Arizona Cardinals @ Houston Texans
Final Score: Texans 40, Cardinals 20
Writer: Brett Ford (@FadeThatMan)
The Houston Texans took it to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, jumping out to an early lead and never looking back to earn the victory. The Texans had already generated a 10-0 lead before the Cardinals’ offense ever took the field and added another score to make it 17-0 before the end of the first quarter. The Cardinals opened the second quarter with a touchdown drive before the Texans pieced together a pair of field goals to take a 23-7 lead into the halftime break. The two teams traded third-quarter scores before the Texans put the clamps on in the fourth quarter to earn the lopsided win. Let’s dig in.
Two Up
- Dalton Schultz — Old reliable. Schultz was one of C.J. Stroud‘s favorite targets and got open in the end zone for a score as well.
- Trey McBride — Please, get this man to a contender. He’s just so good at football.
- Jawhar Jordan — Who? The Texans’ depth running back looked explosive and got decent volume with Woody Marks and Nick Chubb missing.
Two Down
- Woody Marks — Left the game with an injury. Again.
- Cardinals RBs — Bam Knight left with an injury, Michael Carter got decent volume but didn’t produce much and Emari Demercado did next to nothing.
Arizona Cardinals
Quarterback
Jacoby Brissett: 27/40, 249 Yards, 3 TDs, INT | 3 Carries, 6 Yards
The ultimate garbage-time fantasy points accumulator, Jacoby Brissett finished as a QB1 in Week 15 despite trailing by multiple possessions for nearly every offensive snap he took Sunday.
Running Back
Bam Knight: 1 Carry, -2 Yards
Emari Demercado: 1 Carry, 1 Yard | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions
Michael Carter: 14 Carries, 56 Yards | 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 38 Yards
Bam Knight left this game early with an injury and did not return. It turned into the Michael Carter show, but it was pretty dull as Carter averaged 4 yards per carry and wasn’t really very explosive. For fantasy purposes, the most common outcome was that Knight burned you with the injury or (hopefully) was on the bench so that it didn’t matter.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Michael Wilson: 11 Targets, 5 Receptions, 54 Yards, TD
It wasn’t the crazy explosion of yardage and fantasy points that we’ve been spoiled with the past couple of weeks, but it was still a solid performance from Michael Wilson. Wilson pulled in a garbage-time touchdown over a Texans defender, giving him at least 18 PPR fantasy points for the fourth time in the last five games.
Michael. Wilson. Can't. Be. Stopped.pic.twitter.com/yvk3vS1vBi
— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) December 14, 2025
Trey McBride: 13 Targets, 12 Receptions, 134 Yards, 2 TDs
He’s the best tight end in the game, and likely will be for a long time … as long as Kyler Murray stays far, far away.
Trey McBride is a big fan of Jacoby Brissett pic.twitter.com/xFhbZPaD0u
— Underdog (@Underdog) December 14, 2025
Jalen Brooks: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 19 Yards
Elijah Higgins: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 3 Yards
Pharaoh Brown: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 1 Yard
Houston Texans
Quarterback
C.J. Stroud: 22/29, 260 Yards, 3 TDs | 6 Carries, 10 Yards
Another really solid game from C.J. Stroud in which he did all the things he had to in order to win the game. He set the tone with his best throw of the day, a 57-yard touchdown strike to Nico Collins on his first pass attempt of the day, and cruised from that point on. He delivered a strike on a deep slant to Collins, hitting his receiver in stride so that he could continue on for a long catch-and-run for a score. Stroud has developed into a risk-avoidance, game-management-type quarterback, which works wonderfully with the Texans’ stifling defense.
NICO. COLLINS. ARE YOU KIDDING?????
📺 : @nflonfox#ProBowlVote + Nico Collins pic.twitter.com/oiBsAqq0sm
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 14, 2025
Running Back
Woody Marks: 7 Carries, 30 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 8 Yards
Jawhar Jordan: 15 Carries, 101 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 17 Yards
Dare Ogunbowale: 5 Carries, 2 Yards | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 32 Yards
A massive letdown for Woody Marks managers as he left the game in the first half after just eight touches. Jawhar “Jaws” Jordan looked amazing though! He exploded for a massive run of 50 yards and was electric out of the backfield in his NFL debut. He could be a factor in the later rounds of the fantasy football playoffs.
Jawhar Jordan in his NFL Debut vs the Cardinals:
– 15 Carries
– 101 Yards
– 6.7 YPC
– +46 RYOE
– 80 Yards after contact (2nd most for a Texans rusher this year)
– 7 missed tackles forced (T-most for a Texans rusher this year)First Texans rusher to reach 100+ yards this year. pic.twitter.com/sNKa45Sc5Q
— Jacob (@TexansJacob) December 14, 2025
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Nico Collins: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 85 Yards, 2 TDs
He caught a 57-yard score on the first drive of the game and then disappeared for 2½ quarters. Through the end of the third quarter, he still only had the one big-play catch but he woke back up in the fourth quarter, pulling in a pair of receptions, including his second touchdown of the day.
Dalton Schultz: 9 Targets, 8 Receptions, 76 Yards, TD
Every time I watch the Texans, Dalton Schultz locks in for like six or seven catches, all in short to intermediate areas, but continues to accumulate fantasy points as a checkdown option or safety valve for his quarterback. On Sunday, not only did he catch eight balls, but he also shook free from a defender in the end zone for a scramble drill score. He’s quietly been one of the top tight ends in the NFL from a fantasy standpoint.
7️⃣ ➡️ 8️⃣6️⃣#ProBowlVote + Dalton Schultz
📺 : @nflonfox pic.twitter.com/7Xk3URAf6R
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 14, 2025
Jayden Higgins: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 4 Yards
Xavier Hutchinson: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 16 Yards
Cade Stover: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 22 Yards
The game script leaned away from the pass and that kept the Texans’ distribution pretty narrow. The ancillary pieces here (even Jayden Higgins) didn’t do much.