Sit/Start Week 12: Reviewing All the Fantasy Relevant Players In Every Single Game

Colts@Texans

 

Game Info

Kickoff: Thursday, November 21st at 8:20 pm EST

Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, TX

Betting Odds: HOU -3.5, 45.5 total via Oddsshark

Network: FOX, Amazon Prime, NFL Network

Sleeper Spotlight: Jack Doyle

 

Indianapolis Colts

 

Quarterback:

• Jacoby Brissett (start, QB1/2)

 

Brissett looked a bit rusty in his first game back from injury last week and wasn’t asked to do much in a game the Colts dominated. Houston has given up top-12 results to 8 of 10 quarterbacks faced. Brissett himself flamed the Texans in week seven for 326 yards and four touchdowns. The Texans have several defensive backs injured and it remains to be seen if they will be back for this game. They are already last in the league in pressure percentage and bottom-half of the league in sacks and QB hits, and that was with superstar J.J. Watt playing 8 of 10 games before his injury. The Colts have several offensive players injured and it remains to be seen if tight end Eric Ebron or star receiver TY Hilton will be playing. If he can get these weapons back healthy, I like him in the QB1 conversation; if not he is more of a QB2. 

 

Running Backs:

• Jonathan Williams (start, low-RB2/flex)
• Jordan Wilkins (sit, bench)
• Nyheim Hines (sit, bench)

 

Starter Marlon Mack has already been ruled out for this game with a hand injury. Williams looked dynamic on his 14 touches last week,  parlaying them into 147 scoreless yards. For this game, he seems like the lead back. Hines’ role won’t change much in my opinion. He is the clear passing game running back here and has been all season. With Mack missing some of last week he totaled just six touches to Williams’ 14. Hines averages 5.5 touches per game and can largely be ignored right now. Wilkins is the interesting one here as he is coming off an injury and got in a limited practice session on Tuesday. We don’t know if he will play or not as of now. He has been the clear backup to Mack for most of the season before his injury. He deserves to be rostered but I want to wait and see with this backfield if he winds up playing. The Colts offensive line is 11th in adjusted line yards but the Texans have been stout in stopping the run. They rank 10th in run defense DVOA so far this year. I like Williams as a somewhat touchdown-dependent RB2 if Wilkins is out. He is more of flex if Wilkins plays.

 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends:

• Zach Pascal (start, WR3/flex)
• Eric Ebron (sit, high-TE2)
• Jack Doyle (start, low-TE1)

 

Pascal has six or more targets in four of his last five games and I am not expecting T.Y. Hilton back on this short week. The Texans have multiple defensive backs injured and they struggle to generate pressure. I think Pascal is a fine WR3/flex this week. Ebron hasn’t practiced this week and remains very questionable going into Thursday. If he doesn’t suit up, Doyle becomes a TE1 this game. Doyle surprisingly didn’t have a target last week despite playing 65% of the snaps. He would be the premier red-zone target for the Colts if Ebron and Hilton sit. If Ebron plays, he would be in play over Doyle as the top red-zone target for the Colts. 

 

Houston Texans

 

Quarterback: 

• Deshaun Watson (start, mid-QB1)

 

Through ten games, Watson is the QB4 in points per game. Watson has been a top-12 quarterback in 6 of 10 starts with five of them being top-four results. Watson has largely struggled in his last three matchups, including this years’ with the Colts. He has averaged 270 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception, 47 rushing yards, and no rushing touchdowns over those three games. The Colts are in the bottom half of the league in pressure percentage, sacks, and QB hits. The Texans offensive line has improved somewhat throughout the season. They allowed 18 sacks over their first four games and only 13 in the last six. He should hopefully be getting Will Fuller back this game after he got in limited practices all of last week. Watson picked up an ankle injury against the Ravens and is now on a short week. He is expected to play but it is hard to see a ceiling game for Watson in a matchup he has struggled with recently. Plus his running may be limited due to injury.

 

Running Backs:

• Carlos Hyde (start, low-RB2/flex)
• Duke Johnson (sit, flex/bench)

 

Hyde and Johnson are in a true time-share. They each play around 40-60% of the snaps each week and the leader in snaps usually depends on game script. Hyde is a touchdown or bust guy, with one or less target in 9 of 10 games to start this season. Johnson has 10 or fewer touches in 8 of 10 games. The Colts haven’t been great against the run as they are 23rd in run defense DVOA. The Texans offensive line has been solid at opening up holes; they rank 13th in adjusted line yards this year. Hyde had a season-low nine touches last week, largely due to the Texans getting walloped by the Ravens. He is a low-end RB2 for me this week in what should be a more competitive game. Johnson just doesn’t have the volume to be trusted. He is a desperation flex play for me this week.

 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

• DeAndre Hopkins (start, high-WR1)
• Will Fuller (sit, WR3/flex)
• Kenny Stills (start, bench)
• Darren Fells (sit, TE2)

 

I am expecting Fuller back this week against the Colts and that will make the three-wide set Hopkins, Fuller, and Stills. Hopkins has 11 or more targets in each of the last five games. He has the second-highest target share and second-most receptions at the receiver position. He is a no brainer WR1 this week. Fuller hasn’t played a full game against the Colts since week nine of 2017. His deep route-running ways don’t match up well with the Colts cover 2 defense, which likes to limit the overtop plays. I will probably be sitting him this week and hope to get him fully healthy next week. Stills did nothing with Fuller out, posting 101 scoreless yards on 11 receptions in those three games. When all three of them have been healthier earlier in the year, Still had three or fewer targets in 3 of the 4 games and Fuller had six or more in 3 of the 4. Stills is nothing more than a bench stash right now. Fells has three or fewer targets in 3 of his last four games. He is nothing more than a touchdown dependant TE2 right now. 

–Kevin Taylor (@ktbeast918)