Denver Broncos @ Houston Texans
Final Score: Broncos 18, Texans 15
Writer: Raymi Chavez
Sunday was an absolute slog between two of the league’s best defensive teams. The Houston Texans dominated time of possession in the first half, eating up 22 minutes, 39 seconds of the clock, but only coming away with 12 points to show for it. Both teams started with 51-yard field-goal attempts. The Texans pushed theirs right, and the Denver Broncos had theirs blocked. Otherwise, the Broncos had only one successful offensive drive, resulting in a touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton. In the second half, there were two streaks of four straight three-and-outs between the two teams, as no one could get anything going. Still, in classic 2025 Broncos fashion, after looking lifeless for three quarters, they found something that worked in the fourth quarter, scoring a touchdown swiftly, converting the 2-pointer, and then setting Wil Lutz up with a game-winning kick using Nix’s legs. Mercifully, the game ended. It had quite an impact on fantasy. Let’s check that out.
Two Up
- Nico Collins — Collins returned and looked just like his usual self, no matter who was at quarterback.
- Dalton Schultz — Schultz’s hot streak continues. Three of his last four games have had at least five catches and at least 60 yards.
Three Down
- Bo Nix — Nix was brutally bad for all but three drives this game — one in the first half and two in the fourth quarter.
- Texans running backs — This team couldn’t get anything going against this stout run defense.
- Broncos wide receivers — Nobody made much of a mark in this room, as the Broncos passing offense was stifled.
Denver Broncos
Quarterback
Bo Nix: 18/37, 173 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT | 3 Carries, 36 Yards
The Broncos only had 7:21 of possession in the first half, and that’s because Bo Nix couldn’t complete a pass to save his life. His interception was an ambitious deep ball masterfully picked off by a safety. He had a similar play in the second half that seemed like it was going to have the same result, if not for Pat Bryant making a good play to break up the interception. Nix is tough to evaluate and trust. He looks uncomfortable in the pocket, off-schedule, and inaccurate, then for a handful of drives, he looks impressive. This one can be chalked up to a brutally tough Houston defense.
Running Back
J.K. Dobbins: 15 Carries, 61 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, -2 Yards
J.K. Dobbins was dynamic. Through three quarters, he was the only consistent part of the Broncos offense. Sean Payton‘s need to incorporate little gadget plays and wide receiver screens kept the Broncos behind the sticks. If he could stick to what’s working, Dobbins could have been in for a massive game. For the first three quarters, he led the snap share, especially on first and second down. Dobbins is the workhorse of this offence with a positive game script.
RJ Harvey: 2 Carries, 5 Yards | 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 51 Yards, TD
RJ Harvey is the backup early-down running back, and there just weren’t a lot of plays for the Broncos, as they kept missing passing plays. Harvey was having a mediocre game until the fourth quarter, when he seemed to take the lead on early downs and stacked screen plays before hitting a huge 30-yard touchdown to tie the game. Harvey appears to be the early-down back when the team is in quick mode, but still incorporates run plays. He’s been capitalizing on those moments.
Tyler Badie: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 6 Yards
Strictly a third-down back, except for no-huddle modes at the end of the first half
Adam Prentice: 1 Carry, 2 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Troy Franklin: 10 Targets, 4 Receptions, 27 Yards | 2 Carries, -4 Yards
Troy Franklin is definitely a favorite of Nix. A lot of his uncaught targets were throwaways or very low-percentage plays. He wasn’t able to get anything going, and the big plays evaded him at the worst of times. He is 1B to Courtland Sutton‘s 1A, for now.
Courtland Sutton: 6 Targets, 1 Reception, 30 Yards, TD
A very frustrating game for Courtland Sutton was only made passable by the team’s win and his touchdown. Sutton was visibly frustrated both with himself and potentially with the inaccuracy of some passes that could have been big plays. Derek Stingley Jr. made life hell for him, and even on Sutton’s touchdown over Stingley, it seemingly only happened because Derek seemed to think he had safety help over top, and he didn’t. Otherwise, he may have wiped Sutton completely off the box score.
Pat Bryant: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 20 Yards
Pat Bryant only had two receptions, but they were both big plays that converted crucial first downs. He has been working himself into the mix and is due for a breakout game.
Adam Trautman: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 25 Yards
The only tight end to feature in the box score, he was left wide open for a 21-yard gain in the first half, but otherwise was held silent.
Michael Bandy: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 16 Yards
Unfortunately, his most significant impact was a muffed punt that gifted the Texans three points at the end of the first half.
Houston Texans
Quarterback
C.J. Stroud: 6/10, 79 Yards | 2 Carries, 12 Yards
C.J. Stroud was looking average to start the game, but then on a third-and-8, he rushed for 6 yards. At the end of his run, he started a late slide and got absolutely popped with his head bouncing off the turf and was removed with a concussion for the remainder of the game. Poor timing for him this season as it seemed like he was starting to figure some things out, hopefully he isn’t out too long.
Davis Mills: 17/30, 137 Yards | 2 Carries, 7 Yards
Davis Mills was dealt a tough hand, having to step in midgame against the stout Broncos defense. He honestly held up about as well as Stroud was going before he was hurt. A handful of missed open receivers really cost them as they struggled to get the offense moving in the second half. If he is the guy to go next week, I am not sure that it will have a significant impact on players like Nico Collins and Dalton Schultz, who Mills seemed to focus on heavily.
Running Back
Nick Chubb: 11 Carries, 34 Yards
Nick Chubb had a 10-yard run taken off the board thanks to a hold. Otherwise, he struggled to get anything going. The Texans’ running game bashed its head against the wall, continuously running up the middle and constantly getting stuffed. I would’ve killed to see even one outside zone run called, but they seemed uninterested in getting to the edge.
Woody Marks: 10 Carries, 27 Yards | 3 Targets
Woody Marks was incredibly disappointing. Coming off a performance that could have been seen as a turning point for him, he was stifled by the Broncos. Two of his three targets were also dumpoffs with plenty of room that he just dropped for seemingly no reason. He struggled out there for sure. As someone who started him this week, I would recommend keeping him on the bench until he can string together some consistent games.
Dare Ogunbowale: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 2 Yards
Dare Ogunbowale saw himself on the field for every single third down except one, almost exclusively used in pass protection.
British Brooks: 2 Carries, 0 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Nico Collins: 11 Targets, 7 Receptions, 75 Yards
Nico Collins was great, making a handful of difficult contested grabs and consistently getting open for his quarterback. Mills looked for him early and often, and if it’s Mills for a week or two while Stroud recovers from a concussion, Collins will still have a good floor.
Dalton Schultz: 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 77 Yards
Dalton Schultz has been reemerging these last few weeks, becoming one of the more consistent tight ends in fantasy currently. That didn’t change too much after Mills came in, only really changing his average depth of target, but still seeing a lot of the ball.
Christian Kirk: 8 Targets, 4 Receptions, 26 Yards
Christian Kirk‘s stat line was pretty mundane, but he looked terrific. Excellent, crisp routes and plenty of targets that were just off-target. This was maybe the best I have seen him play in a Houston jersey, mind you, he hasn’t had many opportunities.
Xavier Hutchinson: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 30 Yards
Xavier Hutchinson didn’t make a big splash in the passing game. However, he did, unfortunately, have two holding penalties that slowed down a couple of drives for the Texans. He had been popping recently, but with Collins and Kirk back, those days are on pause.
Jayden Higgins: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 4 Yards
Jaylin Noel: 1 Carry, -3 Yards
Harrison Bryant: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 2 Yards