Denver Broncos vs Houston Texans
The 4-8 Broncos vs the 8-4 Texans…easy. Houston coasts to a win. Wait, that didn’t happen? Houston had a decent opening drive that made it into Denver territory before stalling out. Denver proceeded to take the ball 92 yards for an opening touchdown. After the Texans fumbled on their next drive and Denver returned it for another touchdown, this one quickly got out of hand. It was 14-0 after the first and 31-3 at halftime. The Texans tried to make a game of it in the fourth, but it was too little too late. Denver defeated Houston 38-24.
Denver Broncos
Quarterback
- Drew Lock: 22/27, 309 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, 1 sack | 3 carries, 15 yards
Drew Lock had an excellent game this week as he hit ten different receivers on the day while leading the Broncos to a big road win. Lock started fast when he hit Noah Fant 12 yards downfield and Fant’s defender blew the tackle. It turned into a 48-yard gain. He threw a couple more nice balls on the opener, including an excellent strike to Fant for the first touchdown of the game. Lock looked composed as he put up 230+ yards and 3 touchdowns in the first half. His day could have probably been even bigger had things not gotten so far out of hand. This is hopefully a fun sign of things to come, but it’s not fantasy-relevant for the playoffs.
Running Backs
- Phillip Lindsay: 16 carries, 51 yards, 1 TD | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 4 yards
- Royce Freeman: 8 carries, 24 yards | 2 targets. 2 receptions, 8 yards
Philip Lindsay once again dominated the touches in this one, but he wasn’t able to get much going on the ground. Still, he did find the endzone and managed to make it worthwhile if you started him. I am not thrilled with this backfield right now, but Lock’s big game should make us optimistic for next week. Continue to use Lindsay if you have him (think flex range) and hope he finds the endzone again.
Royce Freeman continues to play second fiddle to Lindsay, and he will remain useless as long as this is the case. I like Freeman’s hard-running style, but we simply need more carries.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Noah Fant: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 113 yards, 1 TD
- DaeSean Hamilton: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 36 yards
- Courtland Sutton: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 34 yards
Noah Fant had a big game today, catching all four of his targets in limited time (more on that later). He started fast, though some blown coverage helped turn his first catch into a huge gain. Fant ran a nice route on his touchdown as he caught a strike in the middle of the endzone. Unfortunately, Fant hurt his foot early in the second half and didn’t return to the game. Keep an eye on his status, but consider him a tight end sleeper for next week if he’s healthy.
Courtland Sutton only saw three first-half targets, and he missed his ‘scoring window’ as a result. Sutton’s longest grab of the day came near the end of the half. He found some space on the sideline, made a nice catch, and then tried to dance around a defender before being pushed out of bounds. Sutton has still proven himself to be an integral part of this offense, and his target numbers make him a must-use weapon.
Houston Texans
Quarterback
- Deshaun Watson: 28/50, 292 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 3 sacks | 6 carries, 44 yards, 2 TD
I know this isn’t exactly breaking news, but Deshaun Watson is fun to watch. He fought till the end of this one, despite the early lopsided score. The top plays here were a bomb touchdown to DeAndre Hopkins and a touchdown scramble in the fourth quarter. On the scramble, Watson was looking for a receiver but couldn’t find anyone. He made a dash for the corner of the endzone, was met by two defenders, but charged ahead anyway. Sure, the game was likely already over. However, Texans fans know that Watson will do everything in his power to get them a win in the playoffs.
Running Backs
- Carlos Hyde: 14 carries, 73 yards | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 5 yards
- Duke Johnson: 1 carry, 5 yards | 8 targets, 6 receptions, 40 yards
Carlos Hyde is a fantasy mirage right now. He is the lead back on an 8-5 team that defeated the Patriots and leads their division. However, he hasn’t scored a touchdown or put up 80 total yards in the last three weeks. Hyde has a safe workload, but just not much upside. He should prey on weak opponents when Houston can hopefully nurse leads. The problem here is that this looked like a weak opponent. Hyde is at best a flex, but I’m not excited about him.
Duke Johnson is another tough start right now. When the gameplan needs him, he has a game like today (eight targets) or last week (90 total yards and a touchdown). However, there are plenty of weeks where he disappears–like the two games before against Indy and Baltimore. We know that Duke is an excellent pass-catcher, but his role isn’t reliable. It’s hard to trust him with your fantasy playoffs on the line.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- DeAndre Hopkins: 13 targets, 7 receptions, 120 yards, 1 TD
- Keke Coutee: 8 targets, 5 receptions, 68 yards, 1 fumble
- Kenny Stills: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 8 yards
You drafted DeAndre Hopkins to dominate, and this was a monster performance at just the right time. Sure, things started slowly in the first half when the offense struggled. At the break, Hopkins only had three receptions for 30 yards. The second half was a different story. Hopkins made his day on a long touchdown grab where the defense seemingly forgot he existed. He is a fun player to watch, and he is even better on your fantasy roster.
Keke Coutee had a decent day, though his fumble led to the second Broncos touchdown and a 14-0 hole. I expected Coutee to have a breakout year, but clearly that was not in the cards. Hopkins is the only Texans receiver I trust heading into next week.