Houston Texans Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Texans RB Dameon Pierce had another disappointing outing in Week 2, racking up 35 total yards on a combined 18 touch opportunities vs. the Colts. The second-year back is still by far and away the Houston backfield leader, though. Teammate Devin Singletary only saw 5 touches, and fellow RB Dare Ogunbowale’s pair of carries didn’t make much of a dent. Fantasy managers should be encouraged by the volume that Pierce sees weekly, though tempering expectations from here on out will be vital. Week 3 vs. the Jaguars will provide Pierce another opportunity to improve.

Texans QB C.J. Stroud tallied 30 completions on 47 attempts for 384 and 2 TDs in Week 2’s loss vs. the Colts. The rookie also ran the ball 3 times with only 1 rushing yard. Stroud has now thrown the ball at least 40 times in each of the first two games of 2023. Considering how often Houston will likely be playing from behind, he should be a useful asset in 2QB or superflex leagues as time goes along. We’re still a ways away from trusting Stroud in a 1QB format, though his performance on Sunday certainly helped his case. Next week, he and the Texans will travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars.

Bengals RB Joe Mixon dominated backfield work in Sunday's win over the Ravens but managed just-OK fantasy production. He garnered 13 of the team's 14 RB carries, gaining 59 yards (4.5 per rush). Mixon also claimed 5 of the 7 RB targets, catching 4 for 36 yards (9.0 per catch). Mixon has yet to find the end zone for a Cincinnati offense that has underperformed in two straight games. But Mixon's role makes him a weekly starter for most fantasy lineups. He gets a winnable matchup with the Rams in Week 3 before a tough rushing spot at Tennessee in Week 4. The status of QB Joe Burrow's calf -- which he tweaked against Baltimore -- could affect the whole offense.

Texans QB C.J. Stroud (shoulder) is active for today’s game vs. the Colts. He dealt with right-shoulder soreness late in the week, adding risk to his Week 2 fantasy profile. Stroud is only a low-end option in superflex leagues.

Texans QB C.J. Stroud (shoulder) is expected to play vs. the Colts today, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Stroud was added to the injury report and limited in practice on Friday with a sore right shoulder. He's no better than a low-end QB2 in Week 2 fantasy lineups, but his availability is good news for Houston's offense.

The Texans have ruled S Jalen Pitre (bruised lung) and S Jimmie Ward (hip) out for Sunday's game against the Colts. That leaves Eric Murray and M.J. Stewart as the starters. Both carry some mild IDP intrigue. Indy supplied 15 total tackles to Jacksonville's starting safeties in Week 1.

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 QB C.J. Stroud (shoulder) was added to the injury report and limited in Friday's practice. He's listed as questionable for this weekend's game vs. the Colts. Per insider Aaron Wilson, Stroud "didn't do much" on Friday to "rest sore right, throwing shoulder, but is expected to try to play against Colts." That doesn't sound great. Hopefully Stroud wasn't in your Week 2 fantasy plans. QB Davis Mills will start on Sunday if Stroud can't. The situation adds downside to Houston's pass-catchers.

Texans OC Bobby Slowik said he should have given RB Dameon Pierce more work in Week 1. The second-year man tallied only 11 carries in a blowout loss. “DP should touch the ball more than he did,” Slowik said. “That's definitely something we want to do. That's our starting identity. We're here to run the ball.” Houston should be able to stick with the run on Sunday as they head home to face Indianapolis. Pierce projects as a top-24 option in our Week 2 RB rankings.

Texans WR John Metchie (hamstring) got in a limited practice on Wednesday. He was sidelined all three practices last week, so this is an upgrade. Houston could use Metchie with WR Noah Brown on IR, but he's not a Week 2 fantasy option.

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.

Bills WR Stefon Diggs caught 10 of 13 targets for 102 yards and a TD in Monday's loss vs. the Jets. This was a classic performance from Diggs. Fantasy managers likely fared better in their matchups than Buffalo did with that stat line. Diggs will look to keep the big numbers rolling vs. the Raiders in Week 2. Also worthy of mention is that rookie TE Dalton Kincaid hauled in all 4 of his targets for 26 yards in his NFL debut. A sub-10% target share isn't the most exciting item to see from Kincaid, though any production in lineups is appreciated given the week fantasy managers had with TEs.

Texans WRs Nico Collins and Robert Woods combined to draw nearly half of QB C.J. Stroud's 44 pass attempts in Sunday's loss to the Ravens. Collins led the team with 11 looks, catching 6 passes for 80 yards. Woods drew 10 targets and caught 6 for 57 yards. No other Texan drew more than 4 looks. WR Tank Dell, WR Noah Brown, and RB Mike Boone tied for third with 4 apiece. Target shares in the 22%+ range would make Collins and Woods decent-to-good PPR options going forward. Each is a fine reserve option in leagues of 12+ teams.

Texans QB C.J. Stroud threw for 242 yards in Sunday's season-opening loss to the Ravens. He took 5 sacks and lost a fumble but avoided INTs while attempting 44 passes. The most notable moment from Stroud's debut might have been when he caught his own first NFL pass attempt. Stroud's throw got batted into the air just short of the line of scrimmage. So Stroud charged ahead, caught the ball, and made it back to the line for no gain. That gave him just 1 catch fewer than TE Dalton Schultz collected for the game. Stroud's not a fantasy option outside of 2-QB and superflex leagues.

Bengals RB Joe Mixon recorded 13 attempts for 56 rushing yards in Week 1’s loss to the Browns. He also added 3 catches on 5 targets for 17 receiving yards as a receiver. The Bengals’ offense as a whole experienced a hard time getting anything going in the crummy Cleveland weather. Fortunately, there’s some hope to hold onto moving forward. Mixon dominated the RB workload, receiving 13 of the team’s 15 carries (86.6%). No other Bengals’ back saw more than 2 attempts. Managers looking ahead to Week 2’s matchup vs. the Ravens can feel good about the workhorse-like share from Mixon.

Texans S Jalen Pitre left Sunday's game against the Ravens with a chest injury and was quickly ruled out. We'll see about the official diagnosis. M.J. Stewart entered the game in Pitre's place in a secondary already missing S Jimmie Ward (hip).

Update: Pitre went to the hospital with a bruised lung after taking a knee from Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that Pitre "should be OK." We'll see how much time he's expected to miss.

Texans WR John Metchie (hamstring) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Ravens. He’s off the redraft radar. Nico Collins, Robert Woods, Noah Brown, and Tank Dell will operate as Houston’s top four WRs.

Texans WR John Metchie (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday. He missed much of the spring with a hamstring injury, although it's unclear if this is related. Metchie wasn't slated to open the season with a top-three role even if he was healthy. He's not worth rostering in redraft leagues right now.

Texans TE Dalton Schultz ranked third at the position in first-team snaps in Sunday night's preseason finale. He played just four of the nine snaps that QB C.J. Stroud played, running two routes and drawing one target. Schultz did lead Houston TEs in those latter two categories. But he trailed Teagan Quitoriano (six snaps) and Dalton Keene (five) in playing time. It's just one game, and Stroud attempted only four passes total. Schultz's three targets in the previous outing tied for second on the team. So Sunday night's usage shouldn't leave you panicking if you've already drafted Schultz. But it's enough to confirm that he belongs in TE2 territory of upcoming fantasy football drafts. And if you have already drafted Schultz, you might want to check our TE rankings for an early pickup off waivers as insurance.

The Texans have officially named QB C.J. Stroud their regular-season starter. It's the move we've all expected basically since he was drafted. But it's nice to get official word ahead of the regular season. Stroud sits low in our QB rankings, though, and shouldn't be in your sights outside of superflex or 2-QB leagues, or late in best ball tournament drafts.