Houston Texans Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Bengals RB Joe Mixon remains in concussion protocol, HC Zac Taylor said Wednesday. Mixon still has an outside chance to be cleared for this weekend's game vs. the Titans, but fantasy owners should be planning on being without him for Week 12 for now. If Mixon sits, Samaje Perine will be a volume-based, lower-end RB2 in a tough matchup.

Texans HC Lovie Smith on Monday left open the possibility of shifting from QB Davis Mills to Kyle Allen. "We're not pleased with where we are," he said, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. "Do we need to do some things differently? Yes, and we will." Mills tossed 2 INTs in Sunday's loss to Washington, his 4th 2-INT game of the year. It was also the 3rd time in the past 4 games that Mills fell short of 170 passing yards. We're not sure Allen would be an upgrade for anyone, but we'll watch to see what Houston does.

Texans RB Dameon Pierce managed a paltry 17 total yards in Sunday's loss to the Commanders. He carried 10 times for just 8 yards, adding 9 more on 2 receptions. He did dominate backfield playing time, at least. Rex Burkhead and Dare Ogunbowale combined for just 13 snaps, 1 target and 0 carries. Friendlier rushing matchups lie ahead, with the Dolphins, Browns, Cowboys and Chiefs the next 4 weeks. The top-rated Titans run defense looms as a potential problem in Week 16, though.

Bengals RB Joe Mixon has been ruled out of Sunday's game vs. the Steelers with a concussion. It's his 2nd documented concussion, with the 1st coming back in 2017. We'll track Mixon's progress through the protocol this coming week. His absence leaves Samaje Perine as Cincinnati's top RB.

Bengals RB Joe Mixon left in the 3rd quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Steelers to get checked for a concussion. We'll update his status when we know more.

Update: Mixon has been ruled out for the game with a concussion.

Jags WR Christian Kirk tallied 9 catches, 105 yards and 2 TDs in Sunday’s loss to Kansas City. His 12 targets — a 30% team share — tied a season-high. He scored on a pair of end zone targets, including one on a slick over-the-shoulder grab. The former Cardinal now has 76+ yards in 3 of his past 4 outings; 4 TDs over his past 5. A Week 11 bye awaits before a home matchup with Baltimore.

Despite the return of disgruntled veteran WR Brandin Cooks, 2nd-year WR Nico Collins led the team in targets (10) and catches (5) in Sunday's loss to the Giants. Collins also played more snaps (50-41) than Cooks and ran more routes (33-26). Collins took his 5 receptions for 49 yards, ranking 3rd behind TE Jordan Akins (3-72) and WR Chris Moore (3-70). Collins did claim the team's only TD reception. Moore tied Cooks for 2nd on the team in pass routes, with Akins and WR Phillip Dorsett just 5 routes behind. Cooks will need to pick back up in that area to comfortably reside in fantasy WR3 territory going forward. To be fair, he did catch a 19-yard TD in the 4th quarter Sunday that was nullified by a holding penalty. A Week 11 matchup with the Commanders presents upside for the Houston passing game.

Texans QB Davis Mills threw for 319 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT on 22-of-37 passing in Sunday's loss to the Giants. He found Nico Collins for his lone score while spreading the completions among 8 receivers. It marked just the 2nd time Mills has reached 300 yards this season. His other 7 outings have all checked in under 250. The 2nd-year QB will face a pass-funnel Commanders defense in Week 11 that could boost his numbers.

Texxans RB Dameon Pierce tallied 94 yards on 17 carries in Sunday's loss to the Giants, his 5th game of 90+ rushing yards in the past 6 contests. The rookie added 2 catches for 28 yards among 3 targets. He'll face a tougher matchup against Washington in Week 11. The Commanders entered Week 10 ranked 2nd in Football Outsiders' run-defense DVOA and 5th-toughest on RBs by our adjusted fantasy points allowed.

Texans TE Brevin Jordan is a healthy scratch for today’s game vs. the Giants. That leaves Houston with TEs O.J. Howard, Jordan Akins and Teagan Quitoriano. This remains a situation to avoid in Week 10 fantasy lineups.

Texans RB Dameon Pierce (chest, shoulder) is not listed on the final Week 10 injury report. He was a full-go in Friday’s practice after being limited the previous 2 days. Pierce should be ready for his usual workhorse role vs. the Giants this weekend.

Texans RB Dameon Pierce (chest, shoulder) remained limited in Thursday's practice. We still haven't heard any concern about his status for this weekend's game vs. the Giants, but check back tomorrow for another update on Pierce.

Texans RB Dameon Pierce (chest, shoulder) was limited in Wednesday's practice. We haven't seen any concern about his status for Sunday's game vs. the Giants, but we'll keep an eye on Pierce over the next few days.

Bengals RB Joe Mixon scored a ridiculous 55.1 PPR points in a Week 9 win over Carolina. He had 171 total yards and 4 scores…at halftime. He finished with 5 scores, providing one of the highest-scoring fantasy performances of all-time. A plus matchup helped, and it came at a time in which Mixon appeared to be hitting a wall. He’ll look to stay hot against Pittsburgh following a Week 10 bye.

Jaguars WR Christian Kirk led the team in targets (9), receptions (8) and receiving yards (76) in Sunday's win over the Raiders. He also snagged the team's lone TD pass. It marked the 1st time since Week 4 that he led the team in targets by himself. WR Marvin Jones followed with 6 targets. He and Zay Jones tied with 5 receptions apiece, though each fell short of 50 yards. TE Evan Engram tallied just 1 catch for 8 yards among 2 targets. Jacksonville visits the Chiefs in Week 10.

Texans RB Dameon Pierce looked dominant against Philly in Week 9, rushing 27 times for 139 yards. He benefited from Houston (surprisingly) keeping this game close until the very end. But credit the rookie for a truly special performance. Per Next Gen Stats, he gained more yards than expected on a season-high 52% of his attempts. He also now ranks 3rd league-wide in yards after contact (637). While Pierce lost some 3rd-down/passing-down snaps to Rex Burkhead — and didn’t see a single target — he's asserted himself as an RB1 going forward. Next up is a road matchup with the Giants.

Texans LB Christian Harris (thigh) is questionable for Thursday night's game against the Eagles. The rookie finished the short practice week with a full workout Wednesday, which would seem to point to him being active for the game. We'll check his status Thursday evening, though. CB Desmond King (knee) is also questionable. He followed the same limited-limited-full practice progression as Harris.

Vikings TE Irv Smith suffered a high-ankle sprain in Sunday's win over the Cardinals. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that he's expected to miss "multiple weeks." Smith shouldn't expect to find starter opportunities when he returns, after his team traded multiple draft picks for T.J. Hockenson. Smith can be dropped in all non-dynasty fantasy football formats.

Update: Smith is expected to be out 8-10 weeks, per Schefter.

Vikings TE Irv Smith suffered a high-ankle sprain in Sunday's win over the Cardinals, insider Chris Tomasson reports. Smith is getting an MRI on Monday to get a better look at the damage, but he figures to miss multiple games. He's droppable in standard-sized fantasy leagues. Smith's absence leaves lead TE duties to Johnny Mundt, who owns just 22 career catches, with 12 of them coming this season. We should see more volume funneled to WRs Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn with Smith out.

Texans RB Dameon Pierce managed only 35 yards on his 15 carries in Sunday's loss to the Titans. He did score the team's lone TD, though, on a 3-yard reception in the 4th quarter. He totaled 3 catches for 16 yards among 5 targets, which tied for 2nd on the team. Only WR Brandin Cooks drew more (6), catching 4 balls for 73 yards. WR Phillip Dorsett tied Pierce's target count.