Houston Texans Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Texans WR John Metchie ran routes at close to full speed in Tuesday's minicamp practice. The rookie seems to be making good progress in his recovery from December's torn ACL. It's still unclear if he'll be ready for Week 1. But, once healthy, Metchie has an opportunity to carve out a significant role in Houston's passing game.

Cowboys TE Dalton Schultz is skipping the rest of voluntary OTAs over frustration with contract negotiations, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Schultz has already signed his franchise tender, which locks him in for the coming season. The 2 sides have until July 15 to agree on a longer-term deal. If that doesn't happen by the deadline, Schultz will play out the 1-year deal and hit the open market again next March. The fact that he has already signed the tender should keep any contract impasse from impacting Schultz's availability for 2022.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes called WR Justin Watson a "pleasant surprise" after throwing to him earlier this offseason. “That dude can roll," Mahomes said. "He came down to Texas. I threw with him the first day, and I called (general manager Brett) Veach and I was like, ‘Wait, how fast is this guy?’ He was running so fast that I was late on my throws. He’s had two great days.” Watson, a former 5th-round pick of the Bucs, has only 23 catches through 4 pro seasons. But he has a nice combination of size and athleticism and finds opportunity in a reshuffling Chiefs WR corps. We'll keep an eye on him this summer.

New Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell is excited about TE Irv Smith's potential in his offense. "I've said this before, going back and watching some of his tape even before the injury, I know there was a lot of folks excited about him last fall before that injury happened," O'Connell said. "Some of the success he's had -- both with how we're going to use him and ultimately where he is at in his career -- he's ready to absorb all of this and be in a position to go play fast, go play with a bunch of confidence that he's going to be a major part of what we do." Smith is still working his way back from August's meniscus injury, but the Vikings reportedly expect him to be at 100% for the start of training camp. After Minnesota failed to add a significant upgrade at WR behind Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, there's room for Smith to carve out a significant role this season.

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence has been impressed by WR Christian Kirk this offseason. "He’s great. Just from a football IQ sense, I think he’s really quarterback friendly," Lawrence said. "The way he sees the field, different coverages unfold, the way he runs his routes, I just think he’s quarterback friendly. And then obviously his speed is something that we really needed and it’s going to help us a lot." Jacksonville gave Kirk a boatload of money in free agency -- $72 million over 4 years, with $37 million guaranteed -- making him the favorite to lead the team's WRs in targets this season. Kirk is a solid value at his 11th-round ADP in FFPC best-ball drafts.

Vikings beat writer Sam Ekstrom writes that TE Irv Smith “looked pretty agile” during minicamp drills. Ekstrom also observed Smith running at close to full speed. Last preseason, the 23-year-old sustained a meniscus injury that cost him all of 2021. If Smith can regain pre-injury form, he’ll carry a TE1 ceiling into a contract year. HC Kevin O'Connell recently added some fuel to the hype train by calling Smith "a major part" of the offense.

According to league insider Aaron Wilson, Texans WR John Metchie “wasn’t encumbered by a knee brace” in rookie OTAs. The rookie, ~5.5 months removed from an ACL tear, was considered a “limited” participant. “I talked about us initially just taking everybody through a certain amount of tests to see exactly where they are,” HC Lovie Smith said. “We’re in the process of seeing exactly when John would be ready to go. Eventually, he will be ready to go. There’s a lot that he can do before that. He’s not 100% yet, but in time he will be.” Metchie’s a redraft long-shot, although he’s worth monitoring as he gets further removed from the injury.

The Texans added Florida RB Dameon Pierce in the 4th round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Pierce was stuck in committee backfields at Florida, never topping 106 carries in a season. But he flashes on tape an impressive blend of power and make-you-miss ability on tape. Pierce led all 173 RBs with 100+ carries last year in Pro Football Focus rushing grade and finished 5th in Elusive Rating. He also tallied 36 catches over his final 2 college seasons. Pierce was 1 of our favorite sleepers in this year’s RB class and lands in a wide-open Texans backfield alongside Marlon Mack, Rex Burkhead, Royce Freeman and Dare Ogunbowale. He could make a 2022 fantasy impact and is a target in dynasty rookie drafts.

The Texans added Alabama WR John Metchie with the 44th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Metchie is rehabbing a December ACL tear that prevented him from working out in the pre-draft process. We’ll see if that threatens his availability for the start of his rookie season. Metchie is coming off a big 96-1,142-8 line, leading ‘Bama in catches and finishing 2nd to Jameson Williams in yards and TDs. He ran about a third of his routes from the slot and was much more effective there, averaging 3.59 yards per route vs. just 1.83 from the outside. At 5’11, 187 pounds, Metchie looks like a slot receiver as a pro. He’s not an explosive athlete but is an effective route runner with reliable hands. Consider him a high-floor prospect with a relatively low ceiling. Once healthy, he should quickly carve out a significant role in Houston alongside Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins.

The Texans selected DB Jalen Pitre in the 2nd round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Pitre opened his Baylor career as a LB and continued to make his greatest contributions near the line of scrimmage. He racked up a ridiculous 29.5 tackles for loss (including 6 sacks) over the past 2 seasons while playing safety and slot corner, adding 4 INTs and 9 passes defensed. At just 5’11 and with near-average speed for the position, Pitre projects as primarily a box safety in the pros. Going to Houston in Round 2 should give him a good shot at starting right away.

The Texans took CB Derek Stingley with the 3rd overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Stingley arguably enjoyed his best season as a freshman, when he snared 6 INTs and defensed 15 passes for the national-champion Tigers. Stingley seemed the regress the past 2 years. That span included losing 10 games to a torn ligament in his left foot last season. Stingley should be an immediate starter in Houston but doesn't project as a high-level IDP contributor.

Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell said TE Irv Smith is “right on schedule” in his recovery from an August meniscus tear. Smith, who called his 2021 injury a “freak” thing, added that the goal is to be 100% by training camp. Entering a contract-year, Smith will have a shot at a major role, especially with Tyler Conklin now in New York. Our early projections have him inside TE2 territory.

Texans HC Lovie Smith says he's a fan of QB Davis Mills. "If you look at all of my comments about Davis, I am a believer in him and what he's going to do," Smith said Monday, according to NFL.com. "If you just go back and look at the plays that he made, throwing the ball downfield last year, so many good things that he did, and that's as a rookie." Smith also sounds confident in Mills leading the 2022 offense. "The improvement that you see from year one to year two is normally a big improvement, and that's what we're gonna get from him." Words don't necessarily mean commitment, of course. And we'll see whether Houston adds a QB at any stage of the upcoming NFL Draft. But combine Smith's comments with what had to be considered an impressive debut for a 3rd-round pick in a bad offense, and we're betting Mills leads Houston's offense for at least the coming season. He's available very late in early fantasy football drafts and not highly rated in dynasty right now.

NFL Network reports that the Jaguars are expected to sign WR Christian Kirk to a "large deal." Kirk posted career highs in receptions (77) and yards (982) last season, playing 3 more games than his previous high in that category. Kirk spent time both outside and in the slot in Arizona. It's not immediately clear how he and Laviska Shenault will fit together in the offense of new Jacksonville HC Doug Pederson. The money heading Kirk's way certainly positions him as the favorite to lead Jaguars wideouts, though. Marvin Jones also remains in the mix. We'll see what other moves Jacksonville makes at the position.

EPSN's Adam Schefter reports that WR Braxton Berrios is resigning with the Jets for $12 million over 2 years, with $7 million of that guaranteed. It's $4 million more than WR Isaiah McKenzie is getting from the Bills -- for whatever that's worth -- but it's not a great spot for Berrios' upside. Corey Davis and Elijah Moore figure to stand ahead of him in target distribution. Berrios' return should confirm that Jamison Crowder is moving on in free agency. Berrios isn't worth attention in any fantasy football drafts other than deep PPR formats.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Cowboys are expected to apply the franchise tag to TE Dalton Schultz today. Dallas is up against the salary cap, so the team would surely prefer to knock out a longer-term deal with Schultz. For fantasy football purposes, draft as though Schultz will remain a Cowboy at least through 2022. He could find himself in an even better situation for target volume than last year, with WR Amari Cooper expected to leave and WR Michael Gallup coming off an ACL tear.

Lovie Smith has been named Texans HC. He has 11 seasons of NFL HC experience -- 9 with the Bears, 2 with the Bucs -- compiling an 89-87 record. Smith left the NFL from 2016 to 2020 to coach Illinois, where he went 17-39. He returned to the pros this past year to serve as Texans DC. Houston is expected to promote passing-game coordinator Pep Hamilton to OC, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

The Jets “really want to re-sign” WR Braxton Berrios, per beat writer Rich Cimini. Berrios, 26, came on strong late in the year, catching 5+ balls in 3 of his final 4 games. He even earned an All-Pro nod for his kick return performance. If the Jets bring back Berrios and move on from Jamison Crowder -- another free agent -- it’s possible the former carries some sleeper value into summer drafts. Of course, a lot will ride on the development of Zach Wilson -- 1 of Pro Football Focus' lowest graded passers of 2021.

The Texans fired HC David Culley and OC Tim Kelly. These guys were set up to fail with an expansion-level roster and might have actually overachieved by winning 4 games this season. GM Nick Caserio is expected to tap into the Patriots pipeline for his next HC.

Bengals RB Joe Mixon has been activated from the COVID list. We'll watch his practice participation this week, but he should be ready for his usual workload in Saturday's Wild Card game vs. the Raiders.