Houston Texans

New Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon said he sees himself having a heavy workload with a role that he's been preparing for in his first year in the Texans' offense. As long as Mixon is able to stay healthy, he will be Houston's clear lead runner after finishing fifth in the NFL in carries with 257 in 17 games in 2023 in his final year with the Cincinnati Bengals. The 27-year-old racked up 1,034 rushing yards on his 257 carries, which ranked in the top 10 in the league at the position, although his 4.0 yards per carry left a lot to be desired. Mixon is probably going to need to be more efficient as a runner in his first year in Houston to finish as an RB1 in fantasy, because fantasy managers probably won't be able to count on him being as involved in the passing game for the Texans as he was in Cincinnati. But in Houston's ascending that is led by impressive second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud, Mixon should at least be a strong RB2 target in fantasy drafts.

Houston Texans second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud, who won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2023, said he thinks there are "a ton of things" he can do better in his second year in the NFL, starting with "owning the offense more" than he did a year ago. Stroud also hopes to improve his footwork in Year 2 and focused on his desire for the team to put more "on my plate" in terms of directing the offense. "I want to definitely attack down the field more this year and press guys back, but also take what the defense gives me," Stroud said. "If it's a boring play, stick with the boring stuff and just be efficient with that. Those are all things I can get better at." Fantasy managers shouldn't consider the 22-year-old to be a high-end QB1 just yet, but he's no doubt going to be a popular midrange QB1 target after the phenomenal rookie season he had.

Houston Texans tight end Teagan Quitoriano (groin, oblique) has made a full recovery from his groin and oblique surgeries and is expected to be active for training camp next week, according to a league source. Quitoriano wasn't placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list, so that just confirms it. He could be eased into practices this summer, but barring a setback, he should be ready to go for the start of the 2024 regular season this fall. The 24-year-old was limited to seven games (five starts) in 2023 in his sophomore campaign due to injuries and was held to just two receptions for 33 yards. While he did have flashes in his rookie season, Quitoriano is a blocking-first tight end for the Texans and shouldn't be on the fantasy radar at all going into the 2024 campaign. In 17 career NFL games, he's been targeted just 16 times.

Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins was recently in the running for the league's top wide receivers. This is a well deserved mention after Collins put together a breakout campaign last season. He hauled in 80 receptions for nearly 1,300 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 15 games. This performance earned him a three-year, $72 million extension this offseason. Collins is now one of the highest-paid players at his position. Recently, NFL executives, coaches, and personnel members were surveyed to determine the best wideouts in the league. Collins fell short but was an honorable mention. It's pretty impressive to see Collins up there after one outstanding campaign. It'll be interesting to see if Collins can replicate it with Stefon Diggs competing with him for targets next season.

Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (shoulder) is expected to be ready for the beginning of training camp. Collins has been sidelined throughout the spring while he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery. He's coming off a season where he recorded 80 receptions, 1,297 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns in 15 games. It was a breakout campaign that earned him a three-year, $72 million extension in the offseason. The hope is that Collins can build off his 2023 campaign after undergoing successful surgery. However, Collins could lose targets with Stefon Diggs coming to town. Collins will be stuck fighting for targets with Diggs and Tank Dell (ankle) who is making his way back from injury. Despite that, Collins should still be able to hold WR2 value heading into fantasy drafts.