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Fantasy Football: Houston Texans 2015 Season Preview

By Bruce Matson

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Houston Texans 2015 Season Preview

The Houston Texans finished last season with a 9-7 record while placing 2nd in the AFC South Division. The Texans are led by running back Arian Foster as the key fantasy producer of the team. They also have a solid wide receiver in DeAndre Hopkins who could provide a lot of value. The Texans are a team who likes to run the football and play good defense, so the odds of them having a lot of studs in fantasy are highly unlikely.

Quarterback

Ryan Mallett

Mallett will be competing for the starting QB job against Brian Hoyer. Mallet has limited experience, but he has a big arm. I don’t suggest drafting Mallett even if he wins that starting job because he doesn’t provide the upside that you will be looking for in a starting fantasy quarterback. Mallett will be served best as a weekly stream when facing favorable matchups.

Brian Hoyer

Hoyer finished last season ranked 25th among quarterbacks in fantasy production with 227.80 fantasy points while averaging 16.27 points per game with the Cleveland Browns. Hoyer had 10 games where he scored 10 or more fantasy points, and he had 4 games where he scored 20 or more fantasy points. Hoyer is competing with Ryan Mallett for the starting QB job. If Hoyer wins the job I would only consider him as a matchup play in fantasy because the upside and the consistency for fantasy production isn’t there with Hoyer.

Running Back

Arian Foster

Foster finished last season 5th among running backs with 277.05 fantasy points averaging 21.31 fantasy points per game. Foster had 12 games where he scored 10 fantasy points or more and he had 5 games where he scored 20 fantasy points or more. I like Foster a lot this year. You can snag him in the mid-late 2nd round of your draft, which is a great value considering the production that he will deliver for your team. The drawback with Foster is that he has an extensive injury history and is likely to miss games to due to injuries. Last year he was held out of 3 games due to injuries, and he missed more than half of the 2013 season due to a back injury. If Foster is in the starting lineup for the Texans then he’s more than likely going to be a top-5 back that week. He has had only 2 games in the last two years that he scored less than 10 fantasy points, and one of those games he left early with an injury. The Texans are going to run the ball a lot this year, and they are going to lean heavily on Foster to shoulder the load.

Alfred Blue

Blue is a high-end handcuff. He’s not super talented, but his value will skyrocket if Foster goes down with an injury due to the opportunity. If you draft Foster I recommend making Blue a priority later in your draft.

Chris Polk/Jonathan Grimes

Add both of these players to your watch list for waiver wire purposes. The odds are high that Foster could miss some time with an injury because he has a history of doing that. Both running backs have shown flashes that they can hang in the league, and there’s a chance that they could get a significant amount of touches if Foster misses any time due to an injury. Both these players are competing for a spot on the roster, and I would keep an eye on both of their situations during training camp.

Wide Receiver

DeAndre Hopkins

Hopkins finished last season ranked 15th among wide receivers in fantasy production with 233.50 fantasy points on the year averaging 14.59 points per game. Hopkins had 11 games where he scored 10 fantasy points or more, and he had 2 games where he scored 20 points or more. Hopkins is going to be an undervalued receiver in redraft this season due to his situation. He doesn’t have the best situation because he’s not paired with an elite QB, but he played with a carousel of bad QBs last season and was very productive. Hopkins has the ability to separate from defenders with his short area quickness, and he displays elite balls skills by having the ability to make incredible contested catches.

Jaelen Strong

Strong was selected in the 3rd round of the 2015 NFL draft by the Houston Texans. Strong is going to play on the opposite side of Hopkins where he should play role as the split-end where his main priority would be stretching the field. Strong is a big wide receiver (6’2 217), so he could develop into a red-zone option. Strong is a player you could draft as a flier to see if he develops into something, or just put on your watch list to pick up off waivers later in the season. He’s not an elite prospect, but he does have some qualities in his game that could make him fantasy relevant. If Strong doesn’t beat out Cecil Shorts in training camp for the WR2 job then I would place him on your watch list and keep an eye on his usage during the season.

Cecil Shorts

Shorts finished last season ranked 62nd among wide receivers in fantasy production with 126.30 fantasy points while averaging 9.72 fantasy points per game. Shorts had 4 games last season where he had 10 fantasy points or more. Shorts is going to compete with Strong for the WR2 job of that offense. I think Shorts has a good chance to win that job. There’s a good chance that he could be getting a lot of work in the slot. In fantasy Shorts has limited upside potential, and is a player you may want to avoid later in your draft. Shorts is more than likely going to be on the waiver wire in a lot of leagues, so he’s a player you must keep an eye on during the season because there’s a chance he could get enough targets to make him fantasy relevant.

Tight End

Cj Fiedorwicz/Garrett Graham

Neither of these tight ends are going to be players you are going to want to target during you fantasy draft, but you will want to note their snap counts and targets for streaming purposes during the season.

Defense/Special Teams

The Texans defense ranked 4th last season in fantasy production with 147 fantasy points. They had 7 games where they scored 10 fantasy points or more. (ESPN Standard) The Texans defense should be good again this season, and if you like drafting your defense and not playing the waiver wire matchups, then I suggest looking into them.

Need help making roster decisions? Need help on who to pick off the waiver wire? Need an opinion on that trade offer that’s in your inbox? I’m your guy, follow me on Twitter @bmatz08, and I’ll give you the guidance you need to make the best choice for your fantasy team.

Next: Arizona Cardinals Season Preview

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