Houston Texans Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The misdemeanor menacing charge against Bengals RB Joe Mixon was dismissed by a judge on Friday, at the request of the prosecution. But the prosecution reserves the right to re-file the case after additional investigation. The legal side of this story isn't over yet. And the NFL can discipline Mixon even if he isn't legally found guilty. That has Mixon's 2023 and dynasty value in limbo for now. We'll keep you updated on the situation.

Bengals RB Joe Mixon is being charged with "aggravated menacing" for an incident that allegedly occurred in downtown Cincinnati the day before the Divisional Round game against the Bills. Mixon is accused of pointing a gun at a woman and saying, "You should be popped in the face, I should shoot you, the police can't get me." NFL Network's Tom Pelissero spoke Thursday night with Mixon's agent, who claims the charge will be dropped on Friday. We'll keep you updated on the situation. Remember that Mixon entered the NFL with red flags after he was caught on camera punching a woman at a restaurant in 2014.

The Texans are hiring Demeco Ryans as HC, according to multiple reports. This has been assumed for at least a few days now, and it makes loads of sense for Houston. Ryans was a team leader across 6 years as MLB with the Texans, before finishing his playing career with 4 seasons in Philadelphia. He spent the past 6 years on San Francisco's coaching staff, including the past 2 as DC. Ryans piloted a 49ers defense that ranked 3rd and 1st in yards allowed the past 2 seasons; 9th and 1st in points allowed. He inherits a Texans roster that needs plenty of work. But Houston does hold 5 picks among the 1st 3 rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft, including the #2 and #12 overall selections. Expect the Texans to select their next QB in Round 1, with Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Will Levis all in the current early-Round 1 discussion. The 49ers defense, meanwhile, should be fine. San Francisco ranked 6th and 2nd in Football Outsiders' defensive DVOA the 2 years before Ryans took the helm.

Bengals RB Joe Mixon rushed 20 times for 105 yards and 1 score in Sunday’s win over Buffalo. So much for Cincy’s banged up O-line. Playing with backups, Mixon posted his best YPC average since Week 14. The 100-yard outing also marked the most from a postseason Bengal since Cedric Benson in 2010. Next comes a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship game, again in Kansas City.

Jags WR Christian Kirk snagged 7 balls for 52 yards and 1 score in the Divisional Round loss to Kansas City. He tied a season-high (and matched last week’s number) with 14 targets. He nearly cracked 100 yards in this one, but a well-thrown deep ball from Trevor Lawrence bounced off Kirk’s hands. The former Cardinal exited the regular season with 84-1,108-8 on 133 targets, enough to make him WR11 in PPR. He’ll enter year 2 in Jacksonville alongside newly acquired WR Calvin Ridley. We’ll see where their ADPs shake out in early drafting.

Cowboys TE Dalton Schultz roped in 7 of 8 targets for 95 yards and 2 TDs in Monday’s Wild Card victory vs. the Buccaneers. Teammate WR CeeDee Lamb also performed well, snagging 4 of 6 his targets for 68 yards and a score of his own. This pair made a tremendous difference in the outcome of this game and will look to continue this success against the 49ers next weekend in the Divisional Round. Though the 49ers’ defense ranks 7th in Football Outsiders’ pass defense DVOA this season, we did see Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf eclipse the century mark in receiving yards with 2 TDs on Saturday. Perhaps QB Dak Prescott and company could replicate that success in the next round.

Bengals RB Joe Mixon mustered only 39 yards on 11 carries in Sunday’s win over Baltimore. He’s now been held to only 1 TD over his past 6 outings. Mixon at least remained a key part of the passing game, racking up 3+ catches for the 14th time (in 15 games) this season. The Bengals now travel to Buffalo for the Divisional Round. The Bills have allowed 4.3 YPC to opposing RBs this season.

Texans WR John Metchie has a chance to re-join the team for the start of the offseason program in April, GM Nick Caserio said Wednesday. Metchie missed his entire 2022 rookie campaign after being diagnosed with acute promyeloctic leukemia in July. "I'd say there's a chance that he'll be ready for the start of the offseason program," Caserio said. "I think there are still some things that he has to complete or go through. Quite frankly, it's amazing what he's done to this point." It sounds like Metchie at least deserves to be rostered in dynasty leagues again. There's plenty of opportunity in Houston's WR corps heading into 2023, especially with WR Brandin Cooks likely to be playing elsewhere.

The Texans announced Sunday night that they are firing HC Lovie Smith. It's not a surprising move, as Houston just finished a 3-13-1 campaign. Smith seemed like an uninspired choice last offseason, being elevated from the DC position after 1 year of David Culley as HC. But he had little chance at success with a bad roster and weak QB situation. We'll see where Houston turns next, but it's tough to expect an especially attractive candidate to choose these Texans.

Vikings TE Irv Smith has been activated from IR, putting him on track to play vs. the Bears on Sunday. He's been out since going down with a significant high-ankle sprain in Week 8. Smith's return is a boost to Minnesota's passing game, but he's unlikely to be a big fantasy factor in the postseason behind TE T.J. Hockenson.

Texans RB Dare Ogunbowale (knee) is active for today’s game vs. the Jaguars. He should continue mixing in behind lead back Royce Freeman.

Vikings TE Irv Smith (ankle) has been designated to return from IR. He's been out since going down with a significant high-ankle sprain in Week 8. Minnesota, of course, swung a deal for TE T.J. Hockenson since then. Smith's return could be a slight boost to the Vikings passing game, but he won't be a fantasy factor in the regular season or playoffs, barring a Hockenson injury.

Bengals RB Joe Mixon rushed 16 times for 65 yards (4.1 per rush) in Saturday's win over the Patriots. He added 7 receptions for 43 yards among 9 targets (tied for 2nd on the team). The efficiency wasn't great, but it was nice to see Mixon clearly leading the backfield in both phases. He goes up against the Bills in Week 17.

The Texans have placed WR Nico Collins on IR for his foot injury, ending his season. That should continue the elevated role for WR Chris Moore, though he's questionable for Saturday's game against the Titans with a foot injury that limited his practice all week. WR Brandin Cooks (calf) is also questionable, despite putting in full practices Wednesday and Thursday.

Texans WR Nico Collins (foot) has been ruled out for Week 16's contest vs. the Titans. His teammates, Brandin Cooks (calf) and Chris Moore (elbow), are officially listed as questionable. Cooks managed to practice in full on Wednesday and Thursday while Moore was limited all week. Both Cooks and Moore carry flex-worthy appeal should they be able to suit up. The Titans' defense is the friendliest matchup for WRs in adjusted fantasy points allowed. That doesn't make the Texans' offense good all of a sudden but it does help.

Texans WR Nico Collins (foot) did not practice for the 2nd day in a row on Wednesday. Fellow wideout Chris Moore (foot) logged his 2nd straight limited practice as well. In better news, Brandin Cooks (calf) upgraded to full participation at practice. With Week 16's game vs. the Titans falling on Saturday, Thursday's practice report will be very telling about Collins' and Moore's availability. Check back tomorrow as this news evolves.

The Texans have a slew of injuries in their WR room ahead of Saturday's game vs. the Titans. Nico Collins (foot) did not practice on Tuesday, and both Brandin Cooks (calf) and Chris Moore (foot) logged limited participation. Today's reports will shed some light on their collective situations. It is difficult to project the fantasy viability of the Texans at this time, so stay tuned. We'll keep you updated.

Bengals RB Joe Mixon only managed to record 21 yards on 11 carries in Sunday's win vs. the Buccaneers. Fortunately, Mixon made up for the less-than-stellar effort by adding 5 catches and 33 yards in the receiving game. Teammate Samaje Perine did not find much success either with 7 carries for 24 yards and one catch for no gain. Week 16's showdown against the Patriots will be difficult next week, as the Pats D ranks as the single-most difficult matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs this season. As such, fantasy managers advancing in the playoffs should temper expectations for Mixon moving forward.

The Texans placed RB Dameon Pierce on IR with his ankle injury, ending his 2022 season. Pierce had an impressive rookie season, running for 939 yards on 4.3 yards per carry in a bad Houston offense. He currently ranks 8th in Pro Football Focus rushing grade and 3rd in Elusive Rating among 39 RBs with 100+ carries. It's enough to make Pierce the favorite to lead this backfield in 2023, but we'll see what the Texans do at the position this offseason. The Texans promoted RB Royce Freeman from the practice squad on Saturday. He joins Rex Burkhead and Dare Ogunbowale in the backfield for Sunday's game vs. the Chiefs.

Bengals RB Joe Mixon seems to have a tough matchup with the Bucs this weekend. Tampa Bay ranks 10th toughest on RB scoring by our adjusted fantasy points allowed and has yielded the 6th-fewest PPR points per game to the position. But most of that has been limiting TD production. The Buccaneers sit tied for 3rd-fewest RB rushing TDs allowed. But they've also allowed 4.6 yards per rush, 11th most in the league. Two of the past 3 opponents have had a RB go over 110 yards on the ground. So it might not be as bad a matchup as the overall numbers suggest. The biggest issue for Mixon might be Samaje Perine edging him in pass routes and targets last week. The Bengals' lead back still sits in RB1 territory in our Week 15 fantasy football rankings.