Houston Texans @ Tennessee Titans
Final Score: Texans 26, Titans 3
Writer: Griffey Geiss (@ggeiss_PL)
Two Up
- C.J. Stroud – A nice get-right game for Stroud and the Texans as a whole. Stroud looked comfortable and delivered a solid fantasy day thanks to a rushing score and a 76% completion percentage.
- Woody Marks – Was pretty efficient with his touches and could see a large workload if David Montgomery misses time.
One (Group) Down
- Texans Receivers Not Named Nico Collins – In case you didn’t hear, Marvin Harrison Jr. is coming to town, which is bad news for the fantasy prospects of the Texans’ ancillary pass-catchers.
Houston Texans
Quarterback
CJ Stroud: 26/34, 261 Yards, TD | 6 Carries, 5 Yards, TD
Stroud continues his interception-less streak, leading the Texans to their first win of the season against the lowly Titans. He’s been better than his team’s record suggests, and could provide a ton of value fantasy-wise… especially if this team as a whole starts to take off. Stroud ranks 6th in passing snaps, 7th in dropbacks, and 10th in passing attempts this season, all while leading the league in ADot (11) and ranking 4th in big-time throws (8), per PFF. Between limiting turnovers and having a slew of talent in the WR room, this is a guy on the waiver wire worth keeping an eye on. His value will only increase as the team as a whole starts to win games.
Running Back
Woody Marks: 15 Carries, 62 Yards | 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 23 Yards
Marks capitalized on Montgomery’s absence and delivered a quality game for the Texans out of the backfield. He was involved in the passing game plus was able to carry the ball often thanks to Houston maintaining a large lead over Tennessee. He’s going to be a hot commodity off the waiver wire, and I really like the value here, especially if Monty misses time.
David Montgomery: 5 Carries, 11 Yards
Monty left the game with a groin injury and did not return. He will likely miss time, and Marks is a solid waiver wire option if you want to make an instant replacement.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jaylin Noel: 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 41 Yards, TD | 1 Carry, 1 Yard
Noel balled out, and I really enjoy him as a pure football player, but I wouldn’t put too much stock in this performance fantasy-wise. His usage has been very personnel-dependent, and that snap count will likely tick down as the already-messy WR room grows in the coming weeks.
Nico Collins: 7 Targets, 5 Receptions, 56 Yards
Collins remains the WR1 in Houston despite the acquisition of Marvin Harrison Jr., and I can’t stress that enough. The WR room is messy — especially with Tank Dell somewhere still messing around in that mix — but Collins will still generate a healthy amount of targets as Harrison gets acclimated to this offense. It’s worth noting Collins left briefly in the second quarter with an injury, but did return to the game.
Xavier Hutchinson: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 65 Yards
Kayshon Boutte: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 38 Yards
Dalton Schultz: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 30 Yards
Schultz turned in a season-low 51.5% snap share this week, largely in part due to Houston’s offensive personnel, but this is a fringe-starter TE option that has only had one week with 10+ points and has turned in three consecutive sub-5 target starts.
Tennessee Titans
Quarterback
Cam Ward: 23/36, 170 Yards, INT | 1 Carry, 2 Yards
Ward just hasn’t been able to string together a consistent amount of quality performances in the NFL since being drafted first overall in last year’s draft to inject any sort of positive reassurance from me. This is a terrible Titans team that now sits at 0-5 on the year, and despite being in such losing situations, Ward ranks 21st in dropbacks and 15th in attempts this year. Not to mention, Ward was sacked four different times yesterday plus made a few moves to scurry outside of the pocket and avoid a handful of other potential sacks throughout the game. Obviously that’s not the kind of pressure you want your young QB to have to deal with — especially when that QB has yet to find his footing in the league through 22 games under center.
Running Back
Tony Pollard: 14 Carries, 52 Yards | 1 Target, 0 Receptions
Pollard led the backfield in carries, but today was not a good look for the veteran back. His snap share decreased, and he was completely thrown out of the passing game, which really dampens his value in PPR leagues. I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s dealt at the trade deadline — which could be a reason why a fantasy manager is willing to wait and see on his stock — while Spears continues to take on a bigger role as this abysmal team’s RB1.
Tyjae Spears: 2 Carries, 0 Yards | 9 Targets, 9 Receptions, 1 Fumble (lost)
Spears took on a much larger role in yesterday’s game against Houston, staying really active in Tennessee’s passing game. He led the backfield in snaps, plus has seen an uptick in usage in critical situations (two minute drills, third downs), which could be a sign of what to expect moving forward.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Wan’Dale Robinson: 7 Targets, 6 Receptions, 53 Yards
Robinson remains a steady fantasy performer despite the lackluster overall production from Tennessee’s offense this season. He’s more than capable of being a 12-man bench WR/flex option that can generate a healthy 10+ points per game thanks to a generous target share.
Chimere Dike: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 28 Yards
Calvin Ridley: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 33 Yards
Elic Ayomanor: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 17 Yards
Carnell Tate: 5 Targets, 1 Reception, 6 Yards
Tate is on the field for a vast majority of offensive snaps, is running more than enough routes, but hasn’t performed up to his ADP this season. This is largely in part due to his QB.