Howdy, y’all, Christopher Pinto here, Lead Fantasy Football Writer and Analyst for Belly Up Fantasy Sports, today I will take you through the moves the Houston Texans have taken this offseason, after that their draft needs, and lastly let you know how that affects your fantasy football season.

First off the Houston Texans have had a whirlwind off-season, including a trade that shook the league. Sending arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL to the Arizona Cardinals. Because, of this, the fan base has been in an uproar as well as notable players on the roster speaking out in the aftermath. Though the Texans won the AFC South title, however that celebration was short-lived and in a bizarre series of events they would lose a 24 point lead to the Kansas City Chiefs in the following week.

In short, there are many questions left to be answered, for example who is going to catch all the balls relinquished by Hopkins and how are the holes in the roster going to be filled. The 10-6 Houston Texans look to draft day to silence the naysayers and we at Belly Up Fantasy Sports will tell you how their roster correlates with the Fantasy Football landscape.

Traded by the organization:

• WR DeAndre Hopkins
• OLB Jadeveon Clowney
• CB Johnson Bademosi
• OT Julien Davenport
• OT Martinas Rankins
• 2020 first-round pick, a second-round pick, a third-round pick, a fourth-round pick, and a sixth-round pick
• 2021 first-round pick and a second-round pick

Acquired by the organization:

• OT Laremy Tunsil
• WR Brandin Cooks
• WR Randall Cobb
• RB David Johnson
• WR Kenny Stills
• OLB Barkevious Mingo
• OLB Jacob Martin
• CB Gareon Conley
• RB Carlos Hyde
• CB Keion Crossen
• 2020: second-round pick, a third-round pick, and a fourth-round pick
• 2021 fourth-round pick, and a sixth-round pick
• 2022 fourth-round pick

Draft needs:

As most year’s draft assessment of the Houston Texans would say they need to fill spots on the defense. Similarly the same can be said about this year. An Edge Rusher, Cornerback, and Outside Linebacker are the key positions to watch. The Texans will also mote than likely reach for the other side of the ball this year as well, because of the age of Johnson and departure of Hopkins the Texans will have needs at the running back and wideout spots as well. For instance, some key players for the Texans to target in this year’s draft are:

• Darrell Taylor, Edge, Tennessee
• Bradlee Anae, Edge, Utah
• Khalid Kareem, Edge, Notre Dame
• Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU
• Noah Igbinoghene, CB, Auburn
• Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah
• Jordyn Brooks, LB, Texas Tech
• Jacob Phillips, LB, LSU
• Markus Balley, LB, Purdue
• J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ohio State
• Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, LSU
• Anthony McFarland Jr., RB. Maryland
• Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor
• Michael Pittman Jr., WR, USC
• Collin Johnson, WR, Texas
• Saahdiq Charles, OL, LSU
• Charlie Heck, OL, North Carolina
• Darryl Williams, OL, Miss. State

Fantasy Implications:

The fantasy values for the Texans‘ stars do not change as much as one would think and above all most likely get an upgrade. For the likes of Deshaun Watson, David Johnson, Will Fuller V, Randall Cobb, Brandin Cooks, Keke Coutee, Kenny Stills, Jordon Akins, and Darren Fells the fantasy season looks bright! That being said, let us look at what the departure of DeAndre Hopkins means for the Texans receiving corps.

• Targets – 415
• Receptions – 283
• TD’s – 25

In summation, those are the numbers for veteran Pro Bowler DeAndre Hopkins. He leaves the Texans with a massive workload and above all a missing number one for Watson. Therefore, a huge amount of work is about to come to the other Texans Pass Catchers.

Quarterback:

Watson is still an elite QB 1, using his arm and legs to score a massive amount of points. Even with the loss of Hopkins the addition of Cobb and Cooks along with the healthy Fuller V is a dangerous squad. In addition, the gunslinger gets a healthy David Johnson. Therefore, look for Watson to put up another great season for your fantasy roster, lock him in every week.

Running Back:

David Johnson is still an RB 1 workhorse back, being able to run between the tackles and catch the ball over the linebackers is crucial for the Texans offense. Houston has been without a solid stable back since Arian Foster retired. Because Johnson will want to prove the nonbelievers wrong and you can fire him up every week.

Wide Receivers:

Will Fuller V is a low-end WR 1 and has above all elite upside if he can stay healthy. Every year is supposed to be Fuller V’s year and every year he gets hurt. This offseason he had core muscle surgery and is said to be ready for camp. Therefore, if Will is on the field, I would confidently start him in lineups.

Randall Cobb is a WR 3 with an upside that comes to the Texans receiving corps in their darkest hour. He will be a key target to move the chains for Houston. Look to him to have a solid year that may surprise some. I would start Randall Cobb in three-wide receiver leagues.

Brandin Cooks is a low-end WR 1 and above all has top-end upside. Cooks looks to garner the lions share of targets as the Hopkins replacement. They have similar downfield stats but, Cooks had higher top-end speed and more yards. This looks to be a good fit for both quarterback and receiver as we will move on to a new era. Because of this start Cooks in all leagues as he will produce week in and week out.

Keke Coutee is a low-end WR 3 with some upside. He took on the Will Fuller V role last season and looks to do the same. Because of this he will be a spot start in most leagues.

Kenny Stills is a low-end WR 3 with some upside. He had all the boom on him this season and we never saw it come full circle. Because of the loss of Hopkins, he as all the wide-outs will see an uptick in playing time and targets, therefore he will only be a spot start in most leagues.

Tight Ends:

Jordon Akins is a low-end TE 2 with as much upside as anyone at the position. He had a good season and looks to build off of it. Therefore, only fire up Akins in desperate spots.

Darren Fells is a low-end TE 2 with upside. He seemed to be Watson’s go-to man in the red zone this season for example when he caught two touchdowns for less than ten total yards. Because, of the landscape of Tight End being so bad fire up Fells with some confidence.

Conclusion:

The Houston Texans sit atop the league as one of the organizations that boast fantasy-relevant players at all positions. The fantasy-relevant players are for example Watson, Fuller V, Cooks, Cobb, and Johnson. In other words, they are a great team to pick fantasy assets from, but because of the loss of Hopkins, many thought the skill players of Houston would be on a major decline. The crazy and wild front office has made some shocking moves and also ones that seem to set the Texans up for success if it can all come together at camp. Lastly, you can be confident in drafting most Texans to your Fantasy Football rosters and above all else GO TEXANS!

Share your thoughts with me in the comment section below or by tweeting me @AggieKappaSig. See Belly Up Fantasy Sports and Belly Up Sports for other great articles. Also check out my pre-draft Top 12 Rankings for Redraft PPR Leagues by position: QB, RB, WR, and, TE. Thanks and Gig ‘Em!