Houston Texans DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud had an efficient but low-volume game against the Miami Dolphins, completing 18 of 26 passes for 131 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 20-12 victory. He also ran six times for four yards and lost a fumble. The entire Houston offense had a slow day, managing only 181 total yards, but the second-year quarterback tossed a pair of six-yard touchdowns to wide receiver Nico Collins to secure the win. It was yet another Sunday in which Houston offense left a lot to be desired, but they ultimately end the week at 9-5. Stroud and the Texans will travel to Kansas City for a Saturday showdown in Week 16.

Wide receiver Nico Collins of the Houston Texans had his lowest receiving output of the season Sunday against the Miami Dolphins but still caught two passes for touchdowns in his team's 20-12 win. The Texans' No. 1 receiver managed just four catches on six targets for a meager 17 yards but snagged two six-yard touchdowns to end up with a decent fantasy day despite the low totals. The Dolphins have been especially tough on wide receivers this year, though Collins scratched out some value from a game in which his team managed only 181 total yards. He'll face a marquee opponent next week when Houston takes on Kansas City in a Saturday matchup.

Houston Texans tight end Cade Stover (illness) has been downgraded to out ahead of the Week 15 matchup against the Miami Dolphins. Stover underwent an emergency appendectomy surgery on Saturday. As a result, Stover will miss Sunday's game and his status should be updated at some point next week. Irv Smith was promoted from the practice squad and will operate as the No. 2 tight end behind Dalton Schultz on Sunday. Stover wasn't seeing a ton of action with only one game with over four targets this season. Smith won't be an ideal streaming option with Schultz healthy.

The Miami Dolphins have been one of the toughest matchups in the NFL for fantasy quarterbacks, which means C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans should only be started in Superflex leagues in Week 15. The Dolphins rank third overall against fantasy quarterbacks, while last year's Offensive Rookie of the Year has finished outside of the top 10 at his position nine games in a row. Stroud now ranks a disappointing 19th among fantasy quarterbacks, and faces a Miami defense among the league's best in air yards allowed (fifth), passing touchdowns allowed (tied for fifth), and average depth of target (first). Now that most fantasy leagues are down to elimination games, managers who roster Stroud in one-QB formats should look to avoid this matchup.

Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon is once again an RB1 candidate when his team plays host to the Miami Dolphins in Week 15. The veteran back has been ultra consistent in his first season in Houston, finishing inside the top 15 for running backs in eight of his 10 games this year. Interestingly, the Dolphins rank second against fantasy receivers but 21st against running backs, largely because backs have fared well as pass catchers against them. Miami has allowed running backs to catch 28 passes in just the past five games alone, which should open the door for a feature back like Mixon to do some damage through the air. Start him with confidence in Week 15.