Team news: Houston Texans | Page 4

Texans running back Dameon Pierce not practicing for third day in a row due to ankle injury suffered in fourth quarter against Panthers and he's not expected to play Sunday against Buccaneers Devin Singletary has run with first offense all week and is prepping to start.

Related Players: Mike Boone, Dare Ogunbowale

Singletary has actually outperformed Pierce on a per-carry basis 3.0-to-3.7 but the running game has been less than inspiring to this point in the season. Pierce should take the majority of the touches in Week 9, which makes him an RB2 option.

Bills are listing both their TEs, Dawson Knox (wrist) and Dalton Kincaid (concussion), as questionable for Sunday night’s game vs. the Giants.

Related Players: Gabe Davis, Stefon Diggs, Deonte Harty

Dalton Kincaid (80) and Dawson Knox (70) currently lead the team in routes ran out of the slot on the season, so if they both miss, they're going to need someone to step up in 3WR sets. Gabe Davis is playing far less out of the slot than he did earlier in his career, but has the requisite size to perform as the "big slot" if they need him to revert back into that player. He ran a season-high 34.8% of his routes out of the slot back in Week 4 during their 48-20 blowout win over the Dolphins.

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Tank Dell suffered a concussion.

The post added that Ryans said, "We'll see how Tank is doing late in the week." Dell will enter concussion protocol and will have his status in doubt heading into Week 6. The Texans have an early game on Sunday when they host the Saints, so owners will have time to put in pace a backup plan if Dell is out. Over the last four weeks, Dell has mostly posted nice fantasy numbers - aside from a 1-16-0 line last week. Dell had a 7-72-1 line in Week 2, a 5-145-1 line in Week 3, and had three catches for 57 yards before leaving the game in Week 5.

The New York Jets are signing veteran free-agent quarterback Trevor Siemian to the practice squad, pending a physical, according to a team source.

Related players: Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle

The story explained Siemian was with the Jets in 2019 but injured his ankle in his only start and never played another snap for them. He started four games for the Saints in 2021 and threw for 1,154 yards, 11 touchdowns, three interceptions and completed 57.4 percent of his passes. He spent 2022 with the Bears and this offseason with the Bengals. The Jets again said Wilson is their guy after this week's latest loss. The Jets only other QB option on the roster currently is Boyle, who has thrown for three touchdowns and eight interceptions in 17 career NFL games, the story pointed out.

Jets coach Robert Saleh is standing behind quarterback Zach Wilson after his second straight ugly performance in the Jets’ second straight loss.

Saleh said today that he is not wavering in his commitment to Wilson as the starting quarterback going forward.

Related players: Tim Boyle

The story added HC Robert Saleh said Wilson wasn't the reason why the Jets lost in Week 3. However, the story pointed out Wilson wasn't good, completing 18 of 36 passes for just 157 yards on a day when the Jets managed only 10 points and 12 first downs. Boyle is the backup and based on recent performances with the Lions over the last two seasons when given the chance, shouldn't be expected to provide a spark.

The Texans added QB C.J. Stroud to the injury report with a right shoulder issue and he is listed as questionable for Sunday's game vs. the Colts.

Related Players: Davis Mills

This is of no impact for 1QB or Superflex leagues as it stands. Stroud made plays to the best of his ability in Week 1 and still finished the game with a 5.5 YPA.

Texans rookie head coach DeMeco Ryans announced that rookie C.J. Stroud will be the team's starting QB to open up the 2023 season following Houston's preseason finale against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Related players: Davis Mills

Not a big surprise, but Stroud struggled a little early on before making improvement, especially in the preseason games. He threw is first TD in the team's third preseason game. The story said Mills may have been the safer pick, but the rest of the Texans young offense now has a chance to grow with a QB who was the number-two overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Joe Mixon’s aggravated menacing case came back not guilty and the Bengals declared they are “pleased that this matter is now behind everyone.” The path now clears for his role as the starter on early downs with rookie Chase Brown behind him. The story of the third-down job has been dominated by the rise of Chris Evans. He’s shown well in pass protection and improved running the ball downhill over last year’s disappointing preseason to become the frontrunner with Trayveon Williams (ankle) sidelined.

Williams seemed to be the favorite to land the passing down job but his injury has allowed Evans to thrive. The story added that outside of one big run, neither Evans or Brown were able to pick up much ground running the ball in the preseason so far. It seems like Brown will backup Mixon for early down work.

Bills receiver Stefon Diggs usually posts cryptic tweets. There was nothing cryptic about the tweet he posted last night.

“100% not true,” Diggs said. “I don’t know who the source is but I thought i nip this [stuff] in the bud already.”

The story went on to speculate Diggs undoubtedly was responding to a Monday claim from Stephen A. Smith of ESPN from Monday’s First Take: “Brother wants out, by the way. I’m just telling you what I know know. I got my own sources. Brother wants out. He don’t wanna be in Buffalo no more. I’m telling you right now. I have my sources. Stefon Diggs got to be there, but he would prefer to be gone.”

There has been speculation Diggs has wanted out at least since the team's playoff loss to end last season. As the story added, Diggs doesn't have a lot of choice other than to deny the claim.

Texans RB Dameon Pierce played every snap of the first two drives with starters, including all 3rd-downs. A change from last year, when Pierce only played on about 25% of 3rd-downs.

Devin Singletary then came on and played every snap of the third drive with starters.

Related players: Mike Boone, Dare Ogunbowale

It's tough to read into how much this will matter once the season starts. There are many in the fantasy world who are saying to stay away from Pierce, probably more when it comes to his dynasty value. Singletary is likely to have a big role in the offense as well, but if he takes away passing down value - that would obviously hurt Pierce. The good news is there isn't a whole lot to worry about fantasy value-wise behind Pierce and Singletary.