Fantasy Football Waiver Wire 2014: Top 10 Week 1 pickups

Houston Texans D/ST (40.7%)

The Texans were a mess last year and their secondary was horrible, but there are plenty of reasons to expect a turnaround this season at least from a fantasy perspective.  Overall, I think the Texans were not as bad as their record this past season when everything went wrong in a hurry for them.  This season with a new coach I do expect the team to be much better.  As a result their defense won’t be put under so much pressure, and they are well-stocked with playmakers especially in the front seven.

The face of the defense is undoubtedly J.J. Watt who just signed a huge contract to anchor this unit into the future.  Watt got a new running mate this offseason when the Texans used their #1 overall draft pick on Jadaveon Clowney.  Clowney and Watt should form an incredibly disruptive duo and should create pressure and big plays which is what owners should look for from fantasy defenses.

Houston also starts the season with a very favorable schedule opening with the Redskins, Raiders, Giants, and Bills who all have looked shaky on offense this preseason. If you’re looking to grab a defense to roll with for the first part of the season, the Texans make a nice option in the leagues where they are available.