RADIO
If you're in a dynasty league, the season never really ends. Right now, you're looking at draft boards and thinking about potential trades and stressing about how free agency will hurt all your players when they go somewhere else.
Here at Rotoballer, we know what you're dealing with, which is why we're breaking down each NFL team and how their players stack up in dynasty heading into the off-season.
Below is a position-by-position look at the 2018 Houston Texans. From Deshaun Watson's stellar quarterback play to the mess that is Houston's defensive backfield, we've got it all covered.
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Houston Dynasty Outlook
Team Record: 4-12 (3rd, AFC South)
Fantasy Leaders (taken from FantasyData.com)
QB: Deshaun Watson- 168.86 (QB26)
RB: Lamar Miller -157.5 (RB14)
WR: DeAndre Hopkins - 213.8 (WR1)
TE: Stephen Anderson - 40.2 (TE34)
IDP: Benardrick McKinney - 104.5 (LB36)
Quarterback
Well, this one is easy! Deshaun Watson is Houston's quarterback of now, tomorrow, and (hopefully) the next decade. Watson went down with a devastating knee injury this season, which cost the Texans their season. With Tom Savage under center, the team crawled to a 4-12 record.
Deshaun Watson is at the top of the list for quarterbacks you want in dynasty leagues. Tom Brady is nearing the end of his career. Aaron Rodgers is, somehow, 34-years-old, which seems impossible until you remember that he spent three seasons backing up Brett Favre. I have Watson and Russell Wilson vying for the number one spot for dynasty quarterbacks. Watch some tape of Watson's stint as the Texans quarterback this past season and you'll see why--he's able to move in and out of the pocket, able to make accurate throws on the run, and able to fire the ball downfield. Watson made Will Fuller a top-tier fantasy wideout, which is even more impressive when you realize Fuller was basically droppable after Watson went down. The only potential wrinkle comes with that knee injury, but Watson is expected to be ready for the start of next season.
The backup quarterback position is a lot trickier to pin down. Tom Savage and T.J. Yates are free agents and neither showed enough to justify a roster spot in 2018, though Savage could end up re-signed for the sake of continuity. Houston needs a mobile quarterback, someone with a skill set that resembles Watson's, to play behind the budding star. A player like that would have fantasy value if Watson goes down. A repeat performance of Tom Savage wouldn't.
Running Back
Lamar Miller was a disappointment in his second season as a Texan, finishing with fewer carries, yards, yards per carry, and touchdowns than he did in his first season, though he was more active in the passing game. The 2018 season will be Miller's seventh in the league. He doesn't have as much wear on his tires as other seventh-year backs after four seasons in Miami in which the Dolphins limited his touches, but there's still major concern when a player declines as Miller did.
None of that even takes into account that Miller could be a cap casualty. Houston could cut Miller and only have to pay $2,000,000 in dead space. That move would leave them with D'Onta Foreman as their lead back. Foreman is an intriguing option who looked fairly explosive when healthy this season, but he missed the last six games of the season with an Achilles injury. There's not a lot of tape on what Foreman can do as a lead back, but if he ends up taking over for Miller then his stock ends up just a little bit above where Miller's was this year. Houston's reliance on the passing game and Deshaun Watson's role as a runner put a cap on what Houston's backs can do, but Foreman is still capable of putting up stats. In Week 11 against Arizona, for instance, Foreman rushed ten times for 65 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Alfred Blue could be back as well. He's a free agent, but Houston used him as their main back over the final three games of the 2017 season. It wouldn't be a shock to see him brought back to play a reserve role. He doesn't have much fantasy value on his own, but his presence could hurt Foreman some.
Wide Receiver
DeAndre Hopkins needs no introductions here. Nuk finished the 2017 season ranked fourth in receiving yards (1378), first in receiving touchdowns (13), and sixth in receptions (96). Consider that Hopkins did this despite Tom Savage and T.J. Yates starting a combined ten games and you have to then wonder what Hopkins's ceiling is with 16 games of Deshaun Watson. There's a very, very arguable case for taking Hopkins first overall in a start-up dynasty draft--he's still relatively young, he's shown that he's match-up proof, and he's shown that he can weather an injury to his quarterback. (Just, you know, ignore 2016, because that was all Brock Osweiler's fault.)
Will Fuller is the opposite of Hopkins in many ways. Whereas Hopkins is known for his hands and his ability to excel despite tough circumstances, Fuller is much more of a speedster and struggled after Deshaun Watson went down. It's almost impossible to believe the change from the Watson-era to the Savage/Yates-era. In four games with Watson at quarterback, Fuller caught 13 passes for 279 yards and seven touchdowns. In his other six games, he caught 15 passes for 144 yards and no scores. Even with Watson back, that touchdown rate seems unsustainable, but Fuller is a strong option as a WR3 in shallower leagues and a WR2 in deeper leagues. ESPN's Mike Clay currently has Fuller ranked 25th at his position in dynasty leagues, which feels about right--he's got a ton of upside, but we saw at the end of the season that Fuller is unplayable in the wrong situation.
Braxton Miller is Houston's third receiver. Bruce Ellington (hamstring) could return and be in the mix. With Deshaun Watson at quarterback, there's upside to both players, but neither is consistent enough to earn much playing time. Both could have flex appeal in case of injuries to either Hopkins or Fuller, but neither are worth targeting during the off-season.
Tight End
It wouldn't be much of a surprise to see Houston look for a tight end in the offseason. C.J. Fiedorowicz suffered three concussions this season. He says he'll be back next year, but it's never a great sign to see a player as young as Fiedorowicz already discussing retirement. Ryan Griffin had a concussion too. Stephen Anderson flashed some good play, but he only had three catches for 20 yards over the last four weeks of the season. Anderson is probably the best pure receiver of that group, but he's unlikely to supplant a healthy Fiedorowicz on the depth chart. I'm steering clear of this situation until after free agency and the draft shake out. If the team goes into 2018 with just those three guys at the position, I'm likely going to continue avoiding it.
IDP
Just a quick rundown here: J.J. Watt is obviously great when healthy, but his health has become a real question. I'd sell on him if there's anyone who still places a good value on him. Jadeveon Clowney is a top defensive lineman and should be for years still. Benardrick McKinney didn't have a great 2017 season, but he could be a possible bounce back candidate. Zach Cunningham is going to get better, but probably not better enough to be rostered. Houston's defensive backs all fell outside the top 50 at the position this season. If you're looking for a buy-low candidate in the group, it would be Kevin Johnson, but the third-year corner didn't have an interception in 2017 and I'm not sold on the idea that he'll perform better by moving up the depth chart, which should happen with the rumored departure of Johnathan Joseph. Houston's big need on the defensive side is in the back field, but they don't have a first or second round draft pick. They'll need to turn to free agency to find a fix at corner or safety.
