Houston Texans vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Well this game did not go as planned. Fantasy goers expected the kickoff to their Championship weekend to be high-scoring, with plenty of points to go around. There may have been fantasy points for some players, but not for your usual suspects. Tied heading into the 4th quarter, a go-ahead field goal by Houston was all they needed to win not only the game 23-20, but also the AFC South for the second-straight season.
Houston Texans
Quarterback
- Deshaun Watson: 19/32, 184 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 1 FUM, 5 sacks | 7 carries, 37 yards
In his second-worst fantasy day on the season, Deshaun Watson should just feel fortunate the Texans walked away with the win. Posting a very pedestrian 63.2 QBR, to make matters worse Watson even suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter, though he did finish the game. With the South already locked down, it wouldn’t shock anyone if Watson sits Week 17.
Running Backs
- Carlos Hyde: 17 carries, 27 yards, 1 TD | 1 target, 1 reception, 10 yards
- Duke Johnson: 2 carries, 4 yards | 4 targets, 1 reception, 12 yards
Houston can thank Carlos Hyde for their lone offensive touchdown on the day. Fantasy owners, if they started him, were bailed out from said score. Other than that, Hyde had a brutal day on the ground, only racking up 27 yards on 17 carries. The Bucs run-defense is strong, but it’s still a bit surprising that he was this ineffective. Duke Johnson remained an afterthought in this offense; trading for him is still a head-scratcher move given the potential value of the draft pick lost.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Kenny Stills: 9 targets, 5 receptions, 57 yards
- DeAndre Hopkins: 9 targets, 5 receptions, 23 yards
- Will Fuller V: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 11 yards
- DeAndre Carter: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 44 yards
- Darren Fells: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 27 yards
Watson’s play certainly hit the Houston receivers just the same. Kenny Stills totaled the most receiving yards with just 57. DeAndre Hopkins had the same amount of targets and receptions (9:5) as Stills, but only managed 23 yards. While Nuk’s production – or lack thereof – was a huge letdown, perhaps the biggest bust on the fantasy week was Will Fuller V. He caught both of his targets for just 11 yards, before exiting the game with, you guessed it, a groin injury. When Fuller isn’t on the field, this Texans offense clearly crumbles.
Darren Fells just missed a score on a nice gain, and his touchdown-dependent tag played true as it has all season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Quarterback
- Jameis Winston: 25/48, 335 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT, 3 sacks | 2 carries, 16 yards
Opening-drive interceptions and Jameis Winston go together like PB&J. Saturday’s INT was his fourth in five games on the Bucs first series, and it actually led to a pick-6. It’s as if Winston is doing it on purpose for the hilarity. The 335 yards through the air were forgettable, considering he only had one touchdown to four total interceptions. It was certainly not the fantasy day you were banking on from Winston considering he posted 50+ points Week’s 14 & 15; depending on your league settings of course.
Running Backs
- Ronald Jones II: 14 carries, 77 yards, 1 TD | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 32 yards
- Peyton Barber: 5 carries, 13 yards, 1 FUM (lost)
- Dare Ogunbowale: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 34 yards
Ronald Jones II was productive on the ground, rushing for 77 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown. He had a 49-yard gain on a really impressive run, and also had involvement in the passing game. The Tampa Bay rush offense has been murky all season long, and it’s unclear if Jones II or Peyton Barber can truly lead the charge in 2020 and beyond.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Breshad Perriman: 12 targets, 7 receptions, 102 yards
- Justin Watson: 10 targets, 5 receptions, 43 yards, 1 TD
- Ishmael Hyman: 3 targets, 1 reception, 31 yards
- OJ Howard: 7 targets, 3 receptions, 46 yards
- Cameron Brate: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 17 yards
- Cody McElroy: 1 target, 1 reception, 30 yards
With Chris Godwin out of the picture, Breshard Perriman had himself another solid day, though he didn’t find the end zone in this one. Perriman led the way with 12 targets and seven receptions for 102 yards. It was Justin Watson who scored, and he himself saw 10 targets.
Tampa Bay saw three tight ends have receptions, but again because of the no scores, their days were fantasy irrelevant. OJ Howard led with seven targets, Cameron Brate with five, and Cody McElroy with just one.
–Matthew Cava (@cavaM_ Twitter & Reddit)
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