Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Houston, we have a problem.
Actually, not at all, but I have been waiting to be able to “say” that for quite some time now, and you are not going to ruin it. Anyway, we continue the Fantasy 32 series with the run-heavy Houston Texans. We are beginning to put a serious dent into all 32 teams and hopefully by the time we are finished, the 2013 season will be set to kick off.
Quarterback
Right now, Matt Schaub is more of a game manager than anything else. Especially when you consider the amount of times the Texans run the football, Schaub isn’t really called on to sling it around very often. The 22-year old won’t provide too much fantasy value for owners, as he has failed to throw for 25 touchdowns in each of the past three seasons. While he can toss for 4,000-plus yards, the touchdowns will never be there, considering this is a team that threw the ball just 24 times inside the opponent’s 10-yard line in 2012. His attempts have decreased substantially each year since 2009, and with an absolute stud in the backfield and a solid offensive line, there is no reason to believe it won’t happen again this season. Schaub may be a perfect fit as a backup fantasy quarterback if you are planning on drafting a guy like Robert Griffin III. Or he may be your best bet as a bye week option, but nothing more from a fantasy perspective.
Running Back
There may not be a more productive back over the past three seasons than Arian Foster. Since 2010, Foster has scored a total of 47 touchdowns, which is the most among any player in football. He’s also rushed for at least 1,200 yards in each season during that span and has been arguably the game’s best goal line rusher. Outside of Adrian Peterson, there is no better running back to choose from in all of football, but owners do have there concerns. No rusher has seen more touches (1,115) since 2010 than Foster and his yards per carry average has slipped each of the past three seasons. Still, Foster is still just 26-years old and there is no reason to believe his body is taking a major toll. Stop worrying, draft Foster inside the top three and enjoy the 13-15 touchdowns you will get out of him, making him a safe bet to league the lead in that department.
Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports
Wide Receiver
After suffering from injury-plagued seasons, Andre Johnson bounced back big time in 2012. He finished 4th in the NFL in receptions (112), 2nd in receiving yards (1,598) and 2nd in yards per contest (99.9). All of this while playing for an offense that runs the ball a ton and while having no legitimate threat on the other side to take attention off of him. Johnson only managed four touchdowns last year, his lowest in a full season since way back in 2005. Of course, that comes with the territory, as the Texans ran the ball a whopping 50 times inside the opponent’s 10-yard line last season, which ranked second most in football. Still, Johnson is a top-10 fantasy wideout who will catch a ton of passes for a ton of yards, but don’t expect double-digit touchdowns any longer, as they will be few and far between. Meanwhile, the Texans worked on finding someone to compliment Johnson when they drafted DeAndre Hopkins in the first round of April’s draft. A guy that has drawn tons of comparison to All-Pro receiver Roddy White, Hopkins has been impressive thus far during OTAs. He is a guy with great size, strong hands and is not afraid to go up and bring down the football. Consider him a very deep sleeper for fantasy, but I don’t see the Texans throwing enough to make him relevant. Dynasty leagues, however. Yes sir.
Tight End
It’s pretty much the same story with this receiving corp. Will Houston throw the ball enough? Last year, Owen Daniels was one of my Waiver Wire darlings, and for good reason. At times, he was the number one tight end in fantasy, but a handful of injuries slowed him down. Still, he finished inside the top ten and has the size and hands to tear opposing defenses apart when going over the middle. Of course, he’ll rarely score touchdowns, considering the high volume of run plays called inside the red zone, but Daniels is a relatively safe option for fantasy owners in 2013, just as long as he stays healthy.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
