Searching for fantasy football value among Houston’s receivers

Are there any diamonds in the rough to be uncovered in Houston’s WR corps?

Not much went right for the Houston Texans in 2022, and that included their passing offense. With quarterback Davis Mills stumbling through an unremarkable sophomore campaign, the Texans finished 31st in total offense and 25th in passing with 196.7 yards per game through the air. It should come as no surprise that their leading receiver finished with 699 yards, which ranked 53rd in the NFL.

While that certainly wasn’t impressive, it’s worth noting the wideout who accumulated those 699 yards was Brandin Cooks, who was traded to the Dallas Cowboys during the offseason, removing the one proven upper-tier target on the club. To help soften the blow, Houston signed a pair of veterans in receivers Robert Woods and Noah Brown. It then spent a couple of draft picks on WRs Nathaniel Dell and Xavier Hutchinson. They’ll also be counting on the return of WR John Metchie III, who missed his entire rookie season after being diagnosed with leukemia.

Of course, the biggest addition might be that of QB C.J. Stroud, who was selected second overall. The Ohio State product is considered a polished commodity coming out of college, and the hope is that he can hit the ground running. Let’s see what all that means for fantasy owners looking for some value at the receiver position in Houston.

Fantasy football outlook: WR Treylon Burks, Titans

Here’s what to expect in fantasy action from the new Tennessee wideout.

Anyone familiar with the Tennessee Titans knows that the offense runs through Derrick Henry and the ground game first. Henry has been counted on for 20 or more carries a game almost every week the last three years, which reduces the number of offensive snaps in games because every rush takes 30-40 seconds off the game clock.

Yet, Tennessee had a fairly potent pass offense because Ryan Tannehill could count on A.J. Brown and Corey Davis to get the job done on the outside (with eight defenders in the box). Those days are over, since the Titans allowed Davis to leave via free agency in 2021, traded Brown before the 2022 draft, and cut Julio Jones this spring.

Tennessee used the pick received from Philadelphia for Brown (No. 18) to select Treylon Burks from Arkansas. A huge receiver (6-foot-3, 225 pounds), Burks was a downfield threat who caught 66 passes for 1,104 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. But what makes Burks, who has drawn physical comparisons to Brown, an intriguing fantasy talent is how he was used in the Razorbacks’ gimmick offense.

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He lined up everywhere on the field, including in the backfield. He finished his college career with 38 carries for 222 yards to go with his receiving production and wasn’t a speed receiver, like Percy Harvin, taking reverses. He was much more like San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel, who took carries to the outside and between the tackles as well.

Despite some recent changes, the Titans have one of the more dominant offensive lines in the NFL and attack defenders in the run game, which plays into the idea of replication as the shadiest form of flattery.

Samuel is currently unique in the amount of time he spends running the ball for a pure wide receiver, especially near the goal line. The NFL is a copycat league, and if something works for one team others with similar styles quickly steal the idea to incorporate it into their own schemes. Burks fits that role with the Titans and their razor-thin receiver corps. He may be asked to wear multiple hats in Tennessee’s offense.

Burks missed most of OTAs with asthma-related conditioning issues, although he has returned to the field for training camp and looks every bit the part.

Fantasy football takeaway

In fantasy football, opportunity plays as big a role as anything and Burks is being allowed through the velvet rope past the line. The only veteran wide receiver is Robert Woods, and he’s coming off a significant knee injury. Third-year man Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is the biggest name left from last year, and he caught only 38 passes. Trivia answers Dez Fitzpatrick, Racey McMath and Cody Hollister combined to play in 16 games last year, and they’re the second line of the depth chart.

Burks needs to be a savior.

When it comes to fantasy value, in a 12-player format, rank Burks at a very low-end WR3 and more likely a WR4 — simply because he is going to get so much defensive attention given there’s nobody else demanding double coverage. The road is paved for him to be the No. 1 guy, giving him a bit of sleeper appeal. The question is can a rookie a sketchy supporting cast handle that pressure right out of the gate?

Fantasy football preview: Tennessee Titans wide receivers

The new-look receiving corps has plenty of unanswered questions for fantasy gamers.

Entering last season, the Tennessee Titans felt they had one of the better one-two punches in the NFL at the wide receiver position with A.J. Brown (now with the Philadelphia Eagles) and Julio Jones (currently a free agent).

That hope died on the vine.

Injuries limited Brown to 13 games and Jones to 10, and the latter looked like a shell of his former self after coming over from the Atlanta Falcons. Brown generally played well, but the team didn’t want to pay top dollar and traded him to Philly on draft night for first- and fourth-round picks.

With the first-round selection, the Titans drafted Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks, a physical specimen they hope will step into the void created by Brown’s departure. The Titans also picked up another veteran to replace Jones in the person of Robert Woods, who became expendable when the Los Angeles Rams signed Allen Robinson in free agency.

Robert Woods

Although it might be tempting to slot the first-rounder into the top spot, we’re going to stick with the player that has NFL reps under his belt. Woods has never been the most dynamic of targets, topping 1,000 yards in a season just twice in nine years in the league, but he’s a reliable chain mover who can also make some things happen on jet sweeps and reverses — the 30-year-old ran for 473 yards on 68 carries over his last four seasons in LA, a healthy 6.9 yards per rush.

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Proving he’s back at full health will be the first test for Woods, who tore his ACL last November in a game against the Titans. He’ll have roughly 10 months to get right before the season opener, and given how much quicker players have been recovering that seems like a reasonable goal. The veteran rates as far and away the most accomplished receiver on the roster, and that should make him a popular target for a risk-averse quarterback in Ryan Tannehill.

Treylon Burks

The sixth and final receiver selected in the first round of this year’s draft, Burks boasts similar physical credentials to the man he replaces — Brown checked in at 6-foot-1, 226 pounds, Burks is listed as 6-foot-2, 225 pounds. The Arkansas product has good speed and more elusiveness than you might expect from someone who can run through tackles. Beyond Brown, another popular comp was San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel, whose physicality was put to exceptional use in 2021.

Where Burks has a long way to go is as a route runner. Much of his work in college came around the line of scrimmage, and that may be what we see a lot of in Year 1 with a steady diet of screens, quick outs, and slants to simply get the ball in his hands and let him create.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Tennessee’s leading returning receiver, Westbrook-Ikhine finished second to Brown in receptions (38), receiving yards (476), and TDs (4). Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Indiana in 2020, Westbrook-Ikhine has good size, is a capable blocker in the running game, and has shown the ability to line up both outside and in the slot. He’ll likely fill the No. 3 spot on the depth chart, though he could slide down based on the progress of several young wideouts, including fifth-round pick Kyle Philips and second-year pros Dez Fitzpatrick (5-49-1) and Racey McMath (2-8-0).

Fantasy football outlook

Barring injury or a setback, Woods and Burks are the names to focus on in Tennessee. The veteran is likely to be Tannehill’s primary read on developing passing plays while Burks figures to contribute more on quick hitters.

Both wideouts belong around that WR3/WR4 threshold, so it comes down to what you’re looking for on draft day. If you want a steady producer, Woods is your guy. If you’re rolling the dice on upside, Burks is the better option. There should be increased overall concern for pedestrian performances by both based on the quarterback situation, injury recovery, offensive system, and a learning curve.

Anyone manning the No. 3 role has fringe value based on the right matchup and can be ignored on draft day, however.