2024 Fantasy Football Draft Prep: Houston Texans player outlooks, schedule, depth chart and more to know

We'll never know if the Texans coaching staff expected C.J. Stroud to acclimate to life in the NFL as quickly as he did, but they're thrilled it happened. His play sparked their major turnaround from 3-13 in 2022 to an AFC South-leading 10-7 in 2023. Stroud threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns against five interceptions as a rookie. All signs point to him improving upon those numbers as Texans make a run at another AFC South title.  

Below the CBS Sports Fantasy staff will take a look into the Texans' entire team outlook including changes to the top of the depth chart that matter for Fantasy, a burning question for Fantasy Football managers that needs to be answered, a review of their draft class, strength of schedule, and individual player outlooks for all of the notable Texans players who may end up on your Fantasy rosters.

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Texans 2024 lineup changes

Burning question: Can Stefon Diggs still perform at a high level?

The Texans traded draft picks to acquire Diggs from the Bills this offseason to bolster their wide receiver corps. Despite concerns about his age, Diggs remains a formidable receiver. In his ninth NFL season, he racked up 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns, respectable numbers for a WR1. However, his production waned during a stretch of games late last season and in the playoffs. But there's reason for optimism about his potential impact. Diggs' previous success, including a standout 2022 season with 108 receptions, 1,429 yards, and 11 touchdowns, suggests his presence will help the Texans offense. Partnered with Nico Collins, Diggs aims to regain his peak form, offering another reliable target capable of helping the Texans solve their red zone woes. Diggs has registered 415 red zone receiving yards since 2020, which is tops among all NFL wide receivers.  

2024 NFL Draft class

Texans 2024 schedule

Texans 2024 player outlooks

By Dan Schneier and CBS Fantasy staff

QB C.J. Stroud

Stroud broke out in an uncommon way for a rookie quarterback by immediately meshing with offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. He racked up the seventh-most Fantasy points per game and limited his turnovers en route to building an immediate rapport with rookie WR Tank Dell. He also helped facilitate the Nico Collins breakout. The situation gets better for Stroud in Year 2 after the Texans traded for Stefon Diggs. Having an extra year in the system and NFL should also help Stroud work through his progressions faster. The Texans were one of the more pass-heavy teams in 2023 and that should repeat in 2024. Stroud is a high-upside QB1 you can get in the sixth round of your drafts.  

RB Joe Mixon

Mixon was traded from Cincinnati to Houston this offseason, and he will be the starter for the Texans in 2024. Mixon should be considered a high-end No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues, and he's worth drafting as early as Round 3. Ending up in Houston was a great landing spot for Mixon, who has averaged at least 15.7 PPR points per game in each of the past four seasons. The Texans offense should be explosive with C.J. Stroud at quarterback, and Houston has an above-average offensive line. Mixon should have the chance to score double-digit touchdowns (he's averaged 13 total touchdowns a year for the past three seasons), and he should be a factor in the passing game (he has 112 receptions in the past two seasons). He also has little competition for touches, which is ideal. While he's getting older at 27, Mixon should have the chance for a big season with his new team in 2024.  

RB Dameon Pierce

Pierce was one of the biggest busts in Fantasy Football at the RB position in 2023. He fell out of favor and lost the lead back job to Devin Singletary by Week 9. There is some hope for Pierce heading into 2024 as the Texans have hinted multiple times that they will create a 1-2 punch for him and Joe Mixon, but there are also question marks about how his rushing style fits in Bobby Slowik's blocking scheme. Still, Pierce is part of what should be one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL and worth a dart throw as a late-round pick, especially for teams who didn't invest early-round assets at RB.

RB Jawhar Jordan

The Texans grabbed Jordan in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but he is not expected to make much of an immediate impact as he develops in 2024. At just 5-foot-9 and 193 pounds, Jordan may not have the size to hold up as a feature back, but he has demonstrated the ability to be a tough runner and does have potential on third downs and special teams based on his work at Syracuse and Louisville. He is not worth rostering in redraft Fantasy leagues, while Dynasty league should only consider him with a late-round pick to see if he can carve out a role during training camp and the preseason.

WR Nico Collins

Collins finally broke out in 2023 after flashing signs of it earlier in his career. The combination of C.J. Stroud at quarterback and a Bobby Slowik-designed offensive scheme that allowed him space to operate made the difference in his breakout. The Slowik system is designed to create yards after the catch and Collins had a career year in that metric. He also finished ranked second among all WRs in yards per route run (3.11) -- a sticky year-over-year metric used to project future success. Collins scored the seventh-most Fantasy points per game in 2023, but that number might be difficult to repeat if Tank Dell can play a full season and with the addition of Stefon Diggs. Still, Collins makes for a solid target in Round 3 of your Fantasy drafts.

WR Stefon Diggs

In full PPR leagues, we are comfortable drafting Diggs as a low-end WR2 as early as late Round 4. While that may seem low for a player of Diggs' caliber, there are three things working against him. One, it looked a little bit like he lost a step in 2023. Last year. Diggs' yards per target, yards per catch, and yards per game were all his lowest marks in Buffalo. Two, he's no longer in Buffalo and he has much more competition for targets in Houston with both Nico Collins and Tank Dell already there and in sync with C.J. Stroud. Finally, Diggs will turn 31 years old in November, which lends more credence to the idea that he was slowing down last year. If you draft Diggs as a WR2 there's still potential for him to provide value, but there is also risk that he's no longer a must-start wide receiver.

WR Tank Dell

Dell was one of the most pleasant surprises in all of Fantasy Football as a rookie in 2023. Despite his diminutive size, Dell proved to be a separator against NFL coverage at all three levels of the field and the Texans didn't limit him to slot snaps only. He led the Texans WR group in target share and Fantasy points per game before breaking his fibula late in the season. Dell has recovered on schedule and is already participating in OTAs. His Fantasy outlook got murkier with Houston adding Stefon Diggs to the mix, but his rapport with C.J. Stroud was so advanced in 2023, Dell should be able to return value on his sixth-round Fantasy draft capital in 2024.

WR Noah Brown

Brown flashed his Fantasy upside in Weeks 9 and 10 when the Texans were dealing with injuries to both Nico Collins and Tank Dell. In that two-game span, Brown racked up 14 receptions, 325 receiving yards, and a TD with a WR2 and WR7 weekly finish, respectively. Unfortunately for Brown, the addition of Stefon Diggs will send him to a reserve role. He is not worth rostering in Fantasy leagues until he has a clearer path to playing time.

TE Dalton Schultz

Schultz was a solid contributor with the new-look Texans in 2023 and he averaged the 10th-most Fantasy points per game (11th-most in PPR leagues). His outlook changed for the worse in 2024 after the team traded for Stefon Diggs and used a draft pick on TE Cade Stover. However, Schultz is likely to maintain the lead role from a snap share percentage and could find his way into the end zone a half dozen times (he scored five TDs in 2023). He's a back-end TE1 with a solid floor, but if you're looking for upside, there are other TE options to consider in his ADP range on Draft Day.

TE Cade Stover

Stover enters the NFL as a rookie with a dual-threat skill set and his blocking profile could land him on the field sooner than expected. He may have even more upside as a pass-catcher, which is why he's considered among the second-tier rookie options at the position behind Brock Bowers. Stover was a finalist for the John Mackey Award (given to the nation's top tight end) in 2023, and he racked up 576 yards on 41 receptions with five TDs in 12 games for Ohio State last year while serving as the second option behind Marvin Harrison Jr. While he is unlikely to make an impact in redraft leagues in 2024, he is worth consideration starting in Round 4 in rookie-only drafts.  

K Ka'imi Fairbairn

Fairbairn scored the fourth-most Fantasy points per game, had the second-best field goal percentage (96.4%), and connected on five field goals of 50+ yards in 2023. With the Texans offense expected to take another step forward in 2024 after adding Stefon Diggs, Fairbairn will likely be one of the highest-scoring kickers again and should be one of the first kickers selected in Fantasy drafts.

Texans DST

The Texans took a big leap forward in their first season under DeMeco Ryans after he helped turn the 49ers into one of the NFL's best defenses, but it didn't always translate to Fantasy points. The Texans scored the 15th-most Fantasy points per game. That could change in 2024 after Houston added sack artist Danielle Hunter to the mix. The Texans project as a high-upside target if you wait on drafting DST.