Week 17 vs. Tennessee Titans
Even though Deshaun Watson passed for more than 300 yards versus the Bengals last week Keke Coutee was limited to 54 yards on five catches for 54, as fellow WR Brandin Cooks had the big outing. Coutee missed the first meeting against Tennessee but has a good matchup versus a poor Titans pass defense on Sunday.
Week 16 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
At Indy last Sunday, Keke Coutee corralled five passes for 53 yards and scored his third TD of the year – second in the past two weeks. Since Will Fuller’s suspension, Coutee has been a big part of the Houston aerial attack and he should have another good performance versus a suspect Bengals pass defense.
Week 15 at Indianapolis Colts
With not many proven options for Deshaun Watson in the passing game last week at Chicago, Keke Coutee caught three balls for 24 yards and a score. Brandin Cooks is expected to return on Sunday, which would be a bonus for the Houston passing game that was out of synch against the Bears. Coutee had a career day versus the Colts two weeks ago, posting eight receptions for 141 yards.
Week 14 at Chicago Bears
With Will Fuller suspended Keke Coutee stepped up for Houston last week, snagging eight passes for a career-high 141 yards in the loss versus the Colts. Deshaun Watson has thrown for at least 300 yards on seven occurrences this season, so now that he’s a starter Coutee should continue to see looks from his QB. He makes for a WR3/flex option at Chicago on Sunday.
Week 13 vs. Indianapolis Colts
With Will Fuller being suspended for the rest of the regular season Keke Coutee will move into a starting position. Even though he has only six receptions and one score this season Coutee played a bigger role with the team the previous two seasons, totaling 50 grabs for over 500 yards. Brandin Cooks will likely receive the most looks from Deshaun Watson moving forward so consider Coutee a WR3/flex option versus a good Colts defense.
Week 15 at Tennessee Titans
With Will Fuller missing last week’s contest versus the Broncos, Keke Coutee registered his second-best performance of the season, snagging five passes for 68 yards. Of course, his lost fumble was returned for a TD, putting the Texans behind by 14 points early. In seven games this season Coutee has 21 receptions and no scores. Fuller may likely be out again on Sunday, making Coutee a potential WR3/flex option versus the Titans No. 26 pass defense.
Week 1 at New Orleans Saints
Playing in only six regular-season games during his rookie campaign, Keke Coutee finished with 28 grabs for 287 yards. In half of his contests, he recorded at least five grabs for over 50 yards. Coutee will be the third WR, behind the invincible DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller. Even though the Monday night affair could be high-scoring, Coutee makes for at best a WR3 start.
Fantasy Upside
Hamstrung (literally) during a rookie season where he displayed flashes of vast potential as he battled a chronic hamstring injury, Keke Coutee is now healthy and excited about his second NFL season. "I'm feeling great," Coutee said in February. "I'm going to start back training soon, but it's 100%." Of course, Coutee only played in six regular-season games, starting twice. In those games, he caught 28 passes for 287 yards and one touchdown. That would have put him on pace for season totals of 74 catches and 765 yards. Beyond that, ESPN's Mike Clay notes that Coutee played at least two-thirds of the snaps in five games last year. His target totals in those games were 15, seven, five, nine and 14. That's an average of 10.0 and works out to a team share of 28%. So it's safe to say the Texans could have a formidable receiving corps this season, if everyone, including Coutee and Will Fuller, is more durable (All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins played in every game).
Fantasy Downside
Last year's hamstring issues were real and persistent. And as promising as it is to hear Coutee talk about being at full speed -- and that he got there with a lot of stretching and soft-tissue work, “flushing out my body just to get that old scarring tissue out of there” -- his health will be something we'll all be watching closely throughout August and into the regular season.
2019 Bottom Line
As a rookie, Coutee proved that he has the ability. Now, he wants to show that he can be counted on every week. We all know the upside. The question is what price will we have to pay to roll the dice on him. Given the high-end weekly production we've seen from Houston's offense with Deshaun Watson under center, giving Coutee a shot as your WR4 seems reasonable.
Week 15 at New York Jets
It's been a roller coaster year for Keke Coutee - putting up good numbers when he's healthy, but his hamstring injury has limited his availability. The rookie has missed the last two games, along with Weeks 1-3 and Weeks 8-9. Be sure to monitor the injury report, but due to his injury history, it's tough to trust Coutee during your fantasy playoffs.
Week 14 vs. Indianapolis Colts
Keke Coutee’s sore hamstring has kept him out the past two weeks. In his NFL debut in Week 4 at Indy, he caught 11 passes for 109 yards, so be sure to monitor the injury report to see if he’s able to play in the rematch.
