The Houston Texans will face the Tennessee Titans in Week 18. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding TE Dalton Schultz.
Is Dalton Schultz Playing in Week 18?
Schultz is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any unexpected setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Texans’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Dalton Schultz in Week 18?
Tank Dell was lost for the season in Week 16 and over the past two games, Dalton Schultz has posted a 20.9% target rate (2024: 16.6%). A gain like that would have my interest in a big way if we were in the middle of the season and trying to solve a difficult tight end puzzle, but with just one week left and the Texans lacking incentive, I’m not buying into the recent usage uptick.
I’d be surprised if you got a full share of snaps for Schultz this week. Even if you do, we could be looking at a lot of Davis Mills on Sunday. I’m happy to not take on this sort of risk for what I view as very ordinary rewards.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 18 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Dalton Schultz’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
As of Sunday, Schultz is projected to score 8 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 3.2 receptions for 32.9 yards and 0.2 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Titans' Defense
Similar to the Bears, the Titans' defense looks like a talented unit that has finally begun to crack under the strain of supporting a non-functional offense.
The pass defense has really dropped off. The Titans ranked 10th in EPA per dropback from Weeks 1-9 but have fallen to 30th since Week 10. Only the Jets and Giants have worse pass defenses over that stretch.
Tennessee's defense hasn't been bad for most of the year, and it helped the team steal a couple of wins. Still, the overall results are below average, and the unit has plenty of room to improve next season.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Dalton Schultz’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 7:00 AM ET on Sunday, January 5. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Week 18 Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 18 TE PPR Rankings
1) Brock Bowers | LV (vs. LAC)
2) Sam LaPorta | DET (vs. MIN)
3) Trey McBride | ARI (vs. SF)
4) T.J. Hockenson | MIN (at DET)
5) Mark Andrews | BAL (vs. CLE)
6) Jonnu Smith | MIA (at NYJ)
7) Tucker Kraft | GB (vs. CHI)
8) George Kittle | SF (at ARI)
9) Chigoziem Okonkwo | TEN (vs. HOU)
10) Pat Freiermuth | PIT (vs. CIN)
11) Zach Ertz | WAS (at DAL)
12) Kyle Pitts | ATL (vs. CAR)
13) Hunter Henry | NE (vs. BUF)
14) Will Dissly | LAC (at LV)
15) Isaiah Likely | BAL (vs. CLE)
16) Jake Ferguson | DAL (vs. WAS)
17) Mike Gesicki | CIN (at PIT)
18) Juwan Johnson | NO (at TB)
19) Noah Gray | KC (at DEN)
20) Brenton Strange | JAX (at IND)
21) Dalton Kincaid | BUF (at NE)
22) Dalton Schultz | HOU (at TEN)
23) Cole Kmet | CHI (at GB)
24) Tyler Conklin | NYJ (vs. MIA)
25) Austin Hooper | NE (vs. BUF)
26) Noah Fant | SEA (at LAR)
27) Foster Moreau | NO (at TB)
28) Grant Calcaterra | PHI (vs. NYG)
29) Jordan Akins | CLE (at BAL)
30) Stone Smartt | LAC (at LV)
31) Daniel Bellinger | NYG (at PHI)
32) Ja'Tavion Sanders | CAR (at ATL)
33) Payne Durham | TB (vs. NO)
34) Dawson Knox | BUF (at NE)
35) Michael Mayer | LV (vs. LAC)
Texans at Titans Trends and Insights
Houston Texans
Team: The Texans are 4-6 over their past 10 games after winning 12 of 16 regular season games prior.
QB: C.J. Stroud threw 116 deep passes as a rookie, averaging 14.5 yards per attempt with nine touchdowns and zero interceptions in the process. This season, on 122 such passes, Stroud is averaging 11.0 yards per pass with five touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Offense: On Wednesday, the Texans averaged under 20 yards per drive for the fourth time this season – they did it once in 2023.
Defense: Week 17 was the fifth time this season that Houston failed to prevent a touchdown on a single red zone trip.
Fantasy: John Metchie III was the player who saw his stock rise the most in the first game following Tank Dell’s injury – he matched a season-high snap share (72.2%) and earned a 25.8% target share in the loss to the Ravens.
Betting: The Texans are 3-1 ATS against the AFC East this season and 3-8-1 ATS against the rest of the NFL.
Tennessee Titans
Team: Tennessee’s last home win in regulation was Week 18 last season (28-20 win over the Jaguars).
QB: Mason Rudolph has completed four passes against the blitz over the past three weeks – three have resulted in touchdowns.
Offense: The Titans are seven-of-20 on fourth downs this season (35%; they haven’t finished a season under 50% since 2019).
Defense: Tennessee fell to 0-7 on Sunday in weeks in which they did not force a turnover.
Fantasy: The on-field target share distribution with Mason Rudolph under center is about as split as it can be and that’s a pain for fantasy managers:
- Calvin Ridley: 23.6%
- Josh Whyle: 25%
- Chig Okonkwo: 23.4%
- Tyjae Spears: 23.4%
Betting: Tennessee is 0-7 ATS at home this season (failing to cover by an average of 6.2 points per game) and have covered just one of their past 11 in front of their fans.