Houston Texans DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

The Houston Texans are expected to sit their starting units in Thursday's Hall of Fame game against the Chicago Bears in Canton, Ohio. That will certainly include second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud, as the Texans are set to start backup quarterback Davis Mills. Replaced as the starter by last season's first-round pick Stroud, Mills figures to get most of the snaps under center for the Texans on Thursday. Stroud's hype train in his second season keeps on chugging, as the Texans added Stefon Diggs to an already capable receiving unit featuring Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and Dalton Schultz. While the rushing part of the equation may not be there for Stroud, his prolific work as a passer vaults him into the top grouping of quarterbacks on draft day for fantasy leagues.

With the Hall of Fame game days away, Houston Texans backup running backs Dameon Pierce and Jawhar Jordan are expected to see a bulk of the carries in Thursday's game against the Chicago Bears. With Joe Mixon (hamstring) nursing an injury, it's likely Mixon's work would have been minimal, at best, even when healthy, but Pierce, last season's Week 1 starter, has been getting some good buzz in camp with his efforts thus far. Jordan, the team's sixth-round pick, is expected to compete with Pierce as the primary backup to Mixon. Pierce disappointed last season as the starting running back for the Texans and lost his job to Devin Singletary. As long as Mixon is healthy, the backup running back in Houston probably wouldn't be anything but a contingency-based handcuff for fantasy this season.

Houston Texans Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon (hamstring) didn't practice on Monday. Mixon won't play in the Hall of Fame game on Thursday against the Chicago Bears in Canton, with backup Dameon Pierce and rookie Jawhar Jordan being expected to play extensively. It's too early on the calendar to have any real concern about Mixon's hamstring injury, but soft-tissue issues always have a change to linger, and fantasy managers as well as the Texans are hoping to see him back on the field soon. While the 28-year-old is not as explosive as he once was, he's looking at a massive workload in Houston's upstart offense after taking 257 carries and catching 57 passes in 17 games with the Cincinnati Bengals as their workhorse in 2023. Mixon is a solid RB2 bet in the middle rounds of drafts this summer as a likely three-down player during his first year with his new team.

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (foot) practiced fully Monday after getting his foot stepped on Saturday by veteran defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi and having Sunday off. Stroud didn't miss any snaps on Saturday or Monday. Head coach DeMeco Ryans hasn't indicated specifically who will play in the Hall of Fame game on Thursday night against the Chicago Bears in Canton, but he is expected to not play several key starters and older veterans. That should include Stroud and other experienced players. The 22-year-old former No. 2 overall is garnering plenty of hype in his second season in the pros, finishing seventh among signal-callers in fantasy points per game (18.7) as a rookie last year. Stroud should be able to put up prolific passing numbers with Houston's loaded receiving corps at his disposal, but his lack of rushing ability could prevent him from jumping into the top tier.

Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (leg) has been working with the first-team offense during training camp practices after recovering from a broken fibula he suffered last December. Dell was also shot in the leg in April, but he's recovered from both incidents and is on track to be ready for the start of the 2024 regular season. There is more competition for targets in Houston's passing attack now that Stefon Diggs is in town, but the 24-year-old is looking to build on an impressive rookie season that saw him catch 47 passes on 75 targets for 709 yards and seven touchdowns in his first 11 NFL games. Even though Dell is going to have more competition for targets between Diggs and Nico Collins mainly, there could still be enough passing volume in Houston for Dell to solid WR3/flex in fantasy as long as he can stay healthy in Year 2.