The Post-Bill O’Brien Texans
The main question surrounding the Houston Texans in the off-season was around who would step up in the place of DeAndre Hopkins. And after a tumultuous spell as head coach and general manager, Bill O’Brien’s sacking has allowed the Houston Texans’ passing attack to flourish. So what is the outlook for the rest of 2020?
After a tough 0-4 start, many in the fantasy community were wondering just how much we could trust this Texans offense. However since Bill O’Brien left his post, Watson, and the Texans passing attack as a whole, has shown a marked improvement. Watson has thrown for at least 300 yards in three of the last four games, after reaching the mark just once in the first four games. In those four games Watson has thrown 11 touchdowns and two interceptions, compared to just six touchdowns and three interceptions in the previous four games. And as a result, the Texans wide receiver corps have similarly been providing fantasy managers with more consistent performances in recent weeks.
After much off-season hype, we’re finally seeing what can happen when Will Fuller stays healthy. Other than the week 2 outing versus the Ravens, Fuller has seen at least five targets in each game this season and has now scored a touchdown in six successive weeks. As a result, Fuller stands as the WR10 in half-PPR scoring, according to FantasyData, after amassing a total 590 yards and six touchdowns on 36 receptions. After concern in the off-season surrounding his injury history, Fuller has turned into an every-week starter. And after multiple trade rumors during the season, fantasy managers can feel confident knowing the guaranteed work coming Fuller’s way in this offense.
While Fuller’s performances have remained fairly consistent throughout the 2020 season, since Romeo Crennel took over as head coach, it is Brandin Cooks who has seen the most drastic improvement. Cooks has been the most targeted Texan receiver from week 5 onwards and has actually outscored Fuller in that time frame. He has seen 39 targets in total in the last four games, and at least nine targets in each of them, after only seeing more than five once in the opening four weeks.
And he is turning this increased opportunity into production. He has now reached at least 50 receiving yards in each of the last four games, in comparison to just one such game over 50 yards in the opening quarter of the 2020 season. He has also found the end zone three times in the last four games.
This week’s matchup against Cleveland looks to be another advantageous one for the Texans passing attack, with the Browns allowing the tenth most points to quarterbacks and the fifth most to wide receivers, according to FantasyData. The schedule after this week looks a little tougher, with two games against a stingy Colts defense, as well as games against the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots.
Although the Texans are hardly becoming more competitive in the AFC South, they are at least providing fantasy managers with more consistent production in the passing game. Both Fuller and Cooks have big-play ability – something they’ve both shown in recent weeks. Cooks in particular looks to be a perfect target for fantasy managers needing reinforcements at the receiver position. Despite his improved performances Cooks still appears to be somewhat undervalued by the fantasy community. With his consistent target share over recent weeks, he can be started with a decent amount of confidence going forward.