Texans vs. Falcons: Week 5 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, C.J. Stroud, Dameon Pierce, Nico Collins, Tank Dell,

Welcome to our Texans vs. Falcons fantasy football start 'em, sit' em matchups analysis article for Week 5 of the 2023 NFL season.

Read our matchups analysis, player breakdowns, and lineup recommendations for the matchup and set those winning lineups. Good luck RotoBallers!

Houston Texans at Atlanta Falcons

Spread: Falcons -1.5
Implied Total: Texans (20) vs. Falcons (21.5)
Pace: Texans (5th) vs. Falcons (10th)
Texans Off. DVOA: 38.6% Pass (5th), -30.7% Rush (30th)
Falcons Off. DVOA: -25.3% Pass (31st), 1.7% Rush (10th)
Texans Def. DVOA: -9.1% Pass (7th), 5.1% Rush (28th)
Falcons Def. DVOA: 25.3% Pass (27th), -17.2% Rush (10th)

Matchups We Love

Bijan Robinson (RB, ATL)

This one's pretty simple. The Texans made Najee Harris look good on the ground last week, and now they face Robinson, who has been insanely efficient with his touches. Enough said.

C.J. Stroud (QB, HOU)

Stroud's completion percentage wasn't where you'd like it to be, but he made the most of his 16 completions against Pittsburgh, passing for 306 yards and two touchdowns. He's now averaging 303 yards and 1.5 touchdowns per game through four weeks. They're also 18th in pass rate over expectation, signaling a shift in philosophy from 2022. The Falcons are 27th in pass defense DVOA, setting Stroud up as a borderline top-12 QB.

C.J. Stroud through four games: 94-of-151, 1,212 passing yards, 6 TD, 0 INT.

That’s the second-most passing yards by a QB through 4 starts in NFL history.

And the third-longest streak without an interception to begin a career in NFL history.

The @HoustonTexans got a baller. pic.twitter.com/6Z8DL9F28r

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 1, 2023

Texans WRs

Crowning Tank Dell as the No. 1 may have been preemptive as Nico Collins stole the show against the Steelers. He consistently found openings in their secondary for chunk plays, averaging 24 yards per catch. Aside from Week 3, Collins has been the better player.

It's fair to wonder how often both can succeed simultaneously with other players like Robert Woods still taking away volume, but their arrow is pointing up just like Stroud. They're both top-36 receivers against Atlanta, whose secondary is much improved, with Collins as the clear favorite.

Matchups We Hate

Falcons Passing Attack 

Desmond Ridder getting benched is about as guaranteed as taxes. It's a matter of when not if. Only eight signal-callers have worse quarterback ratings than Ridder, and two of them were rookies making their debut in Week 4.

Jimmie Ward on what he sees from the Falcons offense:

"They got wide receivers... if they use them. I don't think they're trying to pass the ball."

The Texans safety also had high praise for Bijan Robinson. pic.twitter.com/w5yJREEiF6

— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) October 5, 2023

In the meantime, the Drake London scoring in London narrative prevailed as he found the end zone, while Jonnu Smith is now the team's TE1. For what it's worth, Smith is the TE10 on the season. Smith plays a more traditional tight end role while Kyle Pitts acts as a slot receiver, an area Ridder struggles to locate. Pitts is also still working his way back to full health. When a run-first offense faces an exploitable rush defense, there's even less reason to pass the ball. London, Smith, and Pitts are touchdown-or-bust options.

Other Matchups

Dameon Pierce (RB, HOU)

Houston is flipping the script, literally. In their past two contests, they've spent 16 minutes and 37 seconds in a neutral game script, 103 minutes and 23 seconds leading, and zero minutes trailing. The result for Pierce has been a combined 38 rushing attempts for 112 yards and a touchdown.

Those aren't top-15 numbers, but they're a vast improvement from where he was after Week 2. There's still a risk of ceding work to Devin Singletary and to a lesser extent, Mike Boone, but he's back on the radar as a top-24 back with scoring potential given the bye weeks.

Notable Injuries

Noah Brown (groin)

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