Houston Texans DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Houston Texans running back Cam Akers and wide receiver John Metchie III are healthy scratches for Week 1 of the regular season against the division-rival Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. The Texans are rolling with starter Joe Mixon and backups Dameon Pierce and Dare Ogunbowale as their three RBs to open the year against the Colts. The 25-year-old Akers saw plenty of action in the preseason, but for now he'll just be RB depth in Houston and remains well off the fantasy radar. Metchie has plenty of talent but has been hurt by injuries so far in his NFL career, and the Texans now have a crowded receiver room that features Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Robert Woods and others. The 24-year-old is also battling for a position with Xavier Hutchinson and Steven Sims. Obviously, Akers and Metchie both belong on the waiver wire in your league.

Houston Texans backup quarterback Davis Mills has signed a one-year contract extension, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The deal features $5 million per year in new money and keeps Mills with the Texans through 2025. There are also playing-time incentives written into the contract extension. The 2021 third-round pick is locked in as the backup to C.J. Stroud, and the new extension provides a bit of job security in the near future. This shouldn't have fantasy implications unless something were to happen to Stroud.

Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (quadriceps) is fully healthy, according to KPRC's Aaron Wilson. Mixon reportedly dealt with an undisclosed issue throughout the preseason, which we now know was a quadricep injury. He didn't suit up for any of the Texans' preseason games, but that may have been a result of his veteran status rather than any real injury concerns. Regardless, we now know that Mixon is fully healthy and should not have any limitations when he makes his Texans debut against the Colts on Sunday. The veteran appeared in all 17 games for the Bengals last season, registering 1,034 rushing yards, 376 receiving yards, and 12 total touchdowns. If he can continue to produce at this pace, he'll be a low-end RB1 in fantasy football this year.

The Houston Texans reached injury settlements with rookie running back Jawhar Jordan (oblique) and defensive tackle Pheldarius Payne (hamstring) on Tuesday, waiving them from Injured Reserve. Jordan was taken in the sixth round this past April out of Louisville by the Texans, but he won't make his NFL debut in Houston. The 25-year-old will need to prove his healthy before potentially joining another organization, most likely on the practice squad. Jordan lacks size and physicality, but he could eventually develop into a third-down back somewhere if he can stay healthy because of his vision on the field and his blocking skills in pass protection. Payne, 24, is expected to join the team's practice squad after reaching an injury settlement. He suffered his hamstring injury in the team's preseason finale.

Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell caught 47 passes for 709 yards and seven touchdowns in just 11 games last year before suffering a season-ending foot injury. He posted three games of at least 100 receiving yards as a rookie, and he was well on his way to a potential WR1 season. The Houston product appears to be healthy heading into Year 2, but his offense is more crowded following the addition of All-Pro wideout Stefon Diggs. However, Dell isn't concerned about his potential usage. "You gotta be ready when your [opportunities] come," Dell said on The Pivot podcast. "[C.J. Stroud] is gonna spread the ball out. Back in college, he played with a lot of receivers on one team, and everybody was eating." While Diggs, Dell, and Nico Collins could all have down weeks in a loaded offense, all three wideouts have WR1 upside in any given matchup. It will be worth monitoring who Stroud's preferred target is in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts, but it will likely change week-to-week. All three Texans wideouts are worth starting to begin the season.