5 players who Houston Texans need to be great in 2020

The Houston Texans won the AFC South last year, but after a questionable offseason these five players have to be great in 2020.

The Houston Texans had a nice season in 2020. They won the AFC South. beat the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round and had the Kansas City Chiefs on the ropes in the Divisional Round before blowing it.

Bill O’Brien has had some success as the Texans’ head coach, but his work as the general manager since stepping into that role is highly questionable. He traded star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals for running back David Johnson this offseason, then circled back and ceded a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for Brandin Cooks. The Hopkins trade was so bad even Madden rejected it.

Leaving aside any perception he has great security in his dual role, or he has security due to his dual role, this looks like a make-or-break year for O’Brien in Houston. On that note, these five players have to be great in 2020.

5. WR Will Fuller

The story with Fuller, the 21st overall pick in 2016, starts with injuries. He has missed 20 games over the last three seasons, and even last year’s career-highs in catches (49) and yard (670) look artificial when you take out big games in Week 5 (14 catches for 217 yards and three touchdowns) and Week 12 (seven catches for 140 yards).

With Hopkins gone, more attention can be devoted to containing Fuller as Houston’s primary deep threat. He’ll have greater opportunity coming his way for sure, with the inherent assumption he can buck the trend and be on the field for something close to 16 games.