Houston Texans DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell finished with three catches on seven targets for 40 yards in Houston's 29-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts. The former University of Houston Cougar earned two carries for 19 yards, showing the Texans could be creative about manufacturing touches for him. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, Dell was the Texans receiver who drew the short straw regarding points. Nico Collins accumulated 117 yards on six catches, while Stefon Diggs caught both of quarterback C.J. Stroud's touchdown passes. The silver lining for the second-year pro is that he remained involved in the offense, even with the addition of Diggs. Dell will look for a more efficient output when Houston takes on Chicago in Week 2.

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.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk (calf) avoided landing on the first official injury report of the 2024 regular season on Wednesday by putting in a full practice. It doesn't come as much of a surprise despite Kirk missing some time in training camp due to a mild calf injury. The Jags lost Calvin Ridley in the offseason but added Gabe Davis and first-round rookie Brian Thomas Jr. to the receiving corps. The 27-year-old Kirk was quarterback Trevor Lawrence's No. 1 target last year before his season ended prematurely due to a core injury. Don't forget that Kirk had his first 1,000-yard season with a career-high eight scores in his first year in Duvall in 2022, so a bounce-back could easily be in the cards in 2024. He's at least a WR3/flex for fantasy managers in a Week 1 matchup against the Miami Dolphins that could turn into a track meet.

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.