year writing for BettingPros, I finished with the #2 overall record in their annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an over/under and moneyline perspective. I am an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, and all college sports. In my opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and I am especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. I am a big advocate of "fading the public" and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that "there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas." Follow me on Twitter for my best bets and commentary to go along with the wagers.