Houston Texans Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Jags WR Christian Kirk finished Week 1 with a team-high 117 yards on 6 catches. He saw a hefty 28.5% target share. After a slow start, Kirk’s production really picked up in the 2nd half. The highlight was a 49-yard deep ball that showed Kirk’s impressive route-running and ability to track the ball. Trevor Lawrence’s play wasn’t exactly consistent in this one, but consider that Sunday was the first game alongside new HC Doug Pederson. Next up is a divisional showdown with the Colts.

Bengals RB Joe Mixon was fed 27 carries and 9 targets in Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh. He turned the heavy workload into 145 total yards and 7 catches, the latter mark matching a career high. Sure, Joe Burrow tossed 53 passes in a game that lasted all 70 minutes. But it was still encouraging to see Mixon deliver as a pass-catcher following spotty production there last season. His 9 targets accounted for 17% of Burrow's total pass attempts, a rate in line with Mixon's increased passing game usage through last year's playoffs. Samaje Perine mixed in for only 1 carry and 3 catches (5 targets). Look for Mixon to remain busy this week at Dallas — especially if Tee Higgins (concussion) is sidelined.

Vikings TE Irv Smith is not listed on the Week 1 injury report. He missed about 3 weeks in August after undergoing thumb surgery but has been practicing for about 2-and-a-half weeks now. He'll be out there for Sunday's opener vs. the Packers.

The Texans list rookie RB Dameon Pierce #1 on their initial regular-season depth chart. Although "unofficial," this matches up with all other indicators from the team through preseason. Pierce carries upside from RB3 range in fantasy football drafts.

The Saints are trading DB Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to the Eagles for a 5th-round pick in 2023 and a 6th-rounder in 2024. On the same day, Philly released starting S Anthony Harris. That points to Gardner-Johnson -- who played a lot of slot CB in New Orleans -- lining up next to Marcus Epps as a safety in the Philadelphia defense. CGJ immediately gains IDP value as likely a full-time player for his new team. He was near that level with the Saints but figures to get a slight boost. Gardner-Johnson also might carry a CB designation in leagues that split DBs by position, which makes him worth particular attention there.

Texans rookie RB Dameon Pierce ran for 37 yards and a TD on 6 carries in Thursday night's preseason finale against the 49ers. Pierce started the game and handled Houston's first 4 RB carries before giving way to Rex Burkhead for a 2nd-down run on the opening possession. Pierce then converted the 3rd-and-1 play that followed and later scored the 1-yard TD run to close the drive. That marked the end of Pierce's night, with Burkhead, Marlon Mack and other playing on. HC Lovie Smith tried to temper the buzz on Pierce ahead of the game. “We’re talking a lot about Dameon, but I’m going to say the same thing for, we like what Marlon has done, Royce, Rex, Dare," he said Wednesday, per Texans Wire. "We have a good group. We have a good strong running back room.” It's pretty clear that the rookie will lead that room into the season. Just how much work Pierce gets will be the question we can't answer. And it's worth keeping in mind that no one expects this offense to rank in the top half of the league. Still, there's a case to be made for Pierce anywhere beyond the top 24 RBs in fantasy football drafts right now. The rookie moved up our RB rankings a little this morning.

HC Lovie Smith spoke highly of rookie S Jalen Pitre after Thursday night's preseason-closing win over the 49ers: “What we notice, is when you’re making a whole lot of big flash plays. Jalen has been consistent throughout. He’s a smart player. He’s been like a sponge as far as learning. But he’s going to be around the ball. That’s what we’ve seen since OTAs. I’m excited about going forward with him and him lining up for us when Indy comes into town.” Pitre brings the versatility to fill varied roles in the Houston defense, which could include plenty of snaps in the box. He's an upside pick late in deep-ish IDP drafts.

The 49ers plan to place S Jimmie Ward on short-term IR, and he's expected to miss at least 4 games. GM John Lynch announced the plan Thursday night, for a hamstring injury that HC Kyle Shanahan had previously deemed "significant."

Vikings TE Irv Smith practiced Monday for the 1st time since thumb surgery 3 weeks ago. That aligns with previous reports that he was on track to be ready for Week 1. Smith has remained high in TE2 territory in our fantasy football rankings.

Texans HC Lovie Smith commented on WR Nico Collins following Week 2 of the preseason. Collins (6'4, 215) caught a jump ball in the end zone — something Smith hopes to see more of this fall. "Nico's a big target with a lot of talent," Smith said. "We want to get him in those type of [jump ball] situations. We continue to run the ball well. If we run the ball well, we'll get more one-on-one situations for Nico. As I say, he's got length, he can catch the ball. It's a big play by him there. He's capable of making a lot of plays like that.” We’re fully on board with the 2nd-year man as a late-round target in fantasy drafts.

The Texans elected not to play rookie RB Dameon Pierce in Saturday night's 2nd preseason game against the Rams. HC Lovie Smith said afterward that it was because they didn't need to see him, according to Pro Football Talk. Marlon Mack started the game, with Rex Burkhead, Dare Ogunbowale and Royce Freeman all working in as well. This doesn't necessarily mean that Pierce will lead the Week 1 backfield, but it sure seems to indicate things are heading in that direction. Pierce should certainly be the 1st Texans RB drafted (and the only one picked in many leagues). But be wary of chasing him too early. We still don't expect this to be a good offense, and the veteran RBs do figure to work in for touches. Smith said recently that all the RBs "have a certain strength."

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Thursday that TE Irv Smith is "on track" for Week 1. Smith is recovering from August 2 thumb surgery. It sounds like rehab has gone well, but it's still concerning that Smith will miss most of August -- after missing the entire 2021 season with a knee injury. He'll be tough to trust in fantasy lineups early in the season, although there's still top-12 upside here.

ESPN Texans reporter DJ Bien-Aime believes "it's only a matter of time" before Houston OC Pep Hamilton makes rookie RB Dameon Pierce the "lead back." Bien-Aime believes the takeover could happen by sometime in September, pointing to the rookie's "explosiveness" edge over Marlon Mack and Rex Burkhead. Pierce worked behind others in the 1st preseason game but certainly showed best among what we all knew to be a lackluster group. Pierce has been our highest-projected Texans RB all along.

Niners S Jimmie Ward is dealing with a hamstring injury. According to ESPN's Nick Wagoner, HC Kyle Shanahan called it "worse than others" and said Ward is in danger of missing Week 1. It's not a big storyline for IDP purposes, but Ward has a place in deep leagues. His absence would be a slight knock on the team defense as well.

Vikings TE Irv Smith underwent thumb surgery on Tuesday, HC Kevin O'Connell said. O'Connell expects Smith to be ready for the start of the season, but we'll track his rehab. The missed practice time isn't ideal for a young player who missed all of 2021 with a knee injury and is now learning a new offense. There's no viable pass-catching TE behind Smith on Minnesota's roster.

Texans WR John Metchie has been diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia. "I am currently receiving great medical care, am in good spirits and I expect to make a recovery at a later point in time," Metchie said in a statement. "As a result of this diagnosis, I will likely not be playing football this season. My main focus will be on my health and recovery." We'll keep tabs on Metchie and wish him the best in his recovery. The 2nd-round rookie projected as Houston's slot receiver once recovered from his torn ACL. The Texans are now left with WRs Chris Conley, Phillip Dorsett and Chris Moore behind Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins. TE Brevin Jordan might also benefit from Metchie's absence.

The Cowboys and TE Dalton Schultz failed to agree on a longer-term extension before Friday's 4 p.m. deadline. That means Schultz will play out this season on the franchise tender. It shouldn't mean any alteration to Schultz's fantasy football outlook, though that could change if he holds out for any portion of training camp. Schultz has been going right at or a little ahead of where he belongs relative to other TEs in recent fantasy football drafts.

The Athletic's Paul Dehner believes the Bengals are no longer interested in making RB Joe Mixon a 3-down back. Dehner notes that Mixon's usage on 3rd downs fell off precipitously late in the season and through the playoffs. Over his final 9 games, Mixon played just 17 3rd-down snaps compared to RB Samaje Perine's 83. But, Mixon averaged 4.3 targets over those 9 games vs. just 2.7 over his first 11. Losing 3rd-down snaps obviously isn't ideal and will probably keep Mixon from joining the top tier of fantasy RBs. But he's still capable of RB1 production as the clear lead back in a strong Bengals offense.

Vikings TE Irv Smith "looked like a full participant" in last week's minicamp, according to The Athletic's Chad Graff. Smith was limited in OTAs coming off last August's meniscus tear, but it doesn't look like that injury will be an issue as we roll into training camp. Smith has some breakout potential in new HC Kevin O'Connell's offense.

Cowboys TE Dalton Schultz will report to the start of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Schultz skipped last week's OTAs as he angles for a long-term deal. He's currently scheduled to play 2022 on the franchise tag. "No deal imminent, but contract talks have picked up in recent days," Pelissero tweeted. We'll continue to keep an eye on the situation, but it doesn't look like there's holdout risk with Schultz.