Tag: Texans fantasy

5 Texans fantasy prospects to scout versus the Saints

Here are five Houston Texans worth scouting for fantasy football purposes in the preseason finale against the New Orleans Saints.

The Houston Texans may have had some excellent individual performances last week, but they were overshadowed by the 28-3 loss to the Miami Dolphins. On a side note, anyone in an IDP (individual defensive player) league and dynasty should consider drafting Will Anderson. Naturally C.J. Stroud is a target in IDP and dynasty, and the former Ohio State product played better last week. Stroud’s feet were settled, and his pinpoint accuracy was on display. The Texans close out preseason against the New Orleans Saints Aug. 27. Let’s look at five Texans that need to really stand out so they can move their fantasy football draft stock.

5 Texans fantasy prospects to scout versus the Dolphins

Here are a look at five Houston Texans to scout for fantasy during their preseason tilt with the Miami Dolphins.

Houston Texans looked good in Week 1 of the preseason against the New England Patriots. The biggest standout was wide receiver Tank Dell. The Texans’ expansive receiver room begs someone to stand out and take the number one role. Dell could be that guy on the field and especially in fantasy football. For Week 2, the Texans will face off against the Miami Dolphins, and there are five names worth scouting for fantasy football implications. Most of these names will be the wide receivers and a few names folks just really want to see play well for the Texans and for fantasy football reasons.

Why fantasy confidence in Texans QB C.J. Stroud should stay high after Patriots game

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud still has a promising fantasy football outlook after his struggles against the New England Patriots.

Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud looked calm when he took the field Thursday night against the New England Patriots.

The No. 2 overall pick was playing in his first NFL action, even if it was preseason, and seemed resolute. The execution was shaky during his two drives, but that may be more attributed to other factors than anything within Stroud’s control.

Stroud’s fantasy football outlook after facing the Patriots is still intact. Although the numbers look bad going 2-4 for 13 yards and an interception, the play wasn’t as terrible as the stats. Stroud showed pocket awareness and was calm. All the former Ohio State product needs is more reps and to settle in, which will help increase the confidence.

Even after having an underwhelming debut, Stroud seemed confident going forward.

In dynasty leagues, Stroud still has the makings to be a solid quarterback. In redraft and daily fantasy, Stroud fits the bill.

Stroud’s shakiness wasn’t entirely on his play. The Texans were without right tackle Tytus Howard due to a broken left hand, and the team didn’t play Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil. Houston would have big problems if they were starting Austin Deculus and George Fant as their bookends.

Houston also sat running back Dameon Pierce, preferring to let Devin Singletary run with the first-team offense. Having Pierce establish the run would have helped Stroud settle in and given the Texans additional firepower to keep the defense on their toes.

The Texans’ next preseason game is against the Miami Dolphins Aug. 19 at NRG Stadium. However, the week leading up will also be key as Houston has joint practices with the Dolphins at Houston Methodist Training Center, and it should give Stroud ample opportunity to work against another set of ones to gain valuable experience. Don’t be discouraged by what happened in the rain in Foxborough.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=1416]

5 Texans to consider for fantasy football in preseason vs. Patriots

As the Houston Texans take on the New England Patriots in preseason, here are five Texans to consider in fantasy football.

The Houston Texans are gearing up for another season, and while the team may not be out of its rebuilding phase just yet, new coach DeMeco Ryans’ squad presents some fascinating opportunities in fantasy football. With a top-tier rookie quarterback, known quantity at running back, and deploying a run-heavy scheme, the pieces are coming together to figure out who can be a stud in offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s system. What about the hidden gems? There may be some worth keeping an eye on as the Texans take on the New England Patriots Thursday night in the first preseason game for either side. Here are five to consider.

Texans RB Dameon Pierce overlooked in latest fantasy football predictions

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce is a name not being talked about much in fantasy football, but is a rookie worth monitoring.

The Houston Texans don’t have much to offer for fantasy football owners in late July.

Aside from receiver Brandin Cooks, who is a reliable No. 3 or flex in fantasy lineups, the Texans’ other perimeter players are risks. Will Nico Collins take another step in development in his second year? Will tight end Brevin Jordan become more than just a red zone target? How will second-year quarterback Davis Mills truly fare against NFL competition knowing he is the solution under center?

The Texans have an intriguing option in the backfield in fourth-round rookie Dameon Pierce. The question isn’t if Pierce will take over as the feature back, but a question of when.

According to Chris Powers from CBS Sports, there won’t be a rookie running back who finishes in the top-24 at the position in 2022.

Maybe I’m being too pessimistic. After all, there has been at least one rookie RB inside of the top 20 every season since 2011, so history suggests someone will get there in 2022. Breece Hall has the best chance, seemingly, but he’s tied to a Jets offense that has a long way to go before it even becomes average. And that’s the best scenario any of them find themselves in; Kenneth Walker is splitting work in Drew Lock‘s offense, while James Cook is in a likely timeshare in a Bills offense that has been one of the worst in the league for RBs in Fantasy since Josh Allen became the starting QB.

If Hall has the best chance, why doesn’t Pierce? The former Florida product will be playing in offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton’s run-heavy scheme. If Pierce ever takes over the starting job, he will have ample opportunity to rack up yards.

Consider that with the Gators last year Pierce had 100 carries for the season. Florida was giving up on the run a bit too early in games. Pierce was nevertheless producing as he generated 5.7 yards per carry and scored nine touchdowns on the ground.

If Pierce is able to take over as the bell-cow for Houston’s offense early in the season, he should easily finish in the top-24 among running backs by season’s end.

Texans WR Brandin Cooks could be a viable fantasy option in 2022

Houston Texans receiver Brandin Cooks could have a big year and reward fantasy owners.

Brandin Cooks has been consistent since joining the Houston Texans.

While the Texans may have been unable to win more than four games in his two seasons with the team, Cooks has generated at least 1,000 yards receiving despite the circumstances under center. In 2020, the wideout had the benefit of working with the eventual NFL passing champion. In 2021, Cooks had to weather the uncertainty that came with Tyrod Taylor and rookie Davis Mills splitting snaps throughout the season.

With a stable quarterback situation in 2022, Cooks could be on the verge of a big year.

According to Heath Cummings from CBS Sports, one of his bold predictions for fantasy football is that Cooks will have a career year and finish in the top-12 among receivers.

Whether you believe this or not, Cooks should be on your Draft Day radar because he’s a screaming value available in Round 6 or later in most drafts. Now, as to why he’s going to be even better – Cooks played most of last year with a rookie quarterback, which helps explain why his efficiency suffered. His 11.5 yards per catch was his lowest since his rookie year and his 7.7 yards per target was a career low. While the Texans didn’t add anyone who I’d expect will dent Cooks’ target share, I would expect Davis Mills to make at least some improvement in his second season, as that’s what most second-year quarterbacks do. A small increase in efficiency with a similar target share will set Cooks up for the best numbers of his career.

Coach Lovie Smith praised Cooks for his consistency on June 1 during organized team activities.

“Brandin Cooks, we kind of know who he is and what kind of player and what he’s going to do for us,” said Smith.

If the Texans have stability and prosperity with Mills under center, Cooks would have to be the beneficiary, and so would his fantasy owners.

Texans fail to make Draft Wire list of top fantasy football rookies for 2022

The Houston Texans didn’t have a single rookie the Draft Wire’s list of top fantasy football rookies for 2022.

The Houston Texans have upgraded their offensive weaponry to give second-year quarterback Davis Mills a fair crack at the starting job for the near future, but club hasn’t convinced fantasy owners any of their perimeter players are staples of weekly production.

According to Luke Easterling from the Draft Wire, not a single Texans player made their list of top fantasy football rookies for the upcoming season.

The lack of Texans rookies on the list is understandable. Second-round wideout John Metchie is coming off an ACL tear sustained in Dec. 2021 and may need to get up to speed to even be productive. Even when Metchie is healthy, he will be part of a passing attack that includes wideouts Chris Conley and Brandin Cooks along with an emphasis on tight ends Pharaoh Brown and Brevin Jordan in the red zone. Metchie won’t be the presumptive No. 1; he will be just another piece for Mills to use.

Nevertheless the Atlanta Falcons’ Drake London, who is in the same position as Metchie in terms of coming back from a season-ending injury while adjusting to the NFL, made the list.

Despite a season-ending ankle injury, London put up impressive numbers at USC last year, and still ended up being the first receiver off the board in a loaded class at the position. His combination of size, athleticism and physicality should make him especially effective in the red zone, and he immediately becomes the most talented pass-catcher not named Kyle Pitts on this roster.

A rookie who should have been a candidate for the list running back Dameon Pierce. At some point, coach Lovie Smith and offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton are going to realize Rex Burkhead and Marlon Mack can’t be the bell-cow for the offense — they will need to saddle up Pierce. Like Metchie, it may take until the middle of the season for Pierce to get going; he won’t be galloping out of the gate with 100-yard rushing performances.

Texans may not have much to offer in fantasy football in 2022

The Houston Texans’ skill positions may not have much to offer for fantasy players in 2022.

The Houston Texans are projected to win around four games in 2022. The Texans also have the 19th-hardest schedule in the NFL this year. The club’s 21st regular season may not be the one they turn it all around and return to the playoffs.

Part of the problem is the Texans lack any elite talent on offense. Even before the Texans took immense measures in the 2017 NFL draft to address quarterback, receiver DeAndre Hopkins was a solid fantasy option. Starting in 2021, the Texans’ roster has been devoid of any decent fantasy options — at least when it comes to season-long fantasy.

Expect 2022 to be more of the same on that front.

According to Ian Hartitz from Pro Football Focus, the Texans don’t have a single player that cracks his top-25 at their respective positions.

Davis Mills enters his second season at quarterback, and ranks No. 28 on Hartitz’s list of quarterbacks.

The two running backs Hartitz lists are fourth-round rookie Dameon Pierce (No. 37) and former Colts running back Marlon Mack (No. 64). Curiously Rex Burkhead does not make the list.

For receiver, Brandin Cooks is the highest-rated at No. 29. John Metchie is No. 61 despite being a second-round rookie coming off an ACL injury during conference championship weekend in the Power 5. Nico Collins is No. 90.

Brevin Jordan, the second-year tight end from Miami, is No. 29 in Hartitz’s rankings.

Cooks was the one consistent player in 2021 as he caught 90 passes for 1,037 yards and six touchdowns through 16 games — good for 141.8 fantasy points throughout the season.

It isn’t that the Texans lack players who can have a great game, but the consistency remains a big reason why Houston doesn’t have a player to send beyond the threshold. When fantasy drafts roll around, Houston may not have anything substantive to offer. However, their players may be adequate fill-ins from the waiver wire throughout the season.

[listicle id=73622]

Texans RB Dameon Pierce ranked 15th-best rookie fantasy player

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce was ranked the 15th-best rookie in fantasy according to the Draft Wire.

The Houston Texans made an investment in running back for the first time in the draft since 2017.

The Texans picked former Florida running back Dameon Pierce in the fourth round. Pierce averaged 5.7 yards per carry in his final year at Florida, but he didn’t get very many chances to rush with just 100 total on the season.

According to Luke Easterling from the Draft Wire, Pierce ranks as the 15th-best fantasy rookie heading into the 2022 season.

Pierce will get his chances with the Texans. New offensive line coach George Warhop wants the run game, specifically the run blocking, to be a team effort, not just the responsibility of the offensive line.

“The way that I look at the run game is it’s about yards per carry because we can’t dictate how many carries a back is going to get in a game,” Warhop told reporters on Feb. 22. “It’s all based on how the game is going to go. So, if we’re getting a lot of carries, that’s great. We might have 140, 150 yards rushing.

“But if we’re getting minimal carries, we might get less than that. But the one thing that you’re always going to look at, I’m going to look at is what is our yards per carry. I want that to be above 4.3, 4.4, somewhere in there.”

If Pierce is getting his touches and offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton is sticking with the run, pending it is successful in-game, then Pierce could be a steal. If nothing else, he has a nose for the end zone as he scored 13 rushing touchdowns in his final season with the Gators.

[listicle id=73622]

Fantasy owners should be careful with 2022 Texans

Fantasy owners should be cautious when examining the 2022 Houston Texans for any potential offerings.

The Houston Texans used to be one of the top teams for fantasy owners to gather talent. After the 2021 campaign, the Texans may be good for a daily fantasy win, but they didn’t have the skill positions to sustain any success in a season-long league.

The 2022 season appears to be more of the same on the fantasy front after Houston sailed through the first wave of free agency.

According to Ian Hartitz of Pro Football Focus, not one Texans player cracked the top-20 of fantasy football position rankings.

Quarterback Davis Mills, who is expected to have the reins of the offense in his second season, was ranked No. 32 in PFF’s quarterback rankings.

Rex Burkhead was ranked as the 65th running back, just five slots above the bottom of the list where New York Jets running back Tevin Coleman resides. The Texans may get a player with a better fantasy ranking here depending upon where they go in the 2022 NFL draft.

Receiver Brandin Cooks was the highest-rated Texans player at No. 27. The 5-10, 183-pound wideout generated four games with 100-plus receiving yards as part of his 90 catches for 1,037 yards and six touchdowns through 16 games last season. The expectation is Cooks will continue to be a productive target for Mills.

Nico Collins made the list for receivers at No. 73. Last year’s third-round pick caught 33 passes for 446 yards and a touchdown through 14 games.

Houston has another member of the 2021 draft class representing their skill positions in tight end Brevin Jordan, who is 28th in the rankings. The former fifth-round pick from Miami caught 20 passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns through nine games.

The one area where the Texans could improve fantasy wise is at running back, which largely depends on how general manager Nick Caserio values the position. If the Texans continue to go with veterans in the ground game, Houston may continue to have a roster with paltry fantasy offerings.