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O.J. Howard signed with the Houston Texans this week. What is the fantasy football impact of Houston signing the former Buccaneers tight end?
Tight end O.J. Howard was released by the Bills following the preseason, but it didn't take the former Alabama star long to find a new home.
Howard is reportedly signing with the Houston Texans, where he'll join a tight end room that's rife for the taking if Howard can show that his injuries haven't slowed him down too much.
So, what kind of fantasy value does Howard have for the 2022 season?
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Will O.J. Howard Start In Houston?
It's unclear if Howard will start in Houston, as the team has Brevin Jordan and Pharaoh Brown at the position. But Howard should have a chance to compete for snaps on an offense that needs to find a reliable tight end, as they targeted the position just 100 times last season.
Howard has dealt with injuries off and on through his NFL career. His best season was in 2018, when he caught 34 passes for 565 yards and five touchdowns.
Last season, he had 14 receptions for 135 yards and a touchdown with the Buccaneers. Maybe he just needs a new start, but it's a little hard to see someone with those kinds of numbers stepping directly into a starting job with the Texans.
How Does O.J. Howard Impact Brevin Jordan?
The Texans tight end room isn't the league's strongest, so adding competition for Brevin Jordan isn't a great thing for the second-year tight end.
But it also might not be the worst thing. Howard and Jordan being on the field together creates more mismatches than either of them playing with Brown would create, so there's a chance that Howard opens more things up for Jordan.
Jordan is still the tight end that I have fantasy interest in on this team at this point, but that interest fades just a little because of this move.
What Is O.J. Howard's Fantasy Football Value?
It's no secret that the Texans were in dire need of offensive skill position players. But is Howard the kind of player that moves the needle for the team? Will he see the field enough to matter in fantasy?
He's been a fairly popular fantasy add over the last day since the news broke, but I have to imagine that's mainly in deeper leagues.
Houston's offense is expected to struggle too much and Brown/Jordan have such a head start over Howard that I'm not seeing Howard as more than the No. 2 or No. 3 tight end on this team. That's not a role that I like when it comes to fantasy.
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