Houston Texans DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Houston Texans Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon (ankle) was not seen at practice with the rest of the team on Thursday due to an ankle injury. Mixon wasn't on the injury report on Tuesday before being added on Wednesday while being listed as a limited participant. However KPRC's Aaron Wilson writes that it would be a surprise if Mixon were not active on Saturday to face the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. The 28-year-old is a vital piece of Houston's offense, having rushed for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns during the regular season. He had 106 yards on the ground and scored in last week's blowout win over the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round. However, Mixon's status is now worth watching heading into Saturday's contest. If he's out or limited at all, Dameon Pierce and Dare Ogunbowale would take on bigger roles in the backfield.

Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz (shoulder) was limited in practice on Wednesday. Schultz is a key safety valve for quarterback C.J. Stroud, and his absence this weekend would certainly hurt the offense. Fortunately for the Texans, Schultz has logged two straight limited outings and seems to be trending toward playing on Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Schultz caught 53 passes for 635 yards and two touchdowns this season. His numbers were down from 2023 due to the Texans' regression in the passing game as a whole. However, Stroud still looks to Schultz when he is in trouble. The Texans do not have many receiving options left. With wide receiver Robert Woods (hip) trending in the wrong direction with back-to-back DNPs, Schultz and wide receiver Nico Collins are poised to play huge roles this weekend. Both players will have to perform at a high level in a tough matchup with the Chiefs.

Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (ankle) was limited at practice on Wednesday due to an ankle injury. Mixon battled through ankle injuries throughout the regular season, so it is not necessarily surprising to see him on the injury report with the injury. Most concerning is that Mixon was not on the injury report on Tuesday. In some cases, veterans will follow a rest protocol throughout the week, depending on the severity of their injury. However, players are prone to getting hurt in practice and ending up on the injury report. The situation is worth monitoring for Texans fans. Mixon is an important cog in the Texans offense. He ran for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. He led the Texans to victory in the Wild-Card Round with 106 rushing yards and a touchdown. Without Mixon, the Texans offense looks far less efficient. He will be absolutely necessary if they are to have any chance of beating the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend.

Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Texans said tight end Dalton Schultz (shoulder) was limited during Tuesday's practice with a shoulder injury. Fantasy managers should continue monitoring his status throughout the week if he faces a setback. During their victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday afternoon, the veteran tight end caught two of his four targets for 23 yards. With Tank Dell (knee) sidelined, Schultz has seen an increase in targets. Over his previous three contests, Schultz has seen 4.3 targets per game, with a high of six during Week 17. Fantasy managers should expect Schultz to bounce back this weekend facing the Kansas City Chiefs, who have allowed the fourth-most PPR points to opposing tight ends.

Houston Texans rookie tight end Cade Stover (collarbone) suffered a broken collarbone in the wild-card win over the Los Angeles Chargers last Saturday and will require season-ending surgery. The Texans officially placed Stover on Injured Reserve on Tuesday. The 24-year-old first-year player caught all four of his targets for 28 yards in the 32-12 win over the Bolts and played 36 offensive snaps. Stover was mostly a blocker for the Texans in his first year in the NFL and took a back seat pass-catching-wise to starter Dalton Schultz, as he had only 15 catches for 133 yards and one touchdown on 22 targets over 15 regular-season games. If Teagan Quitoriano (calf) isn't activated from IR to play this Saturday in the Divisional Round against the hosting Kansas City Chiefs, Irv Smith Jr. would operate as the primary backup to Schultz.