Houston Texans DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

With the Houston Texans already set as the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs, the team gave running back Joe Mixon the day off after just six touches for 28 total yards on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. The veteran back caught his only target for five yards and ran for 23 yards on five carries before Houston began pulling key players. For fantasy purposes, playing any Texan under Sunday's circumstances was a risk, and after Houston took a 7-0 lead, starting quarterback C.J. Stroud was replaced by Davis Mills as the Texans began looking toward the postseason. Mixon and the Texans will start their playoff journey next week when they play host to a Wild Card game.

Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins found the end zone for the seventh time this season and caught all five of his targets for 38 yards on Sunday in a win at Tennessee. The star receiver caught a two-yard touchdown from quarterback C.J. Stroud, who was pulled from the game midway through the first quarter with Houston already confirmed as the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs. Collins, who missed five full games and most of another with a hamstring injury earlier in the season, finished just 32 yards short of 1,000 for the year. He and the Texans now will look toward a run in the postseason with a Wild Card game next week.

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce set a new career high in rushing yards Sunday in a 23-14 win at Tennessee, finishing with 176 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. The third-year pro did the most damage on a career-long 92-yard touchdown run in the first half, after Houston had pulled key offensive starters from the game. Sunday was the Florida product's first 100-yard game since midway through his rookie season in 2022. Though Houston already had locked down the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs and didn't have anything to gain with the win, Pierce certainly made use of his additional playing time. He and the Texans will be back in action with a to-be-determined Wild Card home game next week.

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud completed all six attempts for 50 yards in Sunday's meeting with the Titans. He also threw a touchdown, finding Nico Collins in the first quarter for a two-yard score. The Texans are locked into a spot for the postseason, so Stroud is presumably done for the remainder of the contest. However, this shouldn't surprise anyone. Overall, the signal-caller had a good year, throwing for 3,727 yards and 20 touchdowns (12 picks) and adding 52 carries for 233 yards. Although Stroud was more productive as a rookie, injuries on the offensive side of the ball likely prohibited him from being more potent from a fantasy standpoint. With Stroud out of the contest, Davis Mills is in under center.

Houston Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson warrants some consideration in deeper fantasy leagues as he continues to take on an expanded role. With both Stefon Diggs (knee) and Tank Dell (knee) done for the season, Hutchinson has been tasked with stepping up as the Texans' No. 2 receiver behind Nico Collins. He caught two of four targets against the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas Day, but he certainly wasn't alone as the entire offense stalled repeatedly. He and his Texans teammates have a chance to get back on track in Week 18 against the Tennessee Titans, who have allowed the third-most points to opposing teams in 2024. Tennessee has surrendered the second-fewest receiving yards and fantasy points to wide receivers in 2024, but we still like Hutchinson's ability to build on last week's subpar showing and catch at least a few passes from quarterback C.J. Stroud on Sunday. The second-year receiver out of Iowa State ranks as a low-end WR4 in fantasy football.