As part of our 2021 Fantasy Preview series, we present the Houston Texans
Team Overview
The Texans are definitely a team that is right at the start of a painful rebuild process. The team doesn’t have much in the way of star power, after trading away alot of the talent they had just a few seasons ago. Along with that, the main talent that they have coming into this season, Deshaun Watson, has question marks all around his status going into next season.
The reason that this will be a big rebuild is that the team doesn’t have a lot of draft capital either. This season, the team just looked to try and sign veterans on short-term deals.
As a result, there isn’t a lot of hope of a successful NFL season. The offense is unlikely to be able to do too much. As a result, there are only a handful of players that are worth owning this season.
2021 Fantasy Preview Houston Texans- Projected Depth Chart
Individual Players
Studs
Role Players
- Brandin Cooks: Cooks is one of the only players that is worth owning. There is the concern that he is the only attacking threat, meaning he is going to be schemed out of some games. However, with the target share that is likely to be coming his way, he is going to have a role to play in your fantasy lineup.
- Deshaun Watson: The situation about his immediate future is obviously a concern. If he is ready for the season, there’s still not a massive upgrade to his fantasy value given the surrounding talent.
Keep an eye on
- David Johnson: Johnson isn’t going to be a top-tier running back, but should still be solid for fantasy owners this season. The lack of scoring hurts his overall value, but he is likely to have a solid workload out of the backfield
- Nico Collins: Collins has something that alot of the other receivers don’t have on the depth chart- size. Collins might not pay off for a few years, but is worth consideration in deeper leagues.
Dynasty Stashes
***Note: All projections and discussions are assuming full PPR formats.***
IDP Analysis With IDPIggy
Key Additions
Christian Kirksey, Desmond King, Shaq Lawson, Kamu Grugier-Hill, Terrance Mitchell
Fantasy Football Starters
Zach Cunningham (LB), Justin Reid (S)
The head coach may be David Culley, but the defense and a great deal of the success of the program will be in the hands of new defensive coordinator Lovie Smith. The former Chicago head coach led the Bears to Superbowl XLI, and was dominant in the NFC for a decade. They were dominant mostly because of Coach Smith bringing the Tampa 2 defense with him. The Texans have been a 3-4 defense for a decade but will be making the switch to the Tampa 2.
The Texans could be in for another rough season, with minimal offensive output and playing the 4th quarter against teams already seeking to run the clock out. There could be low individual numbers in sacks, interceptions, and fumbles. There could be high numbers in yardage allowed, points allowed, and tackles as the defense should see plenty of rushing attempts (Texans allowed most rushing yards in 2020 and 3rd most rushing TDs)
2021 Fantasy Preview Houston Texans- Stat Projections
Passing
| Player Name | Pos | Comp | Att | Yards | TDs | INTs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Deshaun Watson | QB | 194 | 291 | 2,193 | 11 | 6 |
Tyrod Taylor | QB | 113 | 170 | 1,279 | 6 | 2 |
Receiving
| Player Name | Pos | Targets | Rec | Yards | Yds/Rec | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brandin Cooks | WR | 121 | 81 | 1,061 | 13.1 | 5 |
Nico Collins | WR | 58 | 38 | 483 | 12.7 | 3 |
Randall Cobb | WR | 49 | 34 | 377 | 11.1 | 2 |
David Johnson | RB | 49 | 34 | 289 | 8.5 | 1 |
Brevin Jordan | TE | 49 | 34 | 364 | 10.7 | 2 |
Jordan Akins | TE | 39 | 29 | 342 | 11.8 | 1 |
Phillip Lindsay | RB | 24 | 17 | 121 | 7.1 | 1 |
Rushing
| Player Name | Pos | Att | Yards | Yds/Att | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
David Johnson | RB | 166 | 712 | 4.3 | 3 |
Phillip Lindsay | RB | 142 | 624 | 4.4 | 3 |
Deshaun Watson | QB | 61 | 320 | 5.2 | 2 |
Tyrod Taylor | QB | 43 | 238 | 5.6 | 2 |
***Note Player Projections are only fantasy relevant players. Team totals may not add up as we left out players that may not have a significant impact on the season. Projections provided by Rich King and is based on 16 games.***
Team Projection
| Record | HC | OC |
|---|---|---|
4-13 | David Culley | Tim Kelly |
| Rush Att | Rush Yards | Rush TDs | Passing Att | Passing Yards | Passing TDs | Total Yards | Total TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
473 | 2,149 | 11 | 485 | 3,655 | 18 | 5,804 | 29 |
4th | 6th | 31st | 30th | 32nd | 32nd | 32nd | 32nd |
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Image Credit: Steve Flynn – USA TODAY Sports
