Houston Texans News

Although the Houston Texans acquired running back David Montgomery in an offseason trade with the Detroit Lions, second-year back Woody Marks should "stay fresh in a complementary role that should involve a lot of opportunities to catch passes out of the backfield," according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Sports. As long as Montgomery stays healthy, Marks won't have an opportunity to take over a three-down role in Houston, but he could still be very valuable for fantasy managers in PPR leagues, and RotoBaller has Marks currently ranked as the No. 45 overall RB in half-PPR setups. The former fourth-rounder out of USC in 2025 was a prolific pass-catcher as a Trojan and during his time at Mississippi State. Marks finished his rookie campaign in the NFL with a team-high 703 rushing yards on 196 carries after taking over the starting gig from veteran Nick Chubb. The 25-year-old added 24 receptions on 36 targets for 208 yards and three scores through the air in 16 regular-season games (eight starts). In college, Marks had at least 47 catches in four of his five seasons.

A third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Houston Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel played a limited role in his team's offense as a rookie. Across 17 games (three starts), the 23-year-old hauled in 26 receptions for 292 yards and two touchdowns on 35 targets. Noel's path to meaningful playing time out of the slot in Houston was largely blocked off by veteran wideout Christian Kirk, who departed the Texans in free agency for the San Francisco 49ers. However, Houston will likely be getting back wide receiver Tank Dell (knee) from the disastrous knee injury that cost him the entire 2025 season. With Nico Collins and Jayden Higgins entrenched on the outside, Noel could once again find himself on the outside looking in with the Texans in 2026. With Dell's uncertain health situation, Noel could work his way into a starting role as the team's WR3. Still, his playing time and production outlook remain murky after his underwhelming rookie year. RotoBaller currently ranks Noel as the 75th-best wide receiver for dynasty formats heading into 2026.

After spending the last three seasons as a member of the Detroit Lions, veteran running back David Montgomery was acquired by the Houston Texans over the offseason. Montgomery had a successful stint with Detroit, recording over 2,500 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns across 45 games with the team. However, the emergence of Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs led to Montgomery averaging a career-low 10.7 touches per game in 2025. In Houston, Montgomery profiles as the clear lead back and should have a chance to re-establish himself as a top-24 fantasy running back. Montgomery is entering his age-29 season, so he may not be the long-term answer in Houston. Still, his dynasty outlook is significantly improved following his offseason change of scenery.

Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins wasn't the flashiest name last season, but he still managed to finish as the WR8 in PPR leagues. That was the best mark of his career, and it was the second time that he finished among the top 12 receivers in the last three years. He had 71 catches, 1,117 yards, and six touchdowns, and he presumably would have ranked even higher if he hadn't missed two games due to injury. Collins managed to produce at a high level despite the inconsistent quarterback play of C.J. Stroud, who had a shaky third season. If Stroud doesn't bounce back in 2026 and beyond, it's encouraging to know that Collins can still be a top-12 receiver with iffy quarterback play. However, if Stroud does have a big year, then Collins has legitimate top-five upside in both redraft and dynasty leagues. He's a firm "hold" for now, and he ranks as RotoBaller's dynasty WR11 at the moment.

Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (knee) has made a lot of progress in his recovery from a devastating knee injury that he suffered in December of 2024 in which he dislocated his knee and tore the ACL, MCL, and LCL ligaments, according to KPRC2 Sports' Aaron Wilson. While Dell is making progress since having two surgeries on his knee and is running and cutting in his routes, he's not 100% yet. "Tank Dell looked good," fellow wideout Nico Collins said. "I'm glad he's back now and getting his groove back. You know how much this game means to him, and nobody wants to get hurt the way he did. So, his work ethic, his mindset on the road to recovery, was amazing. So, it's only right he gets back on the field with us, with his brothers, and get back to what he's been doing. I'm happy he's back." The 26-year-old will most likely be limited in the team's upcoming organized team activities at the end of March, but the Texans are still holding out hope that he'll contribute at some point in 2026. Whenever Dell is finally available to Houston again, he'll be competing for a role in a suddenly crowded receiver room that includes Collins, Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel, and Xavier Hutchinson, and there's no guarantee that he'll be able to return to the form that he showed in his first 25 games (18 starts), when he caught 98 of his 156 targets for 1,376 yards and 10 touchdowns. Dell is a major fantasy question mark and is currently ranked as RotoBaller's No. 64 dynasty WR.

Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz put together a steadily productive campaign in 2025, recording 82 receptions for 777 yards and three touchdowns on 106 targets across 17 games. While Schultz has been a fantasy-relevant tight end at different points, 2025 is the only season of his eight-year NFL career with at least 100 targets and 80 catches. The 29-year-old has never averaged more than 10.8 yards per reception, so he's heavily reliant on target volume for fantasy production. Schultz remains atop the Texans' tight end depth chart heading into 2026, but he may be facing a significantly reduced role in his team's offense. Houston added veteran tight end Foster Moreau in free agency and used a second-round pick on tight end Marlin Klein in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Texans should also get more out of tight end Cade Stover, who missed eight games in 2025 with a foot injury. In dynasty formats, fantasy managers may want to consider selling high on Schultz before the start of the 2026 season.

Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell suffered a gruesome knee injury in Week 16 of the 2024 season, which ended his sophomore campaign and caused him to miss all of the 2025 season. After dislocating his knee and tearing multiple ligaments, his recovery has been arduous, but signs now point to his eventual return in 2026. Dell has been participating in the early stages of organized team activities, and there is a belief he could be ready for the start of the season. With the Texans adding Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel in the 2025 NFL Draft, it's uncertain how the receiver rotation will work out alongside two-time Pro Bowler Nico Collins. Dell has taken more than 70% of his professional snaps on the outside, so despite vastly different body types, his most direct competition would appear to be the 6'4", 215-pound Higgins. Dell finished as WR38 as a rookie in 2023, and he's risen back up to WR66 in RotoBaller's dynasty rankings after falling as low as WR87 in consensus ranks. That said, with the improved depth of the position since he last took the field, the ceiling could be capped for all Texans pass-catchers outside of Collins.

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has been locked in this offseason and is focused on ways to improve after a second straight disappointing campaign in 2025. ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime reports that Stroud made a noticeable change to his diet to slim down this offseason, avoiding sugars and carbs. The Texans picked up Stroud's fifth-year option for the 2027 season, but 2026 will be a prove-it year to convince the team that he deserves a long-term extension. Photographs on Instagram that Stroud has shared in the weight room show a more shredded and slimmed-down version of himself. The former second overall pick out of Ohio State was a Pro Bowler in his first NFL season in 2023, throwing for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and five interceptions in 15 regular-season starts, but he hasn't come close to those numbers the last two seasons, and he threw for a career-low 3,041 yards and 19 TDs in 2025. The 24-year-old hasn't always been helped by the offensive line in front of him, but he appears determined to turn things around, and a bounce-back campaign could be coming if second-year wideouts Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel can step up behind WR1 Nico Collins. Target Stroud as a QB2 with upside in fantasy drafts this fall.

Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins showed flashes as a second-round rookie in 2025, but his path to a Year 2 leap could come with struggles along the way. The biggest obstacle could be the quarterback play of C.J. Stroud, who has regressed each year since his historic rookie campaign in 2023. The Texans have invested heavily in the offensive line, which should have a ripple effect on Stroud and the offense as a whole, but Higgins will still need to carve out a meaningful role to find dynasty staying power. Higgins scored two touchdowns in the three games missed by two-time Pro Bowler Nico Collins, and with the two both profiling as prototypical X-receivers, Higgins may not always find the field in two-receiver sets. With fellow second-year Cyclone Jaylin Noel expected to inherit Christian Kirk's role out of the slot, Higgins could find himself in a rotation with Tank Dell, who is on track to return from the 2024 knee injury that cost him the entire 2025 season. Higgins has the traits to become a consistent fantasy producer, but dynasty managers may be underwhelmed by the opportunities he sees in his second season, and at RotoBaller's WR44, he merely remains a hold until he proves he can overcome the situation.

The long-term dynasty success of Houston Texans running back Woody Marks will likely come down to his role in the passing game. As a rookie in 2025, Marks caught only 24 passes despite coming into the league as one of the most prolific receiving backs in college football history. With eight-year veteran Nick Chubb offering little in the running game, Marks was forced into a lead-back role for much of the season, but the fourth-round pick was not overly efficient on the ground, averaging only 3.6 yards per carry. With the Texans sending fourth and seventh-round picks to acquire David Montgomery, the former Lion and Bear is expected to handle the bulk of early-down, between-the-tackles work for Houston. The Texans have a recent history of turning the backfield over to a fourth-round rookie, with Dameon Pierce picking up 939 yards on 220 carries in 2022, only to drop off the fantasy map in later seasons. For Marks to have any dynasty staying power, he will need to lean on his obvious pass-catching abilities to carve out a meaningful change-of-pace role.

Despite another disappointing season in 2025, the Houston Texans have had nothing but good things to say about quarterback C.J. Stroud this offseason, according to Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle. "C.J.'s done a really good job all offseason just continuing to be locked in, continuing to prepare the right way," head coach DeMeco Ryans said. "Proud of the work that he's putting in right now." When CEO Cal McNair was asked about Stroud, he said, "We're fully committed to C.J." The Texans unsurprisingly picked up Stroud's fifth-year option for the 2027 season, so they now have two seasons to work out a potential long-term extension with the former second overall pick in 2023 out of Ohio State. The 24-year-old had career lows in passing yards (3,041) and passing touchdowns (19) in 14 regular-season games in 2025 in his third year in the NFL. It's now been two straight down years after his Pro Bowl season in his rookie campaign, and fantasy managers will be wondering if Stroud can ever get back to his rookie level, when he threw for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and five interceptions in 15 regular-season starts. He's going to need both Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel to step up alongside Nico Collins, and having Tank Dell (knee) contribute will be big as well. For fantasy purposes, Stroud's dynasty stock is obviously down, but a bounce-back is entirely possible in 2026.

Since a historical 2023 rookie season in which he passed for 4,108 yards and threw 23 touchdowns to only five interceptions, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has seen his production and fantasy value drop year after year. Missing three games in 2025, he barely topped 3,000 passing yards, and his season-ending Divisional Round loss to the Patriots, in which he completed 42.6% of his passes while throwing four interceptions, has left a sour taste in the mouths of dynasty managers. Once charting in as high as QB2 in consensus dynasty rankings, Stroud now ranks as RotoBaller's QB18. The Texans exercised his fifth-year option in April, giving them two more years of team control before a long-term decision on his future will need to be made. Houston has spent the past two drafts building around its young signal-caller, first with receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel in 2025, and then with offensive linemen Keylan Rutledge and Febechi Nwaiwu in 2026. With the expected return to health of one of his favorite targets from his rookie season, Tank Dell, the pieces are falling into place for Stroud to outperform his current value and level off as a dependable QB2.

The Houston Texans and Pro Bowl linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair agreed to terms on a three-year, $54 million contract extension on Wednesday, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Al-Shaair was a first-time Pro Bowler in 2025 in his second season with the Texans, and he finished with 103 tackles (48 solo), a career-high two interceptions, nine pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in 16 regular-season starts. The 28-year-old former undrafted free agent out of Florida Atlantic has 100-plus combined tackles in three of his seven NFL seasons and has accumulated a total of 535 tackles (288 solo), six sacks, four interceptions, 24 pass breakups, five forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries in his seven years in the league. The middle linebacker had surgery on his thumb in the offseason, but he should be recovered in time for Week 1 of the upcoming 2026 season to run it back with one of the best overall defenses in the league. Al-Shaair finished as the No. 38 linebacker in 2025 in IDP fantasy formats.

Houston Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel took nearly two-thirds of his snaps out of the slot as a rookie after seeing nearly a 75% rate at Iowa State, but his path to playing time in 2025 was often blocked by veteran Christian Kirk. Kirk signed a one-year deal with the 49ers in free agency, and the primary slot duties in Houston should now fall to Noel. 2023 third-round pick, and a personal favorite target of quarterback C.J. Stroud, Tank Dell is expected back after missing all of his third season with a dislocated knee and multiple torn ligaments. Despite his small frame, Dell has spent most of his time on the outside since turning professional, and while 2026 will mark his first time working in offensive coordinator Nick Caley's system, history would suggest that, despite their radically different body types, he will present more of a competition to Jayden Higgins in two-receiver sets. Noel should still see plenty of run as the third receiver on the field in 11 personnel, and at RotoBaller's WR72, it's possible he's being severely slept on after showing significant flashes in the two mid-season games missed by Kirk.

Houston Texans running back David Montgomery was acquired this offseason when the team sent a package, including their 2026 fourth-round pick, to the Detroit Lions. Montgomery joined a backfield that was dominated, largely out of necessity, by 2025 fourth-round pick Woody Marks, and with the Texans entering the NFL Draft with few glaring needs, there was a thought that they could add an additional body to the room. That did not come to pass, and Montgomery escaped the weekend as the clear top back on the depth chart. While splitting time with former first-round pick and three-time Pro Bowler Jahmyr Gibbs, Montgomery averaged more than 70 yards and .73 touchdowns per game in their time together. Marks is a reliable pass catcher who will prevent him from taking on a full bellcow role, but Montgomery is in a position to handle his largest workload since his time in Chicago, and at RotoBaller's dynasty RB31, he is a smart buy for contending managers.

The Houston Texans have selected Boston College wide receiver Lewis Bond with the 204th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Bond saw increased production across his five years with the Eagles, leading the team with 88 catches for 993 yards in 2025, though he found the end zone only once. Operating primarily out of the slot and winning with toughness and strong hands, his lack of size or elite traits may catch up to him as he makes the jump up to NFL competition. With Tank Dell and Jaylin Noel already working in a similar space for the Texans, Bond could struggle to find the field and is unlikely to make any fantasy impact early in his career.

The Houston Texans have selected University of Michigan tight end Marlin Klein with the 59th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. Across 11 games with the Wolverines in 2025, Klein recorded 24 receptions for 248 yards and one touchdown. While Klein's collegiate numbers don't stand out, he's regarded as a high-upside developmental prospect. Klein won't necessarily be expected to contribute right away in Houston, as the Texans have Dalton Schultz and Cade Stover atop their tight end depth chart. As a result, Klein has more fantasy appeal in dynasty formats than redraft leagues for 2026.

The Houston Texans have traded up from pick 28 to pick 26 to select Georgia Tech interior offensive lineman Keylan Rutledge. Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Houston is sending picks number 28, 69, and 168 to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for picks 26 and 91. Rutledge began his college career at Middle Tennessee State before transferring to Georgia Tech for his final two collegiate seasons. The Texans have fielded one of the least consistent offensive lines in the NFL over the last two seasons, so Rutledge should have a chance to step in as a starter immediately. Rutledge's presence in Houston should be a boost for Texans running back David Montgomery and quarterback C.J. Stroud.

According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, several teams have checked in on the status of Houston Texans' top wide receiver Nico Collins. Schultz noted that many teams in the league believe Collins is seeking a contract adjustment, which could open the door to a trade. However, at this time, a trade remains "highly unlikely." Collins has spent his entire NFL career with the Houston Texans since joining them in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Michigan. After a slow start to his career, the wideout turned in a massive Year 3 breakout when he totaled 1,297 yards with a career-best eight touchdowns. In 2025, Collins caught 71 passes, the second-most of his career, for 1,117 yards and six scores. With Houston, Collins figures to remain the focal point of the passing attack and remain a low-end WR1 for fantasy in the upcoming campaign.

The Houston Texans and All-Pro edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. agreed to a blockbuster three-year, $150 million contract extension on Friday, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. The deal includes $134 million guaranteed to make Anderson the league's highest-paid non-QB ever. The deal also includes a rare no-trade clause. The 24-year-old is one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL after he was taken third overall by Houston in the 2023 NFL draft out of Alabama. Anderson has had double-digit sacks in each of the last two seasons and finished last year with a career-high 54 tackles (35 solo), a career-high 12 sacks, 20 tackles for loss, 23 QB hits, three pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries (one returned for a touchdown) in 17 regular-season starts. He was a big reason the Texans had the top-ranked defense in the NFL in 2025, and he finished as the No. 6 defensive lineman in IDP fantasy formats. Anderson finished second behind Myles Garrett in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2025.