Houston Texans @ Indianapolis Colts
Final Score: Texans 20, Colts 16
Writer: Brett Ford (@FadeThatMan)
The Houston Texans traveled to Indianapolis to take on the AFC South-leading Colts, hoping to ride their tremendous defense to a massive victory and gain a game in the division race as they chase down a playoff spot. Quarterback C.J. Stroud returned after Davis Mills led the Texans on a four-game winning streak in his absence, while Daniel Jones looked to return to form after a couple of down weeks in a row and the shocking reveal of a fractured fibula. The first quarter started slowly as the Colts struggled to move the football and the Texans stalled in the red zone on their only successful drive, settling for a field goal. The two teams traded second-quarter touchdowns and the Texans took a 10-6 lead into the break. The Texans extended their lead with a field goal, but the Colts tied it late in the frame. Houston opened the fourth quarter with a touchdown drive to take a 20-13 lead and leaned on its defense the rest of the way to earn the crucial division victory. Alec Pierce once again paid off for bold fantasy managers, while Nico Collins did enough to warrant a mention as well. Outside of those two individual efforts, there wasn’t much here in what was a much better football game in reality than for fantasy purposes. Let’s dig in.
Two Up
- Alec Pierce — Basically a golden retriever. Jones throws the ball and he goes and gets it.
- Nico Collins — The most explosive player in the Texans’ arsenal found the end zone.
Three Down
- Jonathan Taylor — Volume was exceptional, efficiency was not.
- Woody Marks — Not the kind of rushing efficiency managers want to see … and Nick Chubb vultured a score.
- Michael Pittman Jr. — MPJ practically disappeared with just one reception in this one.
Houston Texans
Quarterback
C.J. Stroud: 22/35, 276 Yards, INT | 1 Carry
C.J. Stroud was fine outside of one no-good, very bad throw. He overthrew Xavier Hutchinson by a country mile, creating an easy pick for the Colts’ safety over the top. Other than that, he did a great job of managing the game and letting the defense do its thing to earn the win. He’s a game manager with a few weapons on the outside, but he’s at his best when he’s doing less. Not the type of quarterback I’d want to be relying on in fantasy.
Cam Bynum has been tremendous this year. Great player and great person.
pic.twitter.com/cq7dZa5puH— SleeperColts (@SleeperColts) November 9, 2025
Running Back
Woody Marks: 19 Carries, 64 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 3 Yards
Nick Chubb: 9 Carries, 34 Yards, TD
Woody Marks left the game in the first quarter with an injury and returned a few plays later. It was scary for a minute, but managers breathed a sigh of relief … until Nick Chubb vultured another rushing touchdown. Marks had played every snap of the drive before that pitch play to Chubb, but the veteran found the paydirt. Go figure.
NICK CHUBB. Unc still got it
— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) November 30, 2025
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Nico Collins: 10 Targets, 5 Receptions, 98 Yards | 1 Carry, 7 Yards, TD
Nico Collins was targeted early and often as the Texans relied on their alpha wide receiver to move the sticks. He nearly scored a touchdown in the second quarter, just barely stepping out of bounds on his way to the end zone, but followed up with a score in the final frame to seal the win for Houston.
Nico Collins barely steps out at the 5-yard line, otherwise would've been a TD. Nick Chubb scores the next play.
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) November 30, 2025
Jayden Higgins: 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 65 Yards
Xavier Hutchinson: 5 Targets, 2 Receptions, 39 Yards
Jayden Higgins continues to outplay Xavier Hutchinson from a production standpoint (and a separation standpoint, according to advanced metrics) but just can’t seem to shake the sticky veteran for more playing time and opportunities. Higgins ran 24 routes on 44 snaps while Hutchinson ran 19 routes on 42 snaps. The talent disparity between the two seems much larger than that but the Texans don’t seem to care. At least Higgins is still producing with the looks he’s getting. The rookie receiver has now caught at least four passes in each of his last four games, including a pair of touchdowns.
Christian Kirk: 0 Targets
Jaylin Noel: 1 Target
Did the Texans even use three-receiver sets? Christian Kirk was on the field for 37 snaps while Jaylin Noel was on the field for 18 and the pair combined for just one target. Gross.
Dalton Schultz: 8 Targets, 7 Receptions, 55 Yards
Cade Stover: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 16 Yards
Stroud loves his tight ends, especially Dalton Schultz. Schultz continues to see impressive volume and should be considered as a viable low-end TE1 as he continues to garner targets. The veteran tight end has caught six passes or more in four of his last five games. His 27 receptions over that span rank fourth among all NFL tight ends.
Indianapolis Colts
Quarterback
Daniel Jones: 14/27, 201 Yards, 2 TDs | 1 Carry, 1 Yard
Reportedly battling a broken fibula and coming off a pair of poor games, Daniel Jones looked serviceable under center for the Colts against the best defense in the NFL. His best throw of the game was a touchdown pass to Alec Pierce in the second quarter, chucking it to the back of the end zone and allowing his receiver to high-point the ball for the score. Jones likely won’t see the rushing upside that made him so appealing earlier this season, but he’ll be a solid game manager in one of the better offenses in the league moving forward.
Daniel Jones out here dropping dimes on a broken fibula
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) November 30, 2025
Running Back
Jonathan Taylor: 21 Carries, 85 Yards | 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 36 Yards
Ho-hum. Only 15 PPR fantasy points for the best running back in the game this week. Well, not every week can be a 244-yard, three-touchdown performance. Jonathan Taylor will continue to see elite levels of volume both on the ground and through the air as the Colts push to earn a playoff spot down the stretch and avoid one of the biggest letdowns in recent history. They’ll need to lean on their star if they want to make the postseason. Expect lots of Taylor in the coming weeks.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Michael Pittman Jr.: 4 Targets, 1 Reception, 13 Yards
Whoa, where’d you go MPJ? Targeted only four times, Michael Pittman Jr. was an afterthought as the Colts looked elsewhere in the passing game. It’s only his third game this season with fewer than four receptions, but it is the second game of the last three. There’s no need for concern yet, but it is something to watch.
Tyler Warren: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 36 Yards, TD | 1 Carry
Tyler Warren did a great job getting open in the red zone on an overload look against what appeared to be zone defense, working open into the end zone on a corner route. His one carry was a failed tush-push-style sneak that saw the snap skip through his hands and into the Colts’ backfield for a loss.
TYLER WARREN TUDDY
📺 CBS | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/H3tFPDUP4r
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) November 30, 2025
Josh Downs: 6 Targets, 2 Receptions, 44 Yards
He wasn’t involved often, but he did make one of the most amazing catches of the week.
Daniel Jones' 34-yard pass to Josh Downs had a completion probability of 18.3%, the most improbable reception of Downs' career.
Jones is 1 of 4 QBs with 3 completions sub-19% this season (Mayfield, Love & Flacco are the others).#HOUvsIND | #ForTheShoepic.twitter.com/Dmukpruw45
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 30, 2025
Alec Pierce: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 78 Yards, TD, Pass Breakup
“Forget it, Alec’s down there somewhere.” — Daniel Jones, probably
Alec Pierce has become Jones’ downfield security blanket where the quarterback just chucks the ball into an area and lets his receiver go get it. All four of Pierce’s receptions went for at least 18 yards, including his 19-yard touchdown catch.
Drew Ogletree: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 8 Yards