The Houston Texans will face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13. 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 13 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
C.J. Stroud, QB
C.J. Stroud was QB7 twice in September and seemed to be in position to light the fantasy world on fire. Those hopes have since been extinguished as he hasn’t produced a top-12 week since the strong start.
I thought he left a few plays on the field last week and, for a second consecutive game, he had a long Nico Collins touchdown taken off the board. The breakout seems to be more of a matter of “when” and not “if,” so why not this spot?
The Jaguars own the seventh-worst red zone defense in the league and the Texans are averaging 17.6% more red zone trips per game since Collins’ return than through 10 weeks. Stroud currently sits at QB7 in my Week 13 rankings.
Joe Mixon, RB
Joe Mixon has finished each of his past seven games as a fantasy starter, a run of production that includes five top-eight finishes. His volume on the ground is as reliable as anyone this side of Derrick Henry, but how about a spike in passing-game usage last week with the game on the line?
C.J. Stroud clearly has unwavering trust in his bell-cow back, and that makes him a script-proof RB1 that you can take to the bank weekly. You got a great bargain on draft day in Mixon — it’s now on you to finish the deal with a championship!
Nico Collins, WR
That’s consecutive weeks with a long touchdown called back (a 33-yarder last week and a 77-yarder to kick off Week 11) for Nico Collins, a run of poor luck that his fantasy managers didn’t need after treading water without their WR1 for five games.
Even with those spike plays wiped off the board, Collins has produced 9.3% over expectations since his return to action, the five-yard touchdown in traffic against the Titans being another example of how well-rounded Houston’s star is.
The big plays are going nowhere due to the physical gifts and elite YAC abilities, something we’ve seen on full display recently via those two called-back scores. There are six receivers who I think have a chance to lead the position in points per game the rest of the way and Collins is a part of that list.
Tank Dell, WR
Tank Dell has scored 8.3-10.2 PPR points in three straight games and I worry that there is more downward trajectory than reason for optimism.
With Nico Collins operating at close to full strength, Dell was able to carve out only a 14.3% on-field target share, something that creates a low floor and could be predictive given that he was at a sub-15.5% in Weeks 2-3, the last time we saw Collins used as a true WR1.
On Sunday, his aDOT was 21.0 yards, further widening the range of potential outcomes. There are going to be weeks where Dell wins vertically like he did in the first half last week for a 39-yard gain. Sometimes, those looks may take place in the end zone. You do, however, need to be aware of the downside that comes with such a role (Weeks 2-3: 59 yards and zero touchdowns on 72 routes).
The Jaguars allow the second most yards per deep pass this season and that has Dell firmly in my Flex rankings, something that might not be the case long-term.
Dalton Schultz, TE
If you were holding out hope on Dalton Schultz, it’s time to move on. To be honest, it’s well beyond that time, but if you’re reading this section, that means that you’ve yet to pull the trigger.
Schultz’s 5.4% on-field target share last week was a career low (minimum 10 routes run) and ranked sixth on this team in a script that was reasonably slanted toward the passing game.
I don’t think we get a game flow that looks anything like that this week. Even if we do, it’s clear that C.J. Stroud is more comfortable looking elsewhere (Cade Stover posted season highs in receptions and targets last week with his first touchdown of the year).