X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Houston Texans 2020 Fantasy Outlook

Rishi Patel looks at the projected fantasy football production for the 2020 Houston Texans to identify potential values and busts.

The Houston Texans have been winning the AFC South most of the time in recent memory. Yet, they cannot reach the conference championship game. After jumping out to a stunning lead against the high-octane Chiefs AT THEIR HOUSE last season in the playoffs, the Texans got their doors blown out once KC’s engine started.

After the 51-31 shellacking in the Divisional Round, the team made the list of biggest offseason losers after coach and GM Bill O’Brien traded stud WR1 DeAndre Hopkins for a burrito and some chips and guacamole (I have also heard different trade packages that featured soup and a loaf of bread being involved in this deal, but it’s still unclear as to what was involved). Whatever Hopkins was traded for, the Texans did not receive enough in return.

2020 should see the Colts and Titans generally be competitive in the division, so Houston will have its fair share of competition to reach the playoffs despite having an electrifying QB in Deshaun Watson. Let’s break down the WRs unit and other positions on this team from a fantasy perspective:

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Quarterback

As long as Deshaun Watson is on this team, the Texans always have a chance. The 24-year-old is mature on and off the field and is a true beast when it comes to playing football. Last season, he finished with similar stats to his 2018 campaign. Watson had 3,852 pass yards, 26 pass touchdowns, 12 picks, 7.8 pass yards per attempt, 256.8 pass yards per game, a 98-quarterback rating, 413 rush yards, and seven rush touchdowns. The QB had a 16.7 percent poor throws per pass attempt rate.

In fantasy, the Clemson product finished fifth last season among fantasy QBs after finishing fourth in 2018. Watson brings great fantasy value because of his stellar rushing abilities, and he finished fourth in rush yards among NFL QBs in 2019.

Watson will turn 25 during the 2020 season and is only beginning to head into his prime as he gets set to play his fourth NFL season. Because he has constantly proved himself, the QB is an elite fantasy option for 2020. Though the absence of Hopkins will hurt, there is no reason to doubt Watson because of his consistency, rushing upside, and the fact that there still are capable WRs such as Brandin Cooks and Will Fuller V. Because of this, you can roll with Watson as your QB1 in redraft leagues and he should once again be considered a top-five to top-seven fantasy QB heading into drafts.

 

Running Back

The Texans actually did get former Cardinals running back David Johnson in the Hopkins trade. He will serve as a replacement for RB Carlos Hyde who left for Seattle this offseason after rushing for over 1,000 yards as a Houston Texan last season.

As for Johnson, he has had one breakout year in his five-year career, which was 2016. The other four years have not been all that great from a stats perspective. Last season, the Northern Iowa product played 13 games for the Cardinals, but only accumulated 345 rush yards, two rush touchdowns, 3.7 rush yards per attempt, 26.5 rush yards per game, 36 receptions, 370 receiving yards, and four receiving touchdowns. He had 1.8 rush yards after contact per rush. He finished 37th among fantasy RBs thus.

The trade for former Dolphins RB Kenyan Drake during midseason foiled Johnson’s chance to be the star RB for Arizona and the writing on the wall was there for the 2015 pick. The 28-year-old’s tenure in the desert was often riddled with injuries, as the RB was sidelined for the 2017 season with a wrist injury along with missing some time in 2019 due to an ankle injury.

Though he should be considered the workhorse back on Houston, Johnson’s injury history may be a pause for concern. The RB has only had one breakout year in his career as well, and that will have been four seasons ago. It’s best to consider Johnson as an RB2 or RB3 on redraft teams when drafting considering owners have not seen his usage on the Texans yet. Of course, his status could elevate or decrease depending on how he plays as the 2020 season progresses.

The other back on this roster is former Brown Duke Johnson Jr. He is more of the pass-catching back. In his first season with Houston, the 26-year-old compiled 410 rush yards, two rush touchdowns, 4.9 rush yards per attempt, 25.6 rush yards per game, 62/534 targets (11.6%), 44 receptions, 410 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns. Based on his stats, it’s easy to conclude his role is that of the secondary back who is used for Watson to dump off passes to.

The former Miami Hurricane finished 35th among fantasy RBs last season. The RB’s role on this team is not of the workhorse back, so his stats and usage will naturally be a bit skewed. Because of this, Duke Johnson is best viewed as a flex piece in redraft leagues.

 

Wide Receiver

Without DeAndre Hopkins, the Texans will head forward with the WR committee of Will Fuller V, Brandin Cooks, Kenny Stills, and Randall Cobb. It’s impossible to tell who will be the WR1 out of this group. As the season progresses, owners should get more indication of that.

Nevertheless, it doesn’t help for draft purposes. In reality, all could be fantasy-relevant---to some extent. Cooks was brought in via trade to essentially replace Hopkins (another Bill O’Brien move). Nevertheless, the now “journeyman” WR took the back seat to fellow receivers Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods on the Rams last season.

In 14 games started last season, the 26-year-old managed to rack up 72 targets, 42 receptions, 583 yards, 13.9 yards per reception, two receiving touchdowns, 41.6 yards per game, and 52 rush yards. Cooks is capable of being a 1,000-yard receiver, as he had four consecutive ones before 2019 with the Saints, Patriots, and Rams. He should also see a fair number of targets from Deshaun Watson as the team looks to find their WR1.

The tricky aspect of this situation is there is no true, clear-cut WR1 on this team heading into drafts and that poses a lot of uncertainty. However, the safest options to choose are Cooks considering he was brought in for a reason, and Fuller, with whom Watson already has a strong rapport with. Cooks can be considered a WR2 or WR3 in redraft leagues to begin 2020.

26-year-old Will Fuller is the quintessential “boom or bust” fantasy player. He has averaged 14.3 yards per catch in his four-year NFL career and has been the big-play guy on this team. He finished second on the team in receiving last season, after Hopkins. The Notre Dame product sealed 49 receptions, 71/534 targets (13.3%), 670 yards, 13.7 yards per catch, and three touchdowns in 11 games played for 2019.

A lasting concern for Fuller will be setbacks, as he has nursed several injuries throughout his career. This has resulted in the WR not playing a 16-game set at all in four of his NFL years. Nevertheless, with his role set to expand, consider Fuller a WR2 for redraft as he and Cooks will headline this WRs unit.

Kenny Stills can be considered a flex piece in larger redraft leagues (think 12-14+ teams). Stills accumulated 40 receptions, 55/534 targets (10.3%), 561 yards, 14 yards per catch, four touchdowns, and 43.2 yards per game last season as the WR3 on the team.

Meanwhile, Randall Cobb, a longtime Packer, played one season for the Dallas Cowboys in 2019. There, he compiled 55 receptions, 83 targets, 828 yards, 15.1 yards per catch, three touchdowns, and 55.2 yards per game. If his role stays like this in Houston, he can merit flex value; however, it’s unclear how it will pan out. With Fuller, Cooks, and Stills ahead of him on the depth chart, the veteran should only be roster depth for fantasy.

The entire Texans receiver situation is a mess right now, but as the season progresses, owners should be able to tell which wideout is getting more targets. However, when drafting, players from this unit should not be considered dependable and solid fantasy options—just yet.

 

Tight End

The Texans return two potentially fantasy-relevant tight ends in Darren Fells and Jordan Akins. None are megastar names, but both provided very modest fantasy value last season. Fells finished 13th among fantasy TEs and Akins finished 26th.

Technically, it was Akins that finished with most of the better numbers, but Fells who offered better fantasy value in 2019. Nevertheless, their stats were very much similar. Akins had 36 receptions, 55/534 targets (10.3%), 418 yards, 11.6 yards per catch, and two touchdowns. He averaged 26.1 yards per game.

Meanwhile, Fells had 34 receptions, 48/534 targets (9%), 341 yards, 10 yards per catch, and seven touchdowns. He averaged 21.3 yards per game. The difference was touchdowns, as Fells offered better red zone value.

Neither can be relied on for consistent weekly production because of their generally small role on this offense; however, the subtraction of Hopkins could change that. Because Fells performed better in fantasy last season (solely because of his touchdowns), he is the safer option to choose. Nevertheless, both Akins and Fells should only be considered backup tight ends in redraft leagues unless one of them breaks out and there is a reason to elevate their status.

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Griffin Conine

To Have Shoulder Surgery On Tuesday
Luke Keaschall

Twins Prospect Luke Keaschall Suffers Broken Forearm
Logan Gilbert

Leaves Friday's Start With Forearm Tightness

Vikings Select Tai Felton To Finish Day 2

Seahawks Select Quarterback Jalen Milroe With The 92nd Pick Overall

Browns Select Dillon Gabriel 94th Overall

Packers Pick Savion Williams At No. 87 overall

Steelers Snag Kaleb Johnson In Round 3

Broncos Select Wide Receiver Pat Bryant With The 74th Overall Pick

Texans Select Jaylin Noel With 79th Pick

Lions Select Wide Receiver Isaac TeSlaa With The 70th Overall Pick
Jack Leiter

To Start On Sunday

Patriots Add Wide Receiver Kyle Williams In Round 3

Browns Draft Harold Fannin Jr. With 67th Pick
Garrett Mitchell

Makes Early Exit
Luke Keaschall

Removed Early On Friday
Blake Snell

Likely Avoids Major Injury
Cole Ragans

Dealing With Mild Groin Strain

Broncos Add RJ Harvey To Backfield With 60th Pick

Raiders Select Jack Bech With 58th Pick

Chargers Add Wide Receiver Tre Harris In Round 2
Detroit Lions

Lions Acquire 57th Pick From Broncos

Seahawks Draft Elijah Arroyo 50th Overall
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Acquire 51st Pick From Broncos
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Snag Will Johnson At No. 47

Jets Add A Pass-Catcher With Mason Taylor At No. 42

Rams Select Terrance Ferguson With 46th Pick
Houston Texans

Texans Acquire 48th Pick From Raiders, Draft Aireontae Ersery

Saints Snag Tyler Shough At No. 40
Brenton Doyle

Out For Personal Reasons On Friday
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Gary Payton II

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum

Officially Available On Friday For Game 3 Against Magic
Will Smith

Back From Injury On Friday
Luke Kennard

Questionable For Game 4 On Saturday
Darius Garland

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Ja Morant

To Miss Game 4 On Saturday
Rui Hachimura

Available For Game 3 In Minnesota
Aaron Ekblad

Available To Return Saturday
Erik Swanson

Ryan Burr Progressing
Daulton Varsho

To Return On Tuesday At The Latest
Max Scherzer

Takes Positive Step On Friday
Aleksander Barkov

Questionable For Saturday
Gabriel Landeskog

Set For Larger Role In Game 4
Calvin Pickard

To Start Game 3 For Oilers
Randy Arozarena

Resting For First Time This Year
Jonas Siegenthaler

To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3
MLB

Red Sox-Guardians Game Postponed On Friday
Luke Hughes

Remains Out On Friday
MLB

Tigers-Orioles Postponed On Friday
Patrik Laine

A Game-Time Decision Friday
Yainer Diaz

Out On Friday Against Royals
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Hopes To Start Rehab Assignment Next Week
Salvador Perez

Sitting Out For First Time This Season
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 3 On Friday
Brendan Donovan

Back In Action On Friday
Jimmy Butler III

Could Miss Game 3 On Saturday
Coby Mayo

Getting On A Roll At Triple-A
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF