Now, I will try to remain as impartial as possible, but I am a huge Texans fan….. which may shine through a little in this preview. The Texans have a talented squad, but they never seem to have enough to take them deep into the playoffs, as the last few seasons have shown. The offensive line is once again a massive concern, and without Deshaun Watson they have no hope in making the playoffs in what looks a fairly tough AFC South.
As for Watson, he put together a decent second season and showed his rookie season was no fluke. In terms of touchdown value the Clemson product has rushed for 7 scores in 23 starts, so may be a popular selection as the season progresses, especially as he will no doubt be running for his life once again.
In the backfield, Lamar Miller finally has some competition, especially on 3rd down with the addition of Duke Johnson from the Cleveland Browns. Miller is far from prolific when it comes to finding his way into the end-zone, although he is fairly consistent scoring 40 times in 105 starts. For new boy Johnson he probably won’t be a selection this season given his 20% touchdown rate over his career.
Some would argue that the Texans have the best wideout in the NFL right now in Deandre ‘Nuk’ Hopkins, who has had a sensational start to his career clocking up 7,400 yards and 47 scores in his first 6 seasons, meaning any odds over evens are very appealing. His running mate Will Fuller is also somewhat of a touchdown machine, when he’s healthy, which is a pretty big when for a guy who’s missed 17 games in just 3 seasons. Keke Coutee is locked into the slot, and may be a sneaky pick if he can get a rapport going with Watson.
The tight-end situation is anyone’s guess, with 4 guys on the roster who could be competing for targets. It will be a case of wait and see, if Akins, Thomas, Fells, or Warring can stamp their authority on the position.
Touchdown Profit 