A BIG ASK

How latest ranking raises legitimate questions about Texans, CJ Stroud

While the Houston Texans and their fans are hoping for a quick turnaround this season, the amount of talent on the roster, especially at the skill positions, could be an issue for their rookie quarterback CJ Stroud.

Which raises three important questions:

Is CJ Stroud in a position to succeed with the Texans in year one?

Is it concerning that ESPN's Bill Barnwell has ranked the Texans skill group as last in football?

And does GM Nick Caserio deserve some blame for the lack of talent he's brought in over the last three years?

ESPN Houston's Jake Asman, Brad Kellner, and Cody Stoots share their thoughts on The Wheelhouse.

Listen to The Wheelhouse on ESPN Houston 97.5 or 92.5 FM every weekday from 3-7 PM CST!

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While the weekend didn't go as planned for the Astros (dropping a 3-game series to the Royals), they find themselves leading the division by a game and a half over the Rangers with 12 games left to play.

Of course, the big topic of discussion is the Astros' inability to take care of business against lesser opponents. Is it a lack of focus that's causing the problem, or is this version of the Astros less consistent, and just not quite as good as last year's team?

We know one thing for sure, the players know there is an issue. Otherwise, 3 team meetings wouldn't have been called in the last several weeks. Fatigue plays into this as well, nobody has played more baseball in recent years than the Astros. And as much as Dusty Baker says everyone on his team plays, maybe some guys are playing a little too much.

Older players like Jose Abreu and Martin Maldonado could benefit from some extra rest, allowing them to be as fresh as possible when they are needed most. The pitch clock might also be a factor that's causing the starting pitching to regress this season.

Whatever the issue is, whether it's playing at home, or the batter's eye being an issue against left-handed pitching at Minute Maid, the margin for error is incredibly slim.

Be sure to watch the video above for the full discussion!

Don't miss Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) every Monday on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel.

And listen to ESPN 97.5 and 92.5 FM for Houston's best sports talk.

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