Team Profile
Houston Texans
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5.9% 16thOff DVOA
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19% 18thPassing DVOA
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12.9% 7thRushing DVOA
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-28.7% 4thDef DVOA
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-30.9% 5thDef Passing DVOA
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-25.2% 5thDef Rushing DVOA
2024 Team Stats
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Points For24.0 10th
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Points Against20.0 13th
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Yards Per Game364.0 9th
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Yards Allowed Per Game254.0 3rd
Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell finished with three catches on seven targets for 40 yards in Houston's 29-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts. The former University of Houston Cougar earned two carries for 19 yards, showing the Texans could be creative about manufacturing touches for him. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, Dell was the Texans receiver who drew the short straw regarding points. Nico Collins accumulated 117 yards on six catches, while Stefon Diggs caught both of quarterback C.J. Stroud's touchdown passes. The silver lining for the second-year pro is that he remained involved in the offense, even with the addition of Diggs. Dell will look for a more efficient output when Houston takes on Chicago in Week 2.
Houston Texans running back Cam Akers and wide receiver John Metchie III are healthy scratches for Week 1 of the regular season against the division-rival Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. The Texans are rolling with starter Joe Mixon and backups Dameon Pierce and Dare Ogunbowale as their three RBs to open the year against the Colts. The 25-year-old Akers saw plenty of action in the preseason, but for now he'll just be RB depth in Houston and remains well off the fantasy radar. Metchie has plenty of talent but has been hurt by injuries so far in his NFL career, and the Texans now have a crowded receiver room that features Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Robert Woods and others. The 24-year-old is also battling for a position with Xavier Hutchinson and Steven Sims. Obviously, Akers and Metchie both belong on the waiver wire in your league.
Houston Texans backup quarterback Davis Mills has signed a one-year contract extension, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The deal features $5 million per year in new money and keeps Mills with the Texans through 2025. There are also playing-time incentives written into the contract extension. The 2021 third-round pick is locked in as the backup to C.J. Stroud, and the new extension provides a bit of job security in the near future. This shouldn't have fantasy implications unless something were to happen to Stroud.
Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (quadriceps) is fully healthy, according to KPRC's Aaron Wilson. Mixon reportedly dealt with an undisclosed issue throughout the preseason, which we now know was a quadricep injury. He didn't suit up for any of the Texans' preseason games, but that may have been a result of his veteran status rather than any real injury concerns. Regardless, we now know that Mixon is fully healthy and should not have any limitations when he makes his Texans debut against the Colts on Sunday. The veteran appeared in all 17 games for the Bengals last season, registering 1,034 rushing yards, 376 receiving yards, and 12 total touchdowns. If he can continue to produce at this pace, he'll be a low-end RB1 in fantasy football this year.
Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell caught 47 passes for 709 yards and seven touchdowns in just 11 games last year before suffering a season-ending foot injury. He posted three games of at least 100 receiving yards as a rookie, and he was well on his way to a potential WR1 season. The Houston product appears to be healthy heading into Year 2, but his offense is more crowded following the addition of All-Pro wideout Stefon Diggs. However, Dell isn't concerned about his potential usage. "You gotta be ready when your [opportunities] come," Dell said on The Pivot podcast. "[C.J. Stroud] is gonna spread the ball out. Back in college, he played with a lot of receivers on one team, and everybody was eating." While Diggs, Dell, and Nico Collins could all have down weeks in a loaded offense, all three wideouts have WR1 upside in any given matchup. It will be worth monitoring who Stroud's preferred target is in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts, but it will likely change week-to-week. All three Texans wideouts are worth starting to begin the season.