Houston Texans DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Houston Texans running backs Joe Mixon (ankle) and Dameon Pierce (hamstring) were not at practice on Friday, according to DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN. With both running backs in danger of potentially missing Sunday's game, Cam Akers could get the starting nod. Akers replaced Mixon last weekend when he exited the game due to an ankle injury. On seven carries, Akers tallied 32 yards and caught his lone target for three yards. However, he did lose a fumble. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to the Houston injury report later on Friday, as it should provide more clarity on the situation. If Akers does suit up as the No.1 RB for Houston on Sunday, he should be viewed as a high-end RB2 simply due to the volume he is expected to see.

Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz (ankle) was able to practice in full on Thursday after he was listed as a limited participant for the first practice of the week on Wednesday. Even though Schultz is on the Week 3 injury report, his return to a full practice on Thursday should pave the way for him to be active this Sunday to take on the 2-0 Minnesota Vikings. There are a lot of mouths to feed through the air in this Houston offense, and Schultz has only garnered six targets through two games, hauling in five of them for 37 yards and no touchdowns. The slow start has pushed him down to TE2 territory in fantasy, but the Week 3 matchup against the Vikings could put him in play to have his best game of the early 2024 campaign. The Vikings defense has allowed the fifth-most half-PPR fantasy points to the tight end position through two games.

Houston Texans tight end Brevin Jordan (knee) suffered a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. The 24-year-old will now set his sights on a long recovery process to prepare him for the 2025 season. The former fifth-round selection set a career-high in yards last season with 219. However, Jordan caught just one pass in each of the first two games of the season and was deployed as the No.2 tight end behind Dalton Schultz. Fantasy managers should now expect Schultz to see the lion's share of opportunities at the tight end spot in Houston, while Cade Stover should move up to the No.2 spot and see an increase in work.

Houston Texans running backs Joe Mixon (ankle) and Dameon Pierce (hamstring) are not practicing on Thursday. With both Mixon and Pierce sidelined so far this week, Cam Akers has operated as the team's starting tailback as preparations continue for a Week 3 showdown against the 2-0 Minnesota Vikings. The Texans consider Mixon day-to-day as of now, and Pierce is dealing with a mild hamstring injury, although it was enough to keep him sidelined for the Week 2 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday night. As things stand now, Houston's backfield situation is in flux heading into this Sunday's contest. If both Mixon and Pierce are unavailable, Akers would become at least a flex play in fantasy lineups, with Dare Ogunbowale and British Brooks backing him up. With Pierce inactive last Sunday, Akers made his Texans debut and had seven carries for 32 yards while catching one pass for three yards.

Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (hip, foot) is expected to play in Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday. Collins was held out of practice on Wednesday but returned to the practice field on Thursday, signaling that he's on track to play this weekend. There's a good chance that Collins is listed as limited on Thursday, but just the fact that he's back on the field is good news, and fantasy managers should leave him in their starting lineups for the week, barring a setback. Through the first two weeks of the 2024 season, the 25-year-old pass-catcher leads the league with 252 receiving yards on 14 receptions (18 targets) and one touchdown. Collins also leads the league with his 126 yards per game. The Vikings defense has been middle of the pack so far through two games in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing wideouts. Collins is a must-start.