Houston Texans Fantasy Football Preview
Bill O’Brien continues to confuse the football world with his trades. This offseason he traded DeAndre Hopkins for David Johnson. And then he added Brandin Cooks via trade. Also, added to the mix was Randall Cobb. Bill O’Brien always seems to make moves that people question and these were no different. So with this new-look offense will it help or hurt Deshaun Watson? Defensively, it is not good as they have a lot of moving pieces and failed to make any major upgrades defensively in the offseason.
Schedule
- Week 1: @ Chiefs
- Week 2: Ravens
- Week3: @ Steelers
- Week 4: Vikings
- Week 5: Jaguars
- Week 6: @ Titans
- Week 7: Packers
- Week 8: Bye
- Week 9: @ Jaguars
- Week 10: @ Browns
- Week 11: Patriots
- Week 12: @ Lions
- Week 13: Colts
- Week 14: @ Bears
- Week 15: @ Colts
- Week 16: Bengals
- Week 17: Titans
Players To Know
- Deshaun Watson-QB: Watson should regress a bit this season without DeAndre Hopkins but should still serve as a solid option. He will need to develop a chemistry with one of the WRs to serve as his go-to guy and at the moment your guess is as good as mine. He is a solid playmaker that adds rushing ability so don’t overthink him not having Hopkins. He has a capable crew of WRs in Brandin Cooks, Randall Cobb, Kenny Stills and Will Fuller. He should finish somewhere between the Top 5 and Top 10. 4150 passing yards and 25 TDs.
- David Johnson-RB: If David Johnson can stay healthy for the whole season he has a chance to be one of the best value picks potentially. Carlos Hyde went for over 1000 yards last season in this offense and you have to think Johnson can do the same. Johnson has no immediate threat from Duke Johnson to take carries but he does stand to give up some work in the passing game to Duke. This is a risky pick but comes with so much upside because of the workload the awaits him. Bet on his health and you may get a 1000 yard season. 900 rushing yards and 9 TDs.
- Duke Johnson-RB: Duke is going to continue to function in the pass-catching RB role but if David Johnson is not effective or gets hurt then Duke Johnson walks into a beautiful situation. 600 total yards and 3 TDs.
- Brandin Cooks-WR: Brandin Cooks is on another new team but this situation is ideal for him. There are a ton of targets up for grabs as DeAndre Hopkins is no longer on the roster. Yes, Will Fuller and Randall Cobb figure to cut into some of those targets but Cooks could land a very healthy number of them. He comes with some risk but it could pay off with a nice reward. 65 catches for 900 yards and 5 TDs.
- Will Fuller-WR: My thing with Will Fuller is he is always hurt. The boom-or-bust thing doesn’t bother me as much but that too can be crippling when you need him to come through for you at a critical point. I don’t think Will Fuller develops into that consistent WR that a lot of people think will happen. I believe it is possible that can have a productive fantasy season but it is just too volatile for me. 55 catches for 775 and 5 TDs.
- Kenny Stills-WR: When Kenny Stills gets on the field he produces and he will be on the field at some point given the injury history of the WRS sitting above him on the depth chart. Stills knows the offense which may help him considering this new-look offense will take time to mesh fully. If you’re in a DEEP league I understand why you’re interested in him.
- Randall Cobb-WR: I think Cobb could be the real winner in the whole scenario. Cobb is a proven veteran that makes catches in all points of the game. While Cooks and Fuller offer game-breaking speed, Cobb is a crafty route runner with good vision after the catch. I think he may turn into the safety blanket for Watson. I like Cobb more than most but if Keke Coutee is going to get sprayed with targets then Randall Cobb has to as well, right? 60 catches for 800 yards and 6 TDs.
- Darren Fells/Jordan Akins-TE: Fells scored 7 TDs last season while Akins saw 55 targets. Both will be on the field but it is not yet determined how the snaps will breakdown. Fells is an aging veteran and Akins is relatively young this is a battle to keep an eye on but neither is worth drafting.
Defense
The Texans passing defense was one of the worst in 2019 and the rushing defense wasn’t far behind. The team did not make major improvements to the defensive side of the ball and for that reason will be a defense to avoid.
Potential Breakout Player
- Brandin Cooks-WR
Rookie To Know:
- None
