What We Saw: Week 6

Houston Texans vs Kansas City Chiefs

 

Houston Texans

 

Quarterback

 

• Deshaun Watson: 30/42, 280 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs | 10 carries, 42 yards, 2 TDs

 

Deshaun Watson wasn’t able to connect on any deep passes this week, but he more than made up for it by scoring two rushing touchdowns. Both touchdown runs came inside the five-yard line on designed passing plays that were well covered by the defense before Watson was able to get outside the pocket and find open space to run in. On the second run, he was able to mostly avoid a tackle from a defender before falling forward into the end zone, and overall he was effective when deciding to run against a Chiefs defense that struggled to tackle today. This would have been a bigger day for him if not for some unfortunate drops by his receivers. DeAndre Hopkins dropped what would have been a touchdown and Watson threw one of his two interceptions on the next play, and Will Fuller dropped two long touchdowns. Watson remains one of the top fantasy options at quarterback and should be started with confidence every week he plays.

 

Running Backs

 

• Carlos Hyde: 26 carries, 116 yards, 1 TD | 1 target, 1 reception, 14 yards
• Duke Johnson: 5 carries, 34 yards | 4 targets, 2 receptions, 20 yards, 1 TD

 

Carlos Hyde was very effective today, frequently running through the first contact and taking advantage of poor tackling by the Chiefs. The offensive line of the Texans did a good job of creating running lanes for him, but they did lose starting tackle Tytus Howard to injury which could hurt Hyde’s value going forward. Duke Johnson was not utilized much today, but he did catch a touchdown and had another reception where he was tackled on the one-yard line to set up the Hyde touchdown. Hyde is the back getting almost all of the rushing attempts and should be viewed as at least a flex play going forward. Johnson is a talented receiving back, but it’s difficult to trust him going forward given his usage. He could be started in matchups where the Texans project to be trailing, but I would no longer view him as someone that needs to be rostered as anything other than a handcuff to Hyde.

 

Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends

 

• DeAndre Hopkins: 12 targets, 9 receptions, 55 yards
• Will Fuller: 9 targets, 5 receptions, 44 yards
• Keke Coutee: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 39 yards
• Darren Fells: 7 targets, 6 receptions, 69 yards
• Jordan Akins: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 39 yards

 

Today was a tough one for the Texans receivers, especially for Will Fuller who dropped two long touchdowns coming off of his monster performance last week. He is still seeing the target volume, especially downfield, to be worth starting. DeAndre Hopkins also had an uncharacteristic touchdown drop and was mostly utilized close to the line of scrimmage on quick passes. That resulted in one of the more disappointing stat lines you’ll see for a receiver with nine receptions. Hopkins is still Watson’s preferred target, and should be started every week regardless of matchup, and presents a great buy-low target after his relatively slow start. Keke Coutee failed to really get involved even with Kenny Stills missing this game with an injury, and is probably a safe drop in redraft leagues. Darren Fells and Jordan Akins both contributed from the tight end position, with Fells seeing more targets but Akins looking like the more dangerous after-the-catch player. Both players are streaming options for teams weak at tight end.

 

Kansas City Chiefs

 

Quarterback

 

• Patrick Mahomes: 19/35, 273 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT

 

It’s a testament to his talent level that three touchdowns and almost 300 yards felt like a disappointing game for Patrick Mahomes. He got off to a strong start, taking advantage of defensive offsides by throwing a ball up to Tyreek Hill in double coverage that resulted in a touchdown. Mahomes led another scoring drive that was capped by a screen pass that Damien Williams took for a touchdown, but on the next drive Mahomes took a hit that appeared to aggravate the ankle injury he’s been dealing with since the first week of the season. From that point on Mahomes looked less effective, particularly when he was pressured. He threw an interception shortly after taking that hit and had another two passes that could have easily been intercepted on the following drive. Mahomes did throw another short touchdown pass to Hill later in the game, but other than that the Chiefs were shut out after he hurt his ankle. Mahomes is still a no-doubt start, especially if games like this are his version of a bad game, but his ankle injury is worth monitoring.

 

Running Backs

 

• Damien Williams: 1 carry, 6 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 14 yards, 1 TD
• LeSean McCoy: 8 carries, 44 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 0 yards
• Darrel Williams: 2 targets, 1 reception, 52 yards

 

The Chiefs continue to take a committee approach to their running backs, and none of them were particularly effective today. LeSean McCoy was the most effective runner, but with the Chiefs trailing for much of the second half he was not heavily involved in the offense. Damien Williams had two catches wiped away by penalties, and looked good as a receiver including taking a screen pass for a 14-yard touchdown. Darrel Williams took a short pass down the sideline for 52 yards but was otherwise a non-factor. All three guys are worth rostering in case one of the others misses time, and because anyone who sees touches in this offense can have value given how explosive it is, but none of them are must-starts going forward.

  

Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends

 

• Tyreek Hill: 10 targets, 5 receptions, 80 yards, 2 TDs
• Mecole Hardman: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 45 yards
• Byron Pringle: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 24 yards
• Demarcus Robinson: 4 targets, 0 receptions
• Travis Kelce: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 58 yards

 

Tyreek Hill returned from injury in a big way, going up over two defenders for a 46-yard touchdown on the first drive for the Chiefs. He added another short touchdown reception and celebrated by doing an impressive flip, putting to rest any concerns about his health and locking him in as a locked-in fantasy start going forward. The rest of the receivers, including Travis Kelce, were really disappointing in a game where Sammy Watkins sat out with injury. Kelce fell down on running an out route that near the goal line that would have resulted in an easy touchdown, but was quiet for most of the day. Demarcus Robinson had a bad drop and was unable to haul in any of his four targets. 

 

-Dan Adams