Houston Texans DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Houston Texans running back J.J. Taylor has been elevated from the practice squad ahead of the Week 4 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. This is noteworthy because it probably means lead back Joe Mixon (ankle) is probably trending in the wrong direction ahead of Sunday's game. Taylor was elevated last week as well with Mixon on the sideline. He rushed the ball once for three yards on hauled in both his targets for two yards through the air. He should serve as the emergency back behind Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale, assuming Mixon is out. Fantasy managers who have Mixon rostered should go ahead and prepare a backup plan for Week 4.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk is back to fantasy relevance in Week 4 against the Houston Texans. Kirk only caught two passes in the first two weeks, but in Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills, he caught eight of 10 targets for 79 yards. Kirk isn't much of a deep threat or red zone threat compared to teammates Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas Jr., but he makes up for it in the short and intermediate areas of the field, making him more of an asset in PPR leagues. While it was tough to trust him going into Week 3 against a good Bills secondary, his bounce-back performance should mean fantasy managers can at least consider Kirk for their starting lineup this week. The Houston secondary has been decent so far this season, but just as against the Bills, someone needs to catch passes for the Jaguars if they are playing catchup for most of the game. Kirk is a fine flex play in Week 4, especially in PPR leagues.

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce (hamstring) missed practice all week and has officially been ruled out for the Week 4 contest on Sunday against the division-rival Jacksonville Jaguars. The Texans were saying earlier this week that Pierce was making progress from his hamstring injury and was close to returning, but that won't happen this week. The 24-year-old will miss his third straight game after being injured in the Week 1 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Joe Mixon (ankle) is questionable and is danger of missing a second straight game as well, so Houston could be forced to use Cam Akers as their lead back once again. If Mixon is inactive on Sunday, Akers can be plugged in as an RB3/flex for fantasy managers looking for help at the position. Pierce's next chance to return will be in a Week 5 meeting against the Buffalo Bills.

Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game with an ankle injury. Mixon suffered the injury in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears and was held out of action last weekend. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to any updates regarding the 28-year-old's status over the weekend. The Texans will already enter this game shorthanded with wideout Tank Dell (chest) and No.2 running back Dameon Pierce (hamstring) already ruled out. If Mixon misses his second-straight game, fantasy managers should expect Cam Akers to lead the backfield again in a favorable matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have allowed the 29th most points to running backs this season.

Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (chest) was ruled out for Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The sophomore wideout suffered a chest injury in last week's game against the Minnesota Vikings and was not able to log a practice throughout the week. Dell will now set his sights on returning in Week 5 when the Texans face the Buffalo Bills. The 24-year-old has had a modest start to the season but did post a season-best 62 yards in last week's game but has yet to find the end zone. Fantasy managers should expect Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs to see the majority of targets this weekend, with Robert Woods and Xavier Hutchinson rotating as the No.3 option.