With Las Vegas Raiders tight ends Michael Mayer and Jesper Horsted having strong training camps to this point, the Raiders released veteran O.J. Howard on Tuesday. Howard continues to decline after being a first-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in 2017. The 28-year-old didn't do much at all in his lone season with the Houston Texans last year, catching just 10 of 23 targets for 145 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games (10 starts). Howard hasn't gone over 146 receiving yards in a single season since 2019. The Raiders also have Austin Hooper in the mix at the position, so Howard was expendable. He'll attempt to latch on with another organization before the start of the regular season, but he's unlikely to return to fantasy relevance at this point.
Free-agent tight end O.J. Howard signed an undisclosed deal with the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday after visiting with the team. With Darren Waller now in New York and Foster Moreau currently on the open market, Howard joins Jesper Horsted and Cole Fotheringham as the tight ends on roster in Vegas. Howard, a former first-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017, could help stretch opposing defenses for the Raiders in 2023. The 28-year-old could have some sleeper potential as a TE2 in fantasy if Moreau doesn't re-sign, but Howard has done very little since his first two years in the NFL. Last year in 13 games (10 starts) for the Houston Texans, he had a career-low 10 receptions for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Howard has only 35 receptions for 426 yards and five touchdowns in the last three years combined.
The Las Vegas Raiders are hosting former first-round tight end O.J. Howard for a visit, according to sources. As the Raiders look to replace Darren Waller after they traded him to the New York Giants last week, Howard is a pass-catcher who can help stretch opposing defenses. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneer made 10 starts for the Houston Texans last year and disappointed with a career-low 10 receptions (23 targets) for 145 yards and two touchdowns in 13 total games. There is opportunity at the position in Vegas, as Jesper Horsted and Cole Fotheringham are the only two tight ends currently on the roster. Howard hasn't done much since his first two years in the league with Tampa, when he combined for 60 catches, 997 yards and 11 touchdowns in 24 games (22 starts).
Houston Texans tight end O.J. Howard (hip), who was listed as questionable for Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, has officially been ruled out for the regular season finale. It's a bit surprising that he's not active after returning to a full practice on Friday, but the Texans have decided to keep him out in a meaningless game. The 28-year-old finishes his first year in Houston with a career-low 10 receptions on 23 targets for 145 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games played (10 starts). With Howard out, Jordan Akins and Brevin Jordan will split the pass-catching duties at the position for the Texans, but neither of them are particularly attractive streaming options in fantasy at the position as the Texans play out the string.
Houston Texans running back Rex Burkhead (concussion) and tight end O.J. Howard are inactive for Week 13 against the Cleveland Browns. Burkhead will miss his first game of the year while dealing with a head injury, while Howard is a healthy scratch for this one. Rookie Dameon Pierce will continue to lead this backfield and will be looking to break out of a recent slump in a good matchup. Enjo Benjamin and Dare Ogunbowale will see expanded roles behind Pierce with Burkhead sidelined on Sunday. Howard played a season-low 16 percent of the offensive snaps in Week 12 and finds himself on the bench this weekend. Jordan Akins should be the Texans' top pass-catching tight end against Cleveland.
Houston Texans tight end O.J. Howard was targeted a season-high five times last week against the Chargers, but he brought in just two of those for 27 yards. After catching two touchdowns in the opener against the Colts, Howard has just three receptions since. With Jordan Akins taking targets away from him, Howard's role is too tentative to consider him as a fantasy option against the Jaguars on Sunday. Jacksonville allows the eighth-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends.
Houston Texans tight end O.J. Howard was a popular waiver wire add last week after he caught two touchdowns in the opener, but his performance in Week 2 against the Broncos might lead to him returning to those same wires. The Texans targeted tight ends on 10 of their 37 pass attempts, but just one of those targets went to Howard. Pharaoh Brown and Brevin Jordan had five and four targets, respectively, while Howard finished with just one reception for seven yards. It looks like Week 1 might have just been an anomaly.
Houston Texans tight end O.J. Howard caught a pair of touchdowns last week against the Colts, but he was also only targeted on those two plays the entire game. Heading into Week 2 against the Broncos, Howard is an enticing fantasy option, but the lack of usage outside of those touchdowns last week is worrisome. He's a boom-or-bust TE2 play in fantasy this week.
Houston Texans tight end O.J. Howard caught a pair of touchdowns in his debut for the team. That might sound like it makes him a top waiver priority at a shallow position, but the fact that Howard was only targeted twice catching both for 38 yards makes him a risky option going forward. The Texans like to spread the ball out and not use their tight ends heavily, so while Howard getting the touchdowns is encouraging, it's too early to think that he'll be a reliable fantasy option.
The Texans signed tight end O.J. Howard on Thursday. The 27-year-old was recently released by Buffalo and was expected to sign with the Bengals. However, he is now heading to Houston instead. The Buccaneers drafted Howard in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He began his career in Tampa Bay by recording 11 touchdowns throughout his first two seasons. Yet, he combined for only four over the next three years with the team. Nevertheless, there's a chance Howard could climb the depth chart, overtaking Pharaoh Brown and Brevin Jordan, so despite not having much fantasy value currently, that may change as the year progresses.
