The Houston Texans have a dominant passing attack, and arguably the key to making it work is receiver Will Fuller.
Certainly quarterback Deshaun Watson with his second Pro Bowl selection and receiver DeAndre Hopkins with his third first-team All-Pro selection take the most headlines, but the X-factor to the effectiveness of the passing game resides with Fuller.
According to Doug Farrar from the Touchdown Wire, the former 2016 first-round pick from Notre Dame is the Texans’ secret superstar.
It’s easy to understand why. Not only does Fuller tied for the team lead with nine catches on passes of 20 air yards or more (Kenny Stills has him matched), Fuller is also a massive instigator in Houston’s deep passing game with his mere presence. Fuller’s downfield speed requires at least the attention of one deep safety, and makes things a lot easier for Watson. Per ESPN Stats & Info, the Texans have a QBR of 75.2 with Fuller, and 59.8 without him. The team’s overall yards per play drops from 6.08 to 5.29 without him, yards per attempt from 7.78 to 6.32, sacks per attempt go up from 7.8% to 10.7%, and third-down conversion rate flattens from 51.9% to 32.9%. When your ability to convert on third down drops a full 19% due to the absence of one guy, you definitely want that guy on the field — especially against Buffalo’s outstanding pass defense.
Fuller has been on the field for five of Watson’s seven games with a 100.0-plus passer rating. The Texans are 6-1 when Watson hits that mark, and they are 4-1 with Fuller in those games.
If the Texans hope to beat the Buffalo Bills in the AFC wild-card Saturday at 3:35 p.m., the first step in their playoff run, they will need Fuller, who is a game-time decision with a groin injury, to be available and effective. If Fuller gets knocked out of the game due to injury, Houston will be without their X-factor in the passing game.