RADIO
At first glance, the 2017 Houston Texans don't look like a fantasy football powerhouse. Despite making the playoffs last season, the team finished 29th in both passing yards and total yards. Behind quarterback Brock Osweiler, the team struggled to move the ball, struggled to score, and struggled to avoid turnovers.
In 2017, though, Osweiler is gone. Tom Savage looks good so far in training camp as his potential replacement and the team spent a lot of draft capital acquiring offensive players. The team still isn't an ideal place to find key parts of your fantasy team, but there are a good amount of players who can contribute.
Let's take a look at what the Houston Texans can do for you:
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Houston Texans 2017 Outlook
Offseason Moves
Let's take a look at the major players that Houston acquired through methods that were not either the Draft or undrafted free agency:
Offseason Additions: [This Space Left Intentionally Blank]
Oh.
Offseason Departures: QB Brock Osweiler, CB A.J. Bouye, DT Vince Wilfork, S Quintin Demps
Quarterback
The Texans made an NBA-style trade, moving Osweiler to Cleveland and throwing a second round pick in to get rid of the quarterback and his cumbersome contract. That left Houston with Tom Savage and Brandon Weeden on the roster, so they traded another second-round pick to Cleveland in order to move up and draft Clemson's Deshaun Watson.
Those names don't jump off the board--Savage has barely played in his first three seasons and Watson is a rookie who many think will need a little more time--but all the talk out of training camp has been that Savage looks very, very impressive. He is expected to be the starter going into the season.
Despite 2017 being his fourth season, Savage is still fairly unknown. He's looked more poised in the pocket than Osweiler did, but he's also never thrown a touchdown in the regular season and has never had a healthy season. Savage did have more yards per attempt and yards per completion last season than Osweiler did, so there's promise there if he stays healthy.
The most important thing about Savage, though? Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins believes in him.
Running Backs
Lamar Miller came over from the Dolphins before last season. There was a lot of hype. He went in the second round in a lot of fantasy drafts. And then? He had some injuries. The offense couldn't move the ball, which helped contribute to Miller only scoring six total touchdowns. He finished the season as the RB17 in standard formats. It...wasn't great.
Miller should be better this season as long as he stays on the field--the offensive line should be fine as long as Duane Brown ends his holdout soon and the offense under Tom Savage should be better than the offense last season under Osweiler.
The backup situation is a little less settled. Alfred Blue returns. His yardage and usage were down last season after a 2015 campaign in which he started nine games, but his yards per carry rose to 4.2.
Blue could lose his backup role though, to rookie D'Onta Foreman. Foreman, who rushed for over 2,000 yards last season for the Texas Longhorns, has size, moves well, and forces missed tackles. He could be a player to watch out for if anything happens to Lamar Miller.
Wide Receivers
Will Fuller's injury--which will likely keep him out for a couple of months--complicates the wide receiver picture in Houston. The team still has its star, DeAndre Hopkins, but Hopkins regressed badly last season, failing to reach 1,000 yards and getting to the end zone just four times. It's easy to blame most of this on Brock Osweiler's inefficiency--especially with Hopkins playing better during the brief time that Tom Savage saw the field--but there are still some things to worry about. Hopkins isn't the fastest player on the team, but with Fuller out the team might have to rely on him when they need to throw deep. In addition, the relatively unknown and unheralded Houston receiving core might not scare many secondaries, so Hopkins might not see much single-coverage. I think he bounces back this season, but I think there will be some games where he isn't able to get as much going as the team--and fantasy owners--would like.
Braxton Miller and Jaelen Strong will get to see a lot of playing time, especially for the first part of the season. Miller is best known as a college quarterback. Strong is best known for catching a long, Hail Mary touchdown in his rookie season. There are whispers that running back Tyler Ervin will see some time at receiver. Things look...bleak.
Tight End
There hasn't been a tight end during the Bill O'Brien-era that's really stood out. C.J. Fiedorowicz will be playing his fourth season in the NFL. He's coming off career highs in yards (559) and touchdowns (four), but he doesn't inspire much excitement. His backup, Ryan Griffin, had 442 yards and two scores. His backup backup, Stephen Anderson, barely played last season but has received a fair amount of hype from Texans fans. The way Houston uses their tight ends means that picking which player to own and play which weeks is a nearly impossible task.
Kicker
Nick Novak is the incumbent. Ka'imi Fairbairn has a chance to unseat him. Neither player is that attractive as a fantasy option, though Novak has been consistent in the past.
Defense
This is the true strength of this ballclub. J.J. Watt is back. Jadeveon Clowney finally looks like the player he was expected to be when he was the first overall pick in 2014. Brian Cushing is starting to decline, but Houston drafted Zach Cunningham in the second round this year and he's looked very good in training camp and the preseason. Houston's front seven--with the possible exception of the defensive tackle position after Vince Wilfork's retirement--looks stacked this year.
The secondary is a position of concern--gone are cornerback A.J. Bouye and safety Quintin Demps, both key contributors last season, though corner Kevin Johnson returns after missing most of last season with a foot injury. Kareem Jackson has spent some time at safety during training camp, which could help alleviate some of the team's issues at that position.
Fantasy Outlook
Fantasy owners should feel a little uneasy about owning any of the Texans offensive players, but there is upside. Lamar Miller can finish somewhere around the RB10 spot if he stays healthy. DeAndre Hopkins has the potential to finish around WR10 as well. Both players--especially Hopkins--are being drafted later than they were last season. Whoever emerges from the Savage/Watson fight has some limited value, especially in leagues where teams start multiple quarterbacks. The defense should be solidly in the "set-and-forget" tier for most of the season. The value is there if you're willing to take the risk.
