Tag: devin singletary

Tunnel Vision – Injuries, free agents and Sunday stars

Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass-Rush TD
 Dak Prescott 404-17 5
 Justin Herbert 323-15 4
 Sam Howell 312-17 3
Joshua Dobbs 268-44 2
 Geno Smith 369-8 2
Running Backs Yards TD
Brian Robinson 8-38
6-119		 1
Jahmyr Gibbs 14-77
3-35		 2
Devin Singletary 30-150
1-11		 1
Austin Ekeler 19-67
4-48		 1
Christian McCaffrey  16-95
6-47		 0
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Keenan Allen 11-175 2
CeeDee Lamb 11-151
1-14		 2
Brandin Cooks 9-173 1
Amon-Ra St. Brown 8-156 1
Mike Evans 6-143 1
Tight Ends Yards TD
T.J. Hockenson 11-134 1
Trey McBride 8-131 0
George Kittle 3-116 1
Jake Ferguson 4-26 1
Dalton Schultz 4-71 0
Placekickers XP FG
Jason Meyers 2 5
Dustin Hopkins 1 4
Matt Prater 1 4
Riley Patterson 5 2
Chris Boswell 2 3
Defense Sack – TO TD
49ers 5-4 0
Colts 5-2 0
Ravens 4-2 1
Buccaneers 4-1 0
Browns 3-2 1

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

QB Derek Carr – Shoulder / Head
QB Taylor Heinicke – Hamstring
QB Baker Mayfield – Thumb
QB Deshaun Watson – Ankle
TE Gerald Everett – Back
RB Alexander Mattison – Concussion
WR Michael Thomas – Knee
WR Jamal Agnew – Shoulder

Chasing Ambulances

QB Derek Carr – Injured his shoulder and potentially was concussed. Jameis Winston came in and threw two second-half touchdowns and two interceptions. The Saints are on their bye in Week 11, so Carr has two weeks to heal up.

QB Taylor Heinicke – Hurt his hamstring and did not return to the game. Desmond Ridder replaced him in time to ensure the eventual loss to the Cardinals. Like Derek Carr, the Falcons have their bye this week and Heinicke will have two weeks to heal. But HC Arthur Smith also has two weeks to decide what he wants to do.

QB Baker Mayfield – Hit his hand on the facemask of a defender and injured his thumb in the middle of the fourth quarter. He still finished the game and later said it was okay. The Buccaneers  play in San Francisco this week, so he’ll need to be healthy to keep the Bucs in that matchup.

QB Deshaun Watson – Injured his ankle in the second quarter during a rough tackle (one of many), but still played the balance of the game. It became notable when he left the locker room with a walking boot but said that he’d be fine. It is something to track this week and the Browns face a critical matchup when they host the Steelers.

RB Alexander Mattison – The Vikings starting running back left in the third quarter of the win over the Saints with a concussion. Ty Chandler replaced him and rushed for 45 yards on 15 carries with one touchdown. Mattison will enter the protocol this week and his availability to play in Denver on Sunday depends on how he progresses.

WR Michael Thomas – Left the loss to the Vikings early in the first quarter after taking a hard hit and hurting his knee. He was officially ruled out in the second half. He already had a legal situation with an arrest last week. The Saints enter their bye, so he has time to heal up and deal with any repercussions from his arrest.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

RB Ty Chandler (MIN) – The Vikings already lost Cam Akers, and then Alexander Mattison suffered a concussion in the win over the Saints. Ty Chandler ran for 45 yards and a score but never had a target.  The Vikings play in Denver this week and will go against one of the worst defenses versus running backs. He’s a need pick for the Mattison owner but a luxury for any other fantasy team unless Mattison misses games.

QB Bailey Zappe (NE) – Bill Belichick benched Mac Jones in the loss to the Colts, and Zappe only completed 3-of-7 for 25 yards during the matchup in Germany. But the Pats slipped to 2-8 and the time to get desperate has already passed. The Patriots, shockingly, are reaching the point where changes need to be made, if only to look like they haven’t given up. That could involve Zappe or any of the Pats’ other players. This is all new territory for the Patriots and a situation that Belichick hasn’t dealt with in decades.

QB Joshua Dobbs (MIN) – Playing in his first start with the  Vikings, the ex-Cardinal threw for 268 yards and a touchdown, plus rushed for 44 yards on eight runs. He’s slipped in quickly and already engineered a win. Dobbs not only has his next opponents of the Broncos, Bears, and Raiders, he may be getting Justin Jefferson on the field this weekend.

RB Devin Singletary (HOU) – Dameon Pierce was inactive this week so the Texans  had to rely on Singletary. The ex-Bill responded well to his first start in Houston when he ran for 150 yards on 30 carries and caught an 11-yard pass.  Pierce is out with an ankle injury and never practiced last week. The Texans’ next three opponents are all at home – Cardinals, Jaguars, and Broncos. The Jags are above-average against running backs but the Cardinals and Broncos are two of the worst.

RB Rico Dowdle (DAL) – The Cowboys dominated the Giants on Sunday, but Tony Pollard only gained 55 yards on 14 rushes (3.7 YPC). The Cowboys stuck with Pollard in the first quarter when they reached the Giants’ goal line but turned the ball over on downs, unable to score.  Dowdle was given 12 rushes and gained 79 yards (6.6 YPC) and punched in a one-yard score in the fourth quarter. Dowdle saw more use in this blowout, but he had been limited to just five carries in all previous games. This week, the Cowboys play in Carolina against the No. 30 defense versus running backs.  Pollard was unsuccessful at home against the No. 26 defense, so maybe Dowdle is slowly buying more playing time.

WR Noah Brown (HOU) – He replaced the injured Nico Collins in Week 9 and gained a career-best 153 yards and a score on six catches in the Texans win over the Panthers. With Collins out again, Brown turned in seven receptions for 172 yards. The ex-Cowboys is buying himself more playing time. Nico Collins missed the last two practices last week with a calf injury.  He’ll start against the Cardinals this week if Collins remains out.

WR Brandin Cooks (DAL) – Entering into Week 10, Cooks had not gained more than 49 yards in any game for the Cowboys but had scored in Weeks 6 and 8. Facing the Giants, Cooks abused them for 173 yards and a touchdown on nine catches. His three scores over the last four games are more impressive than the high-yardage blip from last Sunday.

QB Kyler Murray (ARZ) – The Cardinals quarterback debuted against the Falcons on Sunday. While he only threw for 249 yards and an interception, he scored on his six runs for 33 yards and led six drives that ended in scores, including the drive in the final 2:33 in the game when he brought the Cards down to the ATL 16-yard line where they kicked the walk-off winning field goal.

TE Trey McBride (ARZ) – Expectations for the second-year tight end were higher this year and he already had a 95-yard performance in Week 8. His first game with Kyler Murray this season resulted in a career-best 131 yards on eight receptions in the win over the Falcons. They play in Houston this week against the No. 31 defense against tight ends.

Huddle player of the week

Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Dak Prescott  –  After starting the year with marginal passing stats, Prescott perked up against the Rams and Eagles. He just upped those games with 404 yards and four passing scores versus the visiting Giants and even ran in a touchdown. The Cowboys had the game already well in hand before the second quarter but continued the bombing while scoring the entire game through the final two minutes. Fantasy football loves a big score and the NFL’s absence of a mercy rule.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Joshua Dobbs 268-44 2 QB Trevor Lawrence 185-7 0
RB Brian Robinson 8-38
6-119		 1 RB Derrick Henry 11-24
1-(-4)		 0
RB Devin Singletary 30-150
1-11		 2 RB Tony Pollard 15-55 0
WR Brandin Cooks 9-173 1 WR DeAndre Hopkins 3-27 0
WR Noah Brown 7-172 0 WR Terry McLaurin 4-33 0
WR Jayden Reed 5-84 1 WR Drake London 3-36 0
TE Trey McBride 8-131 0 TE Mark Andrews 2-44 0
PK Jason Meyers   2 XP   5 FG PK Brandon McManus   1 FG
Huddle Fantasy Points = 197 Huddle Fantasy Points = 45

Now get back to work…

4 storylines to know from the Texans’ 30-27 win over the Bengals

Here are four storylines to keep in mind after the Houston Texans’ 30-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Houston Texans gave football fans another dramatic finish as C.J. Stroud led the offense on his second game-winning drive.

Kicker Matt Ammendola hit a 31-yard walk-off field goal, and the Texans edged the Cincinnati Bengals 30-27 Sunday afternoon at Paycor Stadium in Week 10.

Stroud was magnificent as he went 23-of-39 for 356 yards, a touchdown, an interception, yet made up for it with a rushing touchdown.

As exciting as Stroud is, he is part of a team, and the Texans as a whole touched another milestone with their win over the Bengals.

Here are four storylines to remember from the comeback victory.

Twitter reacts to the Texans’ last second win over the Bengals

Twitter was full of takes as the Houston Texans pulled out a nail bitter against the Cincinnati Bengals 30-27.

The Houston Texans provided another thrilling conclusion for NFL fans for the third straight week.

With the game tied 27-27, rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud led the offense on a six-play, 55-yard drive to put kicker Matt Ammendola in position to boot the game-winning 38-yard field goal. Houston gets out of Paycor Stadium with a 30-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals and a 5-4 record.

Stroud played magnificently again as he connected on 23-of-39 passing for 356 yards and a touchdown. Stroud did throw his second career interception, but made up for it with a rushing touchdown.

Twitter was full of takes regarding the matchup. Here are some of the best.

WATCH: Texans RB Devin Singletary rushes for TD against the Bengals

Houston Texans running back Devin Singletary rushed for his first touchdown of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10.

Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s scheme is based on a strong run game. Through the first eight games of the season, the Houston Texans were having trouble getting the ground game going.

Throw in starting running back Dameon Pierce missing his second game with an ankle injury, and Week 10’s showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals looked like another game where Houston would struggle in the running game.

However, the Texans signed former Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary in free agency to provide veteran support. Singletary got the run game going and scored his first rushing touchdown of the season with 7:12 to go in the third quarter. Singletary’s 6-yard touchdown run pushed Houston ahead 20-7.

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Fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em: Week 10

Check out these starts and sits for fantasy football in Week 10.

After plodding through a rough Thursday night matchup, fantasy football managers now focus their attention on the crucial start and sit decisions for the Week 10 slate of games.

For the second week in a row, four teams will be on a bye, including the Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams.

Doing start/sit articles can be a little challenging. The players featured on the list below should not be taken as “must starts” or “must sits.” Instead, these are more suggestions on what we believe managers should do with fringe players heading into the weekend. The choice is ultimately up to the manager.

Just because a player is listed as a “start” doesn’t mean he should be put in the lineup over the secure, bona fide studs. Vice versa for the “sits.” If there’s no better option on the waiver wire or the bench, a manager shouldn’t automatically sit the player. That’s why these can be tricky waters to navigate.

Feel free to ask any specific start/sit questions via X, formerly Twitter, (@KevinHickey11), or check out our start/bench list for Week 10:

WATCH: Texans QB C.J. Stroud takes a pitch on an end-around against the Bucs

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud demonstrated another element to his game in Week 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

What can’t C.J. Stroud do?

The Houston Texans rookie quarterback took a pitch from running back Devin Singletary in the fourth quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday for Week 9 at NRG Stadium.

The pitch helped keep Houston’s drive alive, and they took the lead with a Dare Ogunbowale field goal, 33-30.

Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik told reporters earlier in the week that the key was playing a clean game, which would enable such timely play-calling.

“Because when we play clean football, we feel like we’re confident in what we’re doing,” Slowik said. “And when we’ve held ourselves back, usually that’s when we’ve really struggled.”

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Fantasy Football: Running back starts and sits for Week 9

We look at running backs from across the league and tell fantasy owners which ones to start and which ones to leave on the bench.

Starts and sits is here to help fantasy managers make those all important last minute lineup decisions .While we won’t tell you about obvious starts such as Christian McCaffrey or Raheem Mostert, we will find players you may be waffling about and help you make a decision.

Let’s look at running backs for Week 9.

Devin Singletary can make case as Texans RB1 versus the Buccaneers

Houston Texans running back Devin Singletary has an opportunity to entrench himself as the starter with a good outing versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Houston Texans rushing offense will undergo an interesting trial in Week 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Starter Dameon Pierce may be sidelined with an ankle injury. The second-year running back has also had a frustrating start to the season with 109 carries for 327 yards and a touchdown. Pierce’s yards per carry are a paltry 3.0 compared to his 4.7 a season ago.

If the Texans are without Pierce, offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is confident in the other backs in the stable — from Devin Singletary to Mike Boone and even Dare Ogunbowale and practice squadder Gerrid Doaks.

However, offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik elaborated on the skills of one particular back when asked about his ability in Week 9 should Pierce not play.

“We really like what they do, and ‘Motor’ [Singletary] is one of the best at — if you just say regardless of athleticism — who is just one of the best football players you have on the team? Without a doubt, Devin Singletary is one of those guys.”

Pierce has yet to have a game over 4.0 yards per carry, and has yet to even approach 90 yards rushing. Houston’s ground game is also the third-worst in the NFL at 3.3 yards per carry and 10th-worst at 91.9 yards per game.

If the Texans are able to spark their run game with Singletary as the lead back, it could open the door for Pierce to take a backseat, especially when Singletary is already highly regarded.

Said Slowik: “He does everything. He does everything really well, he does it very smooth and with the right mindset. He’s aggressive in everything he does. He’s confident. I think he’s one of everyone’s favorite people on the team for that reason. So, we have the upmost confidence in really that whole group.”

Singletary has 49 carries for 183 yards and seven catches for 43 yards through seven games.

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Exploring the Texans’ broken running game: What needs to change?

The Houston Texans run game has some problems. What must be corrected in order for the ground game to finally be potent?

The Houston Texans have a problem.

“For us to be a good offense, we have to have Dameon [Pierce] at his A-game,” Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik preached early in Houston’s offseason. “For Dameon to have his A-game, our offensive line has to be on their game, so it’s all a matter of guys working in sync, working in conjunction, and I think having Dameon, it’s not just about Dameon. We know his abilities, capabilities as a back and what he can do, but it’s also having that complement. So, having Singletary, having [Mike] Boone, our other guys, it’s about having that complement of guys that can carry the load.”

Despite their clear intentions in the summer, Slowik and his offense simply can’t find a way to run the ball, nor have they found ways to get Pierce at his A-game. Houston ranks dead last in the NFL in yards per carry at 3.0. Their 413 total rushing yards are 26th in the NFL and their minus-.21 EPA/carry is 31st in the NFL.

Pierce, who many expected to have a breakout sophomore campaign, is averaging 2.9 yards per carry on the season. The former Florida product has been stuffed on runs at a higher percentage than he’s found rushing success. Devin Singletary has similarly suffered, albeit with a slightly higher average at 3.5 yards per carry.

This has created quite the dilemma for Slowik and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. What is the identity of Houston’s offense where they struggle to establish the run? What are the routes forward in a world where Pierce and the offensive line have struggled to this degree?

The problem might be multi-dimensional.

To begin, the way in which Houston is committed to their running games makes them somewhat predictable. They’re top-5 in the league in rushing attempts on first down per NFL NextGen Stats and they lead the league in sequences of run-run-pass. This has allowed defenses to tee off on early downs, expecting that either Pierce or Singletary will likely carry the rock.

This becomes further exacerbated by the fact that Stroud is unlikely to audible out of undesirable run looks on early downs. Only the 49ers have attempted as many rushes into loaded boxes as Houston (8-plus defenders) and they’re only able to do so with an elite blocking tight end like George Kittle and the league’s best running back in Christian McCaffrey.

Slowik has also shown a preference to run with heavier personnel to assist his depleted offensive line. This has created some clear offensive tells for Houston based on personnel. They rank 31st in the league in running the ball when there are three receivers on the field. Meanwhile, Slowik’s offense is top-10 in rushing percentage out of all other groupings.

The predictable sequencing, down-to-down tendencies, and formations create an edge for the defense. This is before one even considers the personnel struggles that Houston has faced.

Houston’s offensive line is composed of far better pass blockers than run blockers. There is evidence to this in their historic Pro Football Focus grades and those trends continued, even with a healthy offensive line, against the Atlanta Falcons.

Meanwhile, Pierce has struggled with the transition to Slowik’s zone-based running scheme. His propensity to embrace contact hasn’t allowed for him to take full advantage to how the running game is drawn up. There could be arguments for Singletary to see additional carries, or one could argue they should play to Pierce’s strengths. Either way, something likely needs to be adjusted for strengths to match the ball carrier.

Predictable play calling. Personnel fits. Players underwhelming to their pre-season expectations. There’s not an easy solution for Houston to address their problems.

Don’t be surprised if, as Stroud continues to develop, they allow his arm to take pressure off of the running game. Houston has an early down passing success rate similar to the Kansas City Chiefs and, that early threat, could create far more favorable rushing situations for the team while making them less predictable. It’s additionally possible that, as their expensive offensive line returns to full health, they’re trusted to block in 11-personnel at a higher percentage rate.

Adjustments are needed all around in Houston for a team that should believe they can compete for the AFC South. Now, it’s just up to Slowik to find his next evolution.

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WATCH: Texans RB Devin Singletary throws TD pass to TE Dalton Schultz vs. Steelers

Houston Texans running back Devin Singletary threw a touchdown pass to tight end Dalton Schultz in Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Houston Texans offensive coordiantor Bobby Slowik reached deep into his bag of tricks against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4.

The Texans needed to recapture the momentum following six unanswered points from the Steelers in the third quarter. Slowik had the perfect play-call on second-and-goal from the Steelers’ 6-yard line.

Rather than have rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud look for the end zone, running back Devin Singletary took a pitch to the right side and followed his blockers. As tight end Dalton Schultz slipped towards the end zone, Singletary flicked his wrist for the Texans’ second touchdown of the afternoon.

Ka’imi Fairbairn’s extra point established Houston’s 23-6 early fourth quarter lead.

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