The 2020 season was always going to be crucial for Will Fuller in a contract year, and both personally and for fantasy football teams, he was succeeding in impressive fashion. However, with the news on Monday that Fuller has tested positive for a banned substance, leaving fantasy managers wondering whether it will be Randall Cobb, Keke Coutee, or another Texans WR who becomes a potential fantasy football star in Houston.
[sv slug=”mkftop”]Will Fuller was having a career year prior to his suspension
Will Fuller’s five-year NFL career has been a rollercoaster ride for the Texans’ wide receiver. After an impressive rookie year in which he was targeted 92 times for 635 yards and two receptions, the Texans’ WR has struggled with injuries. In the following three seasons, he had played just a combined 28 games and only got over 70 targets once, in 2019.
When he was on the field, Will Fuller was successful; he averaged over 13 yards per reception in 2016 and 2019 and over 15 yards per reception in 2017 and 2018. He also scored a more than respectable 14 touchdowns in those 28 games between 2017 and 2019.
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However, in 2020, as he stepped up in an attempt to replace the loss of DeAndre Hopkins, Fuller was on pace to beat his rookie season target numbers, with 75 through the first 11 weeks. He had already put up career-numbers in receiving yards (879) and touchdowns (8), with his yards per receptions going over 16.5, placing him fifth in the NFL this season.
Fuller, who was a target for the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers at the trade deadline, is now suspended six games for violating the NFL policy on Performance Enhancing Substances. The Texans organization will also be without cornerback Bradley Roby, who was also suspended for six games for violating the banned substance policy. He issued a message after Fuller’s in which he apologized to the Texans organization, his teammates, family, and the fans.
However, from a fantasy football perspective, the loss of Fuller is a major one for the Texans WR group and fantasy managers. Which Texans WR can fantasy football managers expect to step up now? Randall Cobb and Keke Coutee have both had moments of relevance in the 2020 season, or will be another Texans WR that steps up in Will Fuller’s absence?
Randall Cobb had been the Texans third WR before being placed on the IR
In his 10 year career in the NFL, wide receiver Randall Cobb has been a valuable contributor, seeing over 80 targets in six seasons. He has been serving the role as the third WR for the Texans through the first 10 games of the season. However, that roll had been somewhat up and down. Cobb was on pace for 75 targets in 2020, but he had struggled to really light up the box score outside a couple of games in which he had 95 yards receiving (Weeks 3 and 7).
Cobb had continued his career-long role as a slot receiver, with Brandin Cooks and Will Fuller on the outside. However, in Week 11 against the New England Patriots, Cobb injured his toe and was placed on the injured reserve. There is optimism surrounding his stay on the IR being for the minimum allowed time of three weeks. However, after the Texans gave Cobb a three-year contract as a free agent WR this past season, there is a chance they may not activate him at all in 2020.
Even if Cobb is activated, there is no reason to expect his role to expand significantly without Fuller. Cobb and Fuller are different styles of WR for the Texans, and it is likely that any gain Cobb sees is marginal.
Keke Coutee could be the big winner from Will Fuller’s suspension
Keke Coutee’s career in Houston has never really got going. The Texas Tech product has flashed in moments when replacing an injured Will Fuller in the past two seasons, but he has never had an opportunity to be the true WR2. That opportunity is now there for the taking for Coutee to prove the Texans can allow fellow WR Fuller to depart as a free agent in the upcoming offseason.
Through his first two seasons, Coutee played in just 15 games, of which he started six. In those opportunities, he saw 77 targets, 60 receptions, 541 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. So far in 2020, Coutee has played in just three games, seeing nine targets, with six receptions, 38 yards, and a touchdown. Seven of those targets have come in the last two weeks.
Coutee has had his own troubles with injuries, and he is by no means a safe bet to run off a string of four or five games to end the season. However, with Brandin Cooks likely already on a roster in most fantasy leagues and Randall Cobb on the IR, Keke Coutee might very well be the best fantasy option to replace Will Fuller down the stretch.
Which other players could see an increase in value in the coming weeks?
The Texans have one other WR on their depth chart currently. Coulter has spent the majority of his rookie season on the injured reserve with a neck injury. He was activated ahead of the Texans’ Week 12 game against the Detroit Lions, but he did not suit up for the game.
Coulter was a 2020 NFL Draft fifth-round selection for the Texans out of Rhode Island College. Per Player Profiler, Coulter finished his college career with 132 receptions for 1855 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. Coming from a small school, Coulter may have a significant adjustment to the NFL, and having missed so much time with a neck injury will not have helped him get up to speed.
The Texans have three wide receivers on their practice squad, Chad Hansen, Damion Ratley, and Artavis Scott. All three would likely only be depth options if they were activated, but all three are names to keep an eye on in the coming weeks in case they are pressed into significant roles.
The other players to potentially benefit from the absence of Will Fuller are tight ends Jordan Akins and Darren Fells, who have seen a combined 41 targets this season. Both offer potential streaming value at the tight end position, but their production this season has been consistent. Fells is leading the two in snaps this year and has caught three touchdowns. Both are worth consideration as speculative pickups if you need a boost at the tight end position.
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