Houston Texans

Houston Texans wide receiver Ben Skowronek has stood out so far in the early portions of training camp as he looks to earn a roster spot despite mostly working with the second-team offense. Skowronek is a long shot to have a substantial role in his first year in Houston if he even makes the team, but the 6-foot-3, 224-pounder has so far impressed on contested catches down the field. If the 27-year-old is competing with the likes of Noah Brown, Robert Woods and John Metchie III in a crowded receiving corps behind starters Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins and Tank Dell. The former seventh-rounder in 2021 has 58 total receptions for 575 yards and just one touchdown in 45 regular-season games (12 starts) in his three years in the NFL and isn't on the fantasy radar heading into the 2024 season.

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.