Houston Texans

The Minnesota Vikings declined to offer a restricted free-agent tender to running back Cam Akers (Achilles), meaning he is a free agent and can negotiate freely with any team. The former second-round pick was an exciting prospect out of Florida State in 2020 but after two Achilles tears in four years in the NFL, his career has struggled to get off the ground. Akers was traded to the Vikings from the Los Angeles Rams early in the 2023 campaign and rushed 38 times for 138 yards and one touchdown before suffering a major Achilles injury. The 24-year-old might get a chance to play elsewhere, but it'll likely be on a cheap, one-year deal. For now, he remains far from the fantasy radar. The majority of skill players do not recover well from an Achilles tear, never mind two.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon is being traded to the Houston Texans, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It was previously reported that Mixon was going to be released after the team signed Zack Moss, but Houston zeroed in on the four-time 1,000-yard rusher after losing Devin Singletary to the New York Giants. Now in Houston, Mixon will have plenty of upside in the ascending offense led by C.J. Stroud. Although Mixon has averaged just under 4.0 yards per carry over the last two years, he still has some gas left in the tank, and his situation is a great one for fantasy production. Mixon has the fifth-most receptions by a running back since 2022 (112), making him a valuable asset in PPR formats.

According to NFL Media's Tom Pelissero, the Bengals released running back Joe Mixon on Monday night. This was relatively expected, considering the former Sooner needed to take a pay cut to remain in Cincinnati heading into the 2023-24 campaign. However, Mixon ended up having a quality season despite the plethora of injuries to the Bengals offense, running for over 1,000 yards for the fourth time in his career while totaling 12 touchdowns. At any rate, despite the number of available running backs still looking for work, Mixon should be one of the most coveted. He may have a few more quality years left, so he could flirt with making another Pro Bowl appearance before his career is over. Yet, until the 27-year-old signs somewhere, his fantasy outlook will remain a mystery.

The Houston Texans re-signed kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn to a three-year, $15.9 million deal on Wednesday, according to a source. Fairbairn's average annual value of $5.3 million makes him the fourth-highest paid kicker in the league on a yearly basis. The 30-year-old kicked in a career-low 12 games in 2023 due to injury, but he was solid when he was active, making 96.4 percent of his 28 field-goal attempts while missing just one of his 22 extra-point tries during the regular season. All seven of his NFL seasons have come with the Texans, and he's made 87.1 percent of his 201 field-goal attempts in that time. With young quarterback C.J. Stroud leading what should be an explosive Houston offense for years to come, Fairbairn's fantasy needle is pointing up heading into 2024.

The Houston Texans agreed to a three-year, $36 million deal to re-sign tight end Dalton Schultz on Tuesday with $23.5 million fully guaranteed at signing, according to sources. Schultz will now remain a key weapon for second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud. Schultz was the top tight end scheduled to be a free agent this year, but the Texans made sure he wouldn't make it to the open market. The 27-year-old was a bit inconsistent for fantasy managers in 2023 in his first year in Houston, but his fantasy arrow is pointing up now that he's staying in Houston with Stroud, who looked like a seasoned veteran in his rookie year. In 15 regular-season games last year, Schultz finished as the No. 10 tight end in half-point PPR scoring, securing 59 of his 88 targets for 635 yards and five touchdowns.