Houston Texans Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Multiple reports say Jaguars WR Christian Kirk is expected to need surgery for a core-muscle injury he suffered on the first play of Monday night's loss to the Bengals. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says "rehab for a core muscle issue is generally about eight weeks." The fantasy season, of course, has just four (in most leagues) or five weeks left. Kirk hasn't finalized the surgery plan yet and is still getting medical opinions. So you might want to wait for confirmation before dropping him. But plan on missing the Jacksonville wideout for the rest of the year. Zay Jones gets a boost in Kirk's absence, but he must also contend with QB Trevor Lawrence's injury and a challenging matchup with the Browns and Ravens the next two games. His Week 17 matchup with Carolina has also been bad for WR scoring this season. Week 16 at Tampa Bay looks good, at least. Jones currently sits just 52nd in our Week 14 PPR WR rankings. He's not likely to climb a lot higher even if Lawrence gets cleared. And he's not likely to climb beyond WR4 territory (if that high) in our Week 15 rankings. Keep all that in mind as you decide whether to go after Jones on the waiver wire this week. Rookie WR Parker Washington also came out of nowhere for a 6-61-1 receiving line against the Bengals after Kirk's injury. He might remain relevant for PPR leagues while Kirk is out, but we'd like to see at least one more game before trusting him in redraft lineups outside of deep leagues.

Jaguars HC Doug Pederson said Tuesday that WR Christian Kirk will miss time with the groin injury he suffered in Monday night's loss to the Bengals. We'll look for a more concrete timetable for Kirk's return, but we can at least rule him out for this weekend's game vs. the Browns. Rookie WR Parker Washington replaced Kirk vs. Cincinnati, catching all six of his targets for 61 yards and a score. But he's not a viable fantasy play assuming it's QB C.J. Beathard at the helm this weekend. WR Calvin Ridley, WR Zay Jones, and TE Evan Engram should pick up extra targets with Kirk out.

Jaguars WR Christian Kirk injured his groin on a 26-yard catch on the team's first play of Monday night's game vs. the Bengals. He limped back to the locker room and is officially questionable to return. We'll update Kirk's status when we know more.

Update: Kirk has been ruled out.

Texans WR Tank Dell underwent surgery on his fractured fibula on Monday and will miss the rest of the season, HC Demeco Ryans said. Ryans added that Dell should be ready for the start of the offseason program, so this injury shouldn't impact his 2024 fantasy outlook. Dell averaged 8.4 targets, 5.1 catches, 77.3 yards, and 0.9 TDs in eight games with a snap rate north of 50%. His 2.24 yards per route run ranks 15th among 69 WRs with 40+ targets -- and third among 12 rookie WRs with 40+ targets. Tied to QB C.J. Stroud, Dell looks like a WR2 target in 2024 fantasy drafts and a top-25 dynasty WR.

Texans WR Nico Collins ended Sunday with a 9-191-1 receiving line, reaching new career highs in receptions and receiving yards in Week 13 vs. the Broncos. This is the third time in 2023 that Collins has eclipsed the 100-yard mark and found the end zone in the same game. It’ll be vital for Houston’s offense that he maintains this success in the aftermath of rookie WR Tank Dell leaving the contest in the first quarter with a broken fibula. Fantasy managers were already starting Collins in lineups, but those seeking a Dell replacement should look no further than Noah Brown. While he didn’t record a catch on either of his 2 targets, Brown paced Collins with 100% route participation and snap rate in Week 13, clearly serving as the Texans' WR2. Plus, he’d recorded back-to-back 100+-yard efforts that yielded top-6 PPR finishes between Week 9-10 prior to being sidelined by a knee injury. Keep an eye out for Brown on the waiver wire.

Texans WR Tank Dell has been diagnosed with a fractured fibula and will be placed on IR, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Dell will miss at least four games and is likely done for the regular season. We'll look for a more concrete timetable for his return. Dell's injury is a hit to QB C.J. Stroud's fantasy value but leaves behind a lot of opportunity for Houston's other pass catchers. Nico Collins will be the clear No. 1 the rest of the way, with WRs Noah Brown, Robert Woods, and John Metchie behind him. We'll have more on those guys in this week's waiver wire article.

Texans WR Tank Dell's left ankle got rolled up on in the first quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Broncos. He had to be carted back to the locker room. It's safe to assume his day is over. Let's hope the rookie is able to play again this season.

Texans WR Tank Dell (calf) is active for today’s game vs. the Broncos. He got in two limited practices to close the week and never seemed in danger of missing this one. Dell is fine to keep in fantasy lineups.

Insider Jordan Schultz confirms that WR Tank Dell (calf) is expected to play vs. the Broncos on Sunday. The rookie is listed as questionable, but HC Demeco Ryans said early in the week that Dell would likely be available for this one. We're expecting him to play his usual role, meaning that Dell should be in fantasy lineups.

The Texans re-signed K Matt Ammendola, who will kick in Sunday's game vs. the Broncos. He's missed all three of his FG tries over the past two weeks, although two of them have come from 50+ yards. Insider Aaron Wilson reports that K Ka'imi Fairbairn (quad) is expected back for Week 14.

Texans TE Dalton Schultz (hamstring) missed practice all week and is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Broncos. His status for Week 14 and beyond is uncertain. Schultz’s absence leaves Houston with TEs Brevin Jordan and Eric Saubert. Jordan ran 19 pass routes to Saubert’s two last week and will likely operate as the primary pass-catching TE against Denver’s 27th-ranked TE defense. You can probably do better in season-long fantasy leagues, but Jordan is an intriguing salary-saver in DFS.

Texans WR Tank Dell (calf) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Broncos. He got in two limited practices to close the week and said Friday that he’ll play on Sunday. Dell can stay penciled into fantasy lineups. We’ll get Houston’s inactives around 11:30 am ET on Sunday.

Texans TE Dalton Schultz (hamstring) remained sidelined on Thursday. He's seemingly in real danger of missing this weekend's game vs. the Broncos. Schultz's absence would leave Brevin Jordan as Houston's lead TE -- and likely push more targets to the WRs.

Texans WR Tank Dell (calf) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. The rookie is fully expected to play vs. the Broncos this weekend, but check back tomorrow to see how he's listed on the final injury report.

Texans TE Dalton Schultz (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday. It's the first we've heard of the injury -- but might explain why his playing time plummeted in last week's loss to the Jaguars. We'll see if Schultz is able to get back on the field tomorrow. Brevin Jordan would likely operate as Houston's lead TE vs. Denver this weekend if Schultz is out.

Texans WR Tank Dell missed Wednesday's practice with a calf injury. He had imaging done on the calf after last week's loss to the Jaguars, per insider Aaron Wilson, but the injury is considered "relatively minor," and Dell is expected to play vs. the Broncos this weekend. We'll keep an eye on the rookie over the next few days, but he can stay penciled into Week 13 fantasy lineups.

The Texans released K Matt Ammendola. K Ka'imi Fairbairn still has at least one more game on IR with his quad injury, so we'll see what Houston plans to do at kicker for this weekend's game vs. the Broncos.

Dalton Schultz has generally dominated playing time and opportunities among Texans TEs, but that wasn't the case in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars. TE Brevin Jordan set season highs in playing time and routes. According to Pro Football Focus, he ran a route on 19 of C.J. Stroud's 47 dropbacks (40.4%). Schultz's mere 47.8% route rate for the game was his second-lowest of the season. It also marked a surprising fall vs. the previous four games, all of which found Schultz running a route on more than 80% of dropbacks. We've seen no report of an injury for Schultz, so we'll keep watch for any explanation of the Week 12 variation. Barring some indication from the team that Schultz will return to his previous usage, he'll make for a shaky play against an improved Broncos defense in Week 13. Jordan, meanwhile, will need to see his usage climb much further before he'll be a fantasy option.

Texans WR Tank Dell posted a 5-50-1 receiving line in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars. That trailed WR Nico Collins (7-104-1) and marked the second straight game in which he drew fewer targets than Collins. But Dell had another target negated by penalty, and it came on a key play. Dell caught a 62-yard pass that would have been the team's longest play by 28 yards, but an illegal-shift penalty negated the play. That wiped out a target that would have tied Dell with Collins for the team lead and eliminated a catch that would have given him the slight edge over Collins. Dell remains a strong target bet and should be in most fantasy lineups the rest of the way.

Texans WR Nico Collins has led the team in targets in each of his two games since returning from injury. He led the team in targets (9), receptions (7), and receiving yards (104) in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars. Collins also scored for the second time in three games. He has caught seven passes in two straight games. Collins gets negative matchups with the Broncos and Jets the next two weeks. But he gets a high-upside matchup with the Titans in two of the final three fantasy weeks.