Texans RB Dameon Pierce (ankle) is listed as questionable for this Sunday night’s game vs. the Bears. He was added to the injury report on Thursday and then did not practice on Friday, so he’s seemingly on the wrong side of questionable. Pierce’s absence would give Cam Akers a crack at No. 2 RB duties. He’s obviously not a fantasy option behind a healthy Joe Mixon. But we’ll see if Akers can do enough on Sunday night to potentially move past Pierce on the depth chart.
Texans TE Dalton Schultz (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday. There was no injury reported on him during or after the Week 1 win over the Colts, but his status now bears monitoring over the next couple of days. If Schultz can't play vs. the Bears on Sunday night, Houston would be down to TEs Brevin Jordan and Cade Stover. Neither would be a recommended fantasy play.
Eagles LB Devin White will not travel with the team for Friday's game against the Packers in Brazil. That marked a downgrade in his status after Philly listed White as a limited participant Tuesday. White's inactive status should leave Nakobe Dean and Zack Baun as the LB starters against Green Bay.
Texans RB Joe Mixon is "fully healthy" for Week 1, according to insider Aaron Wilson. Mixon missed some time in August and didn't play in the preseason due to a quad injury. But he's been back on the field for a couple of weeks now and will be ready for a full workload on Sunday vs. the Colts.
Texans second-year Edge Will Anderson Jr. might be iffy for Week 1. Anderson hasn't practiced since the week of the Hall of Fame game, which opened the preseason on Aug. 1. HC Demeco Ryans reportedly gave no specific info on Anderson's outlook after Monday's closed walkthrough.
The Texans have placed LB Christian Harris on IR to open the season because of a nagging calf strain. Harris missed a significant stretch of camp with the initial injury and then aggravated it upon his return. He has been designated to return, which means he's eligible to return as soon as Week 5 against the Bills.
Texans DE Denico Autry has been suspended six games for violating the NFL policy against performance-enhancing drugs. Autry was slated to start on the DL for the Texans.
Texans RB Joe Mixon has been out of practice since early last week with a hamstring issue. HC DeMeco Ryans downplayed the injury when initially speaking about it on July 23. But Mixon remained out when the team took the field Monday morning, according to Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle.
Texans OC Bobby Slowik gushed about RB Joe Mixon in Saturday's press conference. "He's a fun, fun person to coach," Slowik said with a big smile. "From Day one, showed up and absolutely worked his tail off. I mean you could see right away in Phase two, and in OTAs, like I understand now why he was as good as he was in Cincinnati. He puts in an immense amount of work. He loves football. He does not stop wanting to learn, wanting to grow. ... Workhorse. He’s an absolute workhorse, in every regard. Not just as a ball carrier. He embraces protections. He embraces the other things he can do outside of carrying the ball, as an eligible [receiver], as a decoy."
Texans Wire's Cole Thompson reports that second-round rookie CB Kamari Lassiter "was the talk of OTAs." Thompson says the team drafted Lassiter -- 42nd overall, Houston's first pick of the draft -- with hopes he'd compete for the nickel CB role. But Lassiter "held his own working first-team reps on the boundary" against a strong group of Texans WRs. If Lassiter continues his strong play through training camp, he could compete for the starting gig opposite Derek Stingley Jr. His primary competition for that spot will be Jeff Okudah, a former first-round pick of the Lions who's now with his third team. Okudah signed a one-year, $4.75 million deal with the Texans this offseason.
The Texans and WR Nico Collins agreed to a three-year, $72.5 million extension with $52 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. The deal keeps Collins in Houston through the 2027 season. His $24.2 million average annual salary ranks seventh among WRs, in between DeVonta Smith and D.K. Metcalf.
Texans GM Nick Caserio said WR Tank Dell is “doing great” after suffering a “minor” gunshot wound last week. Dell was released from the hospital the day after the incident and has been "in and out of the building” since. Dell's 2023 season ended on December 3 with a fractured fibula. But it sounds like he'll be back to 100% at least in time for the start of training camp. Dell faces increased target competition this season with the addition of WR Stefon Diggs, but he's fairly priced at his WR25 Underdog ADP.
Texans WR Tank Dell was shot in Sanford, Florida on Saturday night, the team announced. Dell suffered a "minor wound" and has already been released from the hospital. We'll look for further updates on Dell's status, but it sounds like he luckily dodged anything that would impact his 2024 season.
The Texans selected Ohio State TE Cade Stover in Round 4 of the NFL Draft. A five-year college player, Stover began his stint in Columbus as a LB. He soon transitioned to TE and held a starting role from 2022-2023. Modest production followed, largely because of the Buckeyes’ strong WR corps. In ‘22, Stover ranked third on the team in catches (36), fourth in yards (406), and fourth in TDs (5). 2023 turned up similar production, although his yards per catch jumped from 11.3 to 14.0. His yards per route run also rose from 1.32 to 2.04. The 2023 figure ranked fourth among 32 TEs with 50+ targets, and it came alongside a sharp dip in QB play post-C.J. Stroud. On tape, Stover shows a nasty demeanor – hardly a surprise given his defensive background. Reliable hands and plus athleticism also supply hope that he can develop into an NFL starter. At the Combine, he compiled a rock solid 8.22 Relative Athletic Score, boosted by a 4.65 forty time and a 1.61 ten-yard split. In Houston, Stover joins a TE room led by Dalton Schultz, who’s signed through the 2026 season. But getting to play with QB C.J. Stroud certainly adds to Stover’s dynasty appeal.
According to multiple reports, the Bills are sending WR Stefon Diggs to the Texans. Buffalo is also sending a 2024 sixth-round pick and 2025 fifth-rounder to Houston, while getting back only a second-round pick in 2025. Diggs' production fell off late last season after the Bills switched offensive coordinators. Now 30 and in a new offense, Diggs will have to show he's not in decline. He'll add the challenge of splitting targets with Houston's emergent young wideouts. Nico Collins (seventh) and Tank Dell (12th) both ranked among the top 12 WRs in PPR points per game last season, with rookie QB C.J. Stroud. The Diggs addition obviously lowers the target-share ceiling for all three wideouts. We'll also have to see exactly how Houston plans to deploy them. Diggs spent 35.7% of his pass snaps in the slot last year; 34.2% the year before. He topped 30% in that category for three of his four Buffalo seasons, surpassed only by his 2016 sophomore season (62.9%). Collins spent 20.1% of his time in the slot last year; Dell 28.7%. We'd bet on all three moving around the formation some. But Diggs could wind up primarily replacing Robert Woods (55.5% slot) and Noah Brown (39.3%). The trio gives Stroud one of the league's best WR groups and boosts his fantasy upside. The QB already sat sixth at the position in Underdog Fantasy ADP, though. That adds risk to Stroud as a draft target and gives him little room to move up. QB Josh Allen, meanwhile, has lost his top two wideouts (Gabe Davis the other) while adding only WR Curtis Samuel this offseason. The dearth of remaining talent adds risk to his fantasy outlook, though you shouldn't expect the high-level rusher to move significantly down our rankings. As for other affected players: Diggs' departure leaves target share available for TE Dalton Kincaid and Khalil Shakir. His arrival in Houston makes life tougher for TE Dalton Schultz. He already sat just 13th among TEs in best ball ADP, though, and will likely fall further following this trade. Be sure to check our rankings for your format to see all the effects of this high-impact deal.
Texans HC Demeco Ryan expects WR Tank Dell (leg) to be ready for the offseason program. Dell fractured a fibula in early December, but the injury shouldn't be an issue for his 2024 fantasy value. He, of course, was excellent before going down, finishing 12th among WRs in PPR points per game as a rookie. Dell returns to the same offense (OC Bobby Slowik) with the same QB (C.J. Stroud) this year. See where Dell sits in our early 2024 fantasy football WR rankings.
The Texans and RB Joe Mixon agreed to a three-year extension worth $27 million total with $13 million guaranteed, according to insider Jordan Schultz. If there was any doubt that Mixon will be Houston's clear lead back at least this coming season, this deal should erase it. The 27-year-old is on the downside of his career but can still carry a load on the ground and is reliable in the passing game. Set to see nice volume in an ascending Texans offense, Mixon has a shot to turn in another RB1 fantasy season in 2024.
You might have thought the Bengals were going to release Joe Mixon ... because that's what got reported Monday. Instead, though, Cincinnati is trading the RB to Houston. That's about as good an outcome as Mixon could have found. Houston jumped from 31st in offensive DVOA in 2022 to 14th last year -- with the run game (19th) trailing the pass offense (10th). Further maturation for QB C.J. Stroud and his young wideouts can only help. And the Texans clearly believe Mixon to be an upgrade over the Devin Singletary-Dameon Pierce tandem. Trading for Mixon's contract ($6 million cap hit in 2024) instead of waiting for him to hit the open market says Houston wants Mixon to lead the backfield. Perhaps Mixon draws fewer targets in an offense unlikely to pass as much as Cincinnati's. But it should be a good spot for his efficiency and scoring opportunities. Mixon played all 17 games in 2023, scored the second-most TDs of his career (despite the Bengals' injury-driven offensive issues), and showed no meaningful drop-off across his advanced metrics. Consider him a high-RB2 for 2024 drafts, with upside into RB1 range. Check our best ball rankings for his updated position.
NFL Network reports that the Bengals are releasing RB Joe Mixon. This doesn't come as a huge surprise, given the annual reports of it being possible. At the same time, Cincinnati has also agreed to a two-year deal with Zack Moss. The former Colt figures to share the backfield with 2023 fifth-round pick Chase Brown. We'll head toward summer assuming Moss will get the larger share of the workload. But his $4.5 million salary for 2024 doesn't necessarily guarantee him a "lead" role. Mixon, meanwhile, is coming off a rebound season and should get a shot elsewhere. We'll see whether the release knocks Mixon further below his RB27 Underdog Fantasy ADP. He's still worth a look in that range of best ball drafts but adds risk as long as he's without a team. Moss should settle into low-RB2 range, while Brown probably should be more of a low RB3. Check our best ball rankings for updates.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that TE Dalton Schultz has agreed to a three-year $36 million deal with the Texans, including $23.5 million "fully guaranteed at signing." That appears to lock Schultz in with the Texans for at least the next two years -- obviously good news for a TE who will turn 28 in July. Schultz isn't an exciting athlete even relative to his position and has yet to reach 11 yards per catch in an NFL season. But he has caught at least 57 passes in four straight years, averaging 3.8 or more per game in each. Schultz's 10.8 yards per reception last year marked a career high. And being tied to QB C.J. Stroud for the next 2-3 years is obviously a good thing. His re-signing means you can forget about any 2024 dreams you might have had for TE Brevin Jordan, who remains under contract with the Texans for one more year. Schultz has finished four consecutive campaigns among the top 10 TEs in total PPR points. He sits 15th among TEs in ADP for both Underdog Fantasy and FFPC drafting right now. That makes it a good time to get some Schultz on best ball rosters -- at least until/unless his ADP climbs.
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