The Houston Texans will face the Tennessee Titans in Week 12. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Texans skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 12 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans Inactives
Note that the full inactive list is released by teams 90 minutes before kickoff. This list will be updated at that time.
C.J. Stroud, QB
Nico Collins returned last week, and the results for C.J. Stroud were … well, they were nothing like what we expected.
With his WR1 back, I didn’t expect a zero-TD, lowest-aDOT-of-the-season performance against the vulnerable Cowboys. Of course, all of that changes if the 77-yard touchdown to Collins on the first play stands, but it didn’t and this offense was far more conservative than I thought we’d see.
I don’t think what we saw last week was a sign of things to come, but the Titans are the second-best defense in terms of yards per pass against, making them a less-than-perfect opponent for this offense to hit its stride.
All of that said, I do expect the rust to be knocked off and for Stroud to come out with more aggression this week than last. I’m starting him where I have him, though I do have him ranked closer to QB12 than QB5.
Joe Mixon, RB
Joe Mixon’s volume didn’t flinch with the return of Nico Collins on Monday night (22 touches for 153 yards and three scores), and he’s essentially an older version of what Kyren Williams was at the end of last season and the beginning of this one.
Do I love a veteran running back on a short week? Not usually, but we have no reason to doubt this profile.
Mixon’s carry projection was set at 21.5 by sportsbooks last week; if we get a line like that this week, I’ll again bet the under as this could be a pass-centric game based on matchup (the Titans are allowing just 3.7 yards per carry to opposing running backs this season, third-fewest) and rest situation with the bye coming up (Week 14),
Even with me committing to that angle, I have Mixon ranked as a top-10 RB this week due to the floor that comes with being featured in this offense.
Nico Collins, WR
Nico Collins was on the field for 46.7% of Houston’s offensive snaps in his return to action on Monday night, and it took him one whole play to remind us of what we were missing.
77-yard screen pass, touchdown. Easy game.
A little too easy, as an ineligible man downfield brought the play back, but the point remains that there is some elite explosion in this profile, and the Texans are very much in getting him up to alpha playmaker speed as soon as possible.
Even in a game that ultimately required little aggression through the air, Collins led this team in catches, targets, receiving yards, and yards per route, a sign of things to come. It goes without saying that he’s locked into your lineup and if you’re at all concerned about the Titans allowing the second-fewest receptions of 15+ yards to receivers per game this season, it’s worth noting that L’Jarius Sneed sat out Week 11 with a quad injury.
It’s wheels up for Collins managers!
Tank Dell, WR
Might Tank Dell just kind of be an ordinary receiver? In seven of 10 games this season, he’s finished in the WR32-52 range. While that is more usable than it sounds, it’s certainly not growth from a strong rookie campaign.
As expected, his average depth of target regressed in favor of a slightly more involved role on Monday night with the return of Nico Collins, but it consistently resulted in the same basic production that landed him around 10 PPR points.
The Titans are the toughest deep-ball matchup that Dell can face (second-fewest yards per deep pass allowed this season, trailing only the Texans), and that’s not ideal for a breakout spot. However, he was schemed up to open both halves last week, and that gives me confidence we see another game with 6-8 targets and 9-12 PPR points. Viable? Yes. Special? No.
Dalton Schultz, TE
Dalton Schultz saw seven targets in Monday’s dismantling of Dallas (his second-highest total of the season), but he managed just 33 yards. His regular-season scoring drought is now over a calendar year, and without much equity in that regard, his path to upside isn’t clear for standard leagues.
There’s a reasonable PPR floor that is worth chasing, as he is pretty clearly the third option in this passing game, but do so with the understanding that Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and Joe Mixon will soak up the vast majority of opportunities in scoring position.