Houston Texans vs. Dallas Cowboys
Week 3 of the preseason is upon us which is usually considered the dress rehearsal for most teams as they get ready for the regular season. This game took a turn for the worse on the first possession for the Texans as Lamar Miller left the game on the cart; it looked to be a serious knee injury. After the injury, both teams removed most of their starters for the game after only one or two possessions. The Cowboys dominated this game defensively but there were still some standouts to discuss and also look at some replacements for Lamar Miller. Here is what we saw:
Houston Texans
Quarterbacks
- Joe Webb: 8/21, 62 yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs | 4 carries 25 yards
- Jordan Ta’amu: 2/5, 26 yards
Deshaun Watson started this game but did not produce any statistics. The Cowboys defense was flying all over the field which held Watson completely in check. Joe Webb received the majority of the work behind center for the rest of the night and again had to deal with a great pass rush from the defense. Really, he was under pressure almost all night. AJ McCarron continues to sit out the preseason due to injury but if anything were to happen to Watson, McCarron figures to be the QB2 heading into the year.
Running Backs
- Karan Higdon: 13 carries, 28 yards, 1 target
- Damarea Crockett: 3 carries 27 yards | 1 catch, 5 yards, 1 target
After the shock of the Lamar Miller injury settled in, the remaining running backs on the Texans had to deal with a great run defense from the Cowboys, which made it hard for them to find any holes to run through. Karan Higdon had a few explosive plays in the running game and figures to factor into the RB2 mix with Lamar Miller out for an extended amount of time. Duke Johnson did not play but could see his average draft position climb up considerably if he is named the RB1 heading into the season. I was already high on Duke Johnson, ranking him my 34th ranked RB heading into the season. The injury to Miller should shoot Duke up draft boards and make him a borderline RB2 in an explosive offense.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Jordan Thomas: 2 catches 33 yards, 6 targets
- Chad Hansen: 2 catches 24 yards, 4 targets
- DeAndre Carter: 1 catch 8 yards, 1 target
- Jordan Akins: 1 catch 5 yards, 1 target
With the quarterbacks under fire most of the night, it made for a sluggish night for the Texans’ receivers. One of the more intriguing battles in the preseason will be the tight end position for the Texans as DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller, and Keke Coutee have locked down the top WR spots. Jordan Thomas is a big TE who showed some flashes last year with a few TDs in the regular season. Jordan Akins is more of a receiving TE and needs to work on his blocking. They also drafted Kahale Warring this year, and he looks to factor in at the position as well. Thomas looks to have a slight edge at the position as he has blocking ability and experience on the other two but it could be a nice position to keep an eye on for fantasy purposes.
Dallas Cowboys
Quarterbacks
- Cooper Rush: 15/25, 173 yards 0 TDs, 0 INTs
- Dak Prescott: 2/5, 22 yards, 1 TDs
Cooper Rush has continued to impress me as a backup quarterback in this league. He can make all the throws and doesn’t make the bad mistakes most backups make when they come into the game. He found Tavon Austin on a nice corner route and targeted Devin Smith all night with nice comeback and stop routes. There were two nice plays called back by offensive holding where he threw a screen pass to Tony Pollard, who scored on a 20-yard play and also when Rush scrambled to the left and found Michael Gallup open in the middle of the field for a TD catch. Dak Prescott played one series and found Gallup on a nice scramble play in the endzone. I continue to think that the plays Dak and Gallup have made in the preseason transfer to Dak and Amari Cooper in the regular season. However, the connection Dak and Gallup have shown has been impressive and may shoot his draft price up a bit.
Running Backs
- Tony Pollard: 6 carries, 26 yards | 2 catches, 10 yards
- Jordan Chunn: 7 carries, 25 yards | 2 catches, 23 yards, 1 TD
- Alfred Morris: 5 carries, 18 yards, 1 TD
Tony Pollard sure has been impressive this preseason. Coming into the year, Dallas figured to use him more in the passing game to spell Ezekiel Elliott on third down or obvious passing downs. With the contract situation for Zeke, the Cowboys have altered their plans to try to see if Pollard can be an every down back. If Zeke remains unsigned going into the last week of the preseason, I would consider drafting Pollard as my RB2 or Flex in my draft to possibly lock up a starting running back later on in the draft. In other news, Alfred Morris is still in the league! He is a guy that could see goalline work if Zeke were to be out regular season games, but if Zeke returns Morris will have no fantasy value.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Devin Smith: 6 catches, 79 yards, 10 targets
- Marcus Lucas: 4 catches 50 yards, 6 targets
- Tavon Austin: 1 catch, 22 yards, 1 target
- Michael Gallup: 1 catch, 12 yards, 1 TD, 3 targets
Michael Gallup continues to impress this preseason and has shown a nice rapport with Dak Prescott, which will be needed heading into the regular season. This should increase his draft price as we get into the biggest draft weekend for fantasy football. I expect him to be a WR3 type player this year, but his price may be creeping into that territory based on his preseason to date. Devin White showed some flashes in this game and may be in line to make the team as their fifth wide receiver. Marcus Lucas, signed this week, is a big option at the tight end position. In a deep league he may be a guy to look out for on the waiver wire if he makes the team. Tavon Austin figures to make the team due to his special teams prowess but could also factor in as a gadget player on offense once again this year.
— Colin Weatherwax