Nathaniel Dell Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Texans WR John Metchie (hamstring) is not listed on the final Week 2 injury report after putting in a full practice on Friday. He’ll make his regular-season debut vs. the Colts this weekend. Metchie’s return is good timing with WR Noah Brown on IR. But it’s unclear who will pick up Brown’s snaps between Metchie, Tank Dell, and Xavier Hutchinson. None of those guys can be trusted in Week 2 fantasy lineups.

Texans WR Noah Brown has been placed on IR, knocking him out for at least the next four games. That's significant because Brown played 68% of Houston's offensive snaps in the opener -- third among WRs. Rookie Tank Dell was fourth among Texans WRs in Week 1 snaps (48.1%) and figures to see a bump in playing time in Week 2. We'll see when WR John Metchie is ready to return from his hamstring injury.

ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime says in his final roster projection that WR Noah Brown has been running as a starter alongside Robert Woods and Nico Collins "throughout camp." He adds that "there's a chance midway through the season [Tank Dell] becomes a starter." As for second-year WR John Metchie, Bien-Aime calls him only one of the "remaining receivers." The article even mentions sixth-round rookie WR Xavier Hutchinson "sometimes" running with the starters. Metchie's comeback from leukemia is a great story no matter what. But he looks like a fantasy afterthought. Brown's name will be worth keeping in mind for DFS and the final rounds of best ball tournament drafts. But we're not expecting this offense to support multiple fantasy-starter pass catchers. Collins remains the top Texans WR in our fantasy football rankings. Woods has been a PPR value throughout draft season because he stays on the board until the very end (and often beyond). Dell is intriguing as a late-draft stash in deeper leagues.

Texans WR Tank Dell was held out of Saturday’s preseason game with a tight leg muscle. In other words, he shouldn’t miss much practice time. “[He] felt a little tightness there… Tank will be fine,” HC DeMeco Ryans said. “We didn’t think it would be smart to put him out there, but Tank will be fine.” Dell remains an intriguing late-round flier in PPR setups.

Texans WR Tank Dell was the most impressive player in Thursday night's preseason opener vs. the Patriots. The rookie caught five of eight targets for 65 yards and a score, flashing explosive burst after the catch and impressive concentration on his TD. “It was good to see Tank make some plays,” HC Demeco Ryans said afterward. “We’ve seen him make a lot of plays throughout training camp, some of these same plays, so it was good to see him do the same thing here in a game. He’s going to be an explosive playmaker for us, and we look forward to him continuing to make some of those plays.” There's plenty of room in Houston's WR corps for Dell to carve out a significant role this season. He's moving up our WR rankings.

The Texans selected Houston WR Tank Dell in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Dell is a fun watch: lightning-quick with explosive burst and plenty of long speed. He put up massive numbers the past 2 seasons: 1,329 yards and 12 TDs in 2021 and 1,398 yards and 17 TDs this past year. The problem? He’s 5’8 and 165 pounds. DeVonta Smith is the only sub-170-pound WR to reach 700 receiving yards since 2000. Dell can certainly be a useful weapon for the Texans. But we doubt he’ll handle enough volume to be a reliable fantasy option. Don't bet on 2023 fantasy football value either. Houston has Nico Collins, Robert Woods, and 2022 second-round pick John Metchie at the position. That's not a terrific group, which means Dell could compete for a role. But it's enough that the Texans don't need to push him.