Texans @ Cowboys
Final Score: Texans 34, Cowboys 10
Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on Twitter)
The Houston Texans made light work of a dreadful Dallas Cowboys team to move to 7-4 and effectively end their opponent’s season. An offensive masterclass on the ground from Joe Mixon ensured he and the Texans enjoyed a big night, and the sea of Houston fans in the stadium could be heard above anything in a fourth quarter that felt like a house party on the Texans’ sidelines. An early failed fake punt attempt from Dallas gave a prelude to what turned out to be another miserable night for the Cowboys, who even saw parts of their stadium roof fall down before the start of the game. Not even star wideout CeeDee Lamb could give them any hope. The house has truly crumbled down in Dallas.
Three Up
- Joe Mixon – insert gif of Ezekiel Elliot eating his cereal and plaster Mixon’s face over it – 153 scrimmage yards and 3 touchdowns for the workhorse back. Have a night!
- Texans DST – Danielle Hunter and co unleashed on a derisory Cowboys offensive line to the tune of five sacks, and the rest of the defense forced an INT and three fumbles, one of which was returned for a touchdown to put this game to bed
- Kavontae Turpin – a small light in an otherwise dark night for Dallas, the speedy receiver hit the fastest speed for anyone this season on his touchdown run; he also looked sharp as a route runner and made a couple of other nice grabs
Three Down
- Cooper Rush – the Turpin touchdown and some late garbage time yardage padded up the stats, but this was a rudderless ship on offense, and Trey Lance has to start next time out
- Rico Dowdle – the Dallas running back room is the worst in football, and Dowdle averaged just 2.8 yards per carry on a dismal effort
- Jake Ferguson – yet another injury for the promising young tight end, who left the game with a concussion and did not return
Houston Texans
Quarterback
C.J. Stroud: 23/34, 257 Yards, INT, Sack | 3 Carries, 26 Yards
A comfortable night for Stroud, but the performance was still far from the level we saw in his rookie year. With Mixon doing all the grunt work and totalling for all three offensive scores, Stroud was held without a touchdown pass for the third time in five games, which isn’t great news from a fantasy perspective. If the opening play of the game wasn’t called back by penalty, we would be singing a different tune, and the return of Nico Collins certainly added a bit more sparkle to his throws over the middle. He had no problem moving the chains and being productive in connecting with eight different pass-catchers. We would like to have seen him be a little more assured, find the end zone with a throw, and play turnover-free football. He has two games against the Titans and Jags to feed at the fantasy table before a Week 14 bye.
Notes
- An uncharacteristic mistake from Stroud on a fourth down play at the Dallas 30-yard line on the second drive of the game saw him throw the ball behind Collins and straight into the arms of Cowboys safety Malik Hooker for a pick directly after a failed fake punt attempt. It was his sixth interception of the season.
Running Back
Joe Mixon: 20 Carries, 109 Yards, 3 TD | 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 44 Yards
It was a huge night of production from the veteran running back, who has made himself a fantasy asset once again after a couple of pedestrian years in Cincinnati. Mixon showed burst from the line of scrimmage on a couple of occasions before breaking through a hole for a 45-yard touchdown on the game’s opening drive. He then set the Texans up at the 1-yard line with an outside zone run on fourth down at the end of the first quarter. He took the ball in at the second attempt a couple of plays later for his second score of the game. He was also heavily involved in the passing game as the Cowboys’ failed blitzes opened up lanes for check downs – a 37-yard catch and run down the left sideline midway through the second quarter was a clear example of his downfield vision and speed at the next level. Mixon put the cherry on the top of a celebratory night for Houston with another 1-yard score late in the fourth quarter to rub salt into the wounds of the downtrodden Cowboys.
MIXON. 45-YARD TD.
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Dameon Pierce: 1 Carry, 2 Yards
Dare Ogunbowale: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 1 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Nico Collins: 7 Targets, 4 Receptions, 54 Yards
A welcome return for the prolific receiver from injured reserve, and it nearly produced an instant result with a 77-yard touchdown pass from Stroud on the first play of the game. However, an illegal man downfield penalty wiped it out. He still connected with his quarterback on four of his seven targets, the most impactful being a 33-yard grab over the middle to set up the Texans in the red zone on the first offensive possession of the second half. Disappointingly, Collins only saw one target within the Dallas 20-yard line, and that was a short pass for a small gain, he didn’t look like hitting paydirt. Still, it is great to have him back for the business end of the fantasy season.
Tank Dell: 7 Targets, 4 Receptions, 54 Yards | 1 Carry, 4 Yards
Matching Collins for the lead in receiving yards and targets, Dell added a four-yard carry but finished well below expectations after his sparkling rookie season. Dell was limited to catches on short to intermediate routes, and he didn’t run a route that could have resulted in a big play. He has failed to muster over 62 yards in the air in nine of his ten appearances this season, with only two scores to his name.
John Metchie III: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 33 Yards
After scoring his first NFL touchdown last week against Detroit, the affable Metchie returned to a WR3 role by hauling in all three of his catches for 33 yards. He was sparingly used in the offensive game plan despite a 16-yard catch over the middle to set up the first Mixon touchdown run. He was hardly seen after that first drive of the game, and his biggest contribution was tracking the fake punt and providing the tackle to thwart the Cowboys on fourth down.
Dalton Schultz: 7 Targets, 5 Receptions, 33 Yards
Seeing a slight boost in production over the past few weeks, Head Coach DeMeco Ryans also made it a point to get the big tight end involved against his former side. He led the Texans in catches, and his five grabs are a season-high. However, Schultz is without a touchdown on the year, and he has failed to produce double-digit fantasy points in all 11 games he has started. He has dropped off the fantasy radar at the TE position.
Cade Stover: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 15 Yards
Robert Woods: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 13 Yards
Dallas Cowboys
Quarterback
Cooper Rush: 32/55, 354 Yards, TD, INT, 5 Sacks, 2 Fumbles (1 Lost) | 2 Carries, 2 Yards
Fantasy managers who may have taken a punt on the backup Cowboys signal-caller as a bye week fill-in will likely be more than satisfied by his 16.36 fantasy points (in Yahoo!). It was by far a better fantasy performance than a life effort from Rush, who benefitted from Turpin’s 70+ yards after the catch for the touchdown pass and a heap of garbage time yards to put up a respectable effort. Alongside the fumble that was (eventually) returned for a touchdown, Rush threw a bad interception directly after Stroud’s pick, which deflated the already dismal stadium even further. Rush was lucky not to be picked off on at least two separate occasions as the Texans defense failed to cling on to errant throws from the Dallas quarterback, neither anywhere near their intended targets. With back-to-back divisional games on the horizon and the tendency for Dallas to stick with a more known commodity, Rush could still hold on to the starting role. But it won’t be pretty if he does.
Notes
- It looked like it could be a short outing for Rush when he threw the ball directly to Derek Stingley Jr. rather than Lamb on a clear miscommunication between the two on the Cowboys’ second offensive possession of the game. Rush expected his receiver to come back towards the numbers, but Lamb just stopped his route after contact with the cornerback. We did not see Lance take the field, however, despite an inefficient performance.
Running Back
Rico Dowdle: 10 Carries, 28 Yards | 5 Targets, 2 Receptions, 6 Yards
Another fantasy dud from the embattled Cowboys running back will have hurt fantasy managers hoping for production to win their matchup. It was Dowdle’s third straight game with 12 rushes or less, and the failings of the offensive line to create holes doesn’t help an already limited back who doesn’t possess the ability to make big plays on his own. He seems to be protected in the starting role due to the severe lack of options in the worst running back room in football, but there is a possibility Deuce Vaughn may see an opportunity to see more touches. Vaughn saw a season-high four carries in this game in the second half.
Deuce Vaughn: 4 Carries, 13 Yards | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 4 Yards
Ezekiel Elliott: 1 Carry, 8 Yards | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 16 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
CeeDee Lamb: 12 Targets, 8 Receptions, 93 Yards | 1 Carry, 13 Yards
The good news is that Dallas’ offensive nosedive seems not to have directly affected star wideout Lamb in terms of fantasy production. He led the team across the board in targets, catches, and scrimmage yards as the only true threat in a dire situation. Lamb’s longest grab was a 29-yard catch, and he added multiple catches of over 10 yards throughout the contest as he battled Stingley in a one-on-one matchup. He looks desolate on the sidelines at times, questioning the entire situation he finds himself in for a team he has committed his future as a leader. Is he a leader, though? His effort was fine tonight, but that was about it. He wasn’t on the same page as his quarterback throughout the game, and his body language wasn’t great. At least he put up decent production.
Kavontae Turpin: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 86 Yards, TD
Turpin provided the spark that the Cowboys needed with a crossing route out of the slot that he took to the house after the Texans left the middle of the field open without any safety help. It was an electric play and, for a brief moment, gave the impression that the Cowboys could be competitive in this matchup. Unbelievably, Turpin wasn’t targeted again until late in the fourth quarter, with the game dead at 34-10. That is bad coaching and just highlights the deficiencies of this Cowboys team right now.
Luke Schoonmaker: 10 Targets, 6 Receptions, 56 Yards
With Ferguson ruled out with a concussion, the second-round pick from 2023 got a chance for an increased role and performed well in between the numbers. Outside of a six-catch showing in Week 2, Schoonmaker posted career-high receiving yards on a career-best 10 targets. It is baffling that the tight end has been so underutilized under two different offensive coordinators since being drafted so highly. If Ferguson cannot recover in time for next week’s game, the young tight end could be a useful streaming option at the position.
Brevyn Spann-Ford: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 42 Yards
Jalen Tolbert: 5 Targets, 2 Receptions, 21 Yards
Ryan Flournoy: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 19 Yards
Jake Ferguson: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 11 Yards
Juanyeh Thomas: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 4 Yards
Jonathan Mingo: 4 Targets
The 2023 second-round pick was acquired through trade shortly before last week’s defeat, but he made his debut in this game and failed to catch any of his four targets. Most of his opportunities came chasing the game in the second half. It is not a great start for a wideout who has the chance to finally make a name for himself without better receivers in front of him.
Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky)