This is the ninth of 32 Ceilings and Floors, covering each NFL team’s QBs, RBs, WRs, and TEs. We now venture to The AFC South, and The Houston Texans. In case you missed it, here is the breakdown for the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Depth Charts courtesy of footballguys.com)

Ceilings and Floors: Quarterback

QB1: Deshaun Watson

CEILING: Watson has a healthy WR corps, and Houston wins the division, torching teams with a vengeance following their collapse in last year’s playoffs. Watson throws 37 TDs, 4,600 yards, and adds 600 yards rushing and 7 scores on the ground, winning MVP in the process.

FLOOR: Losing Hopkins hurts Watson worse than we thought it could have. Cooks, Fuller, and Cobb all get hurt. Watson runs for his life all year long. He still throws for 25 TDs and 3,300 yards, adding 5 TDs on the ground along with 300 yards rushing.

PREDICTION: Watson is so young and has already established himself in this league. I think he’s throwing for 30 TDs and 4,100 yards, adding 5 scores on the ground along with 400 yards rushing. He will be out to prove he is good no matter who is catching the ball, the guy just wants to win.

QB2: A.J. McCarron

CEILING: If Watson goes down, McCarron gets the nod, and throws for 20 TDs and 3.000 yards. If Watson goes down early, Houston will have the first pick.

FLOOR: McCarron’s floor coincidentally parallels Houston’s ceiling. He never sees the field once.

PREDICTION: He isn’t playing, and no fans other than his parents are clamoring for him to.

Ceilings and Floors: Running Back

RB1: David Johnson

CEILING: David Johnson turns back the clock to 2016, and records 16 total TDs along with 1,800 scrimmage yards. Texans fans everywhere wonder if Bill O’Brien isn’t some mad genius, as Hopkins retires mid-season to pursue a career in ballet. I mean, he looks like he could do it.

FLOOR: David Johnson is through. He hasn’t been very good since 2016, and he isn’t about to start getting better now, in his age 29 season. He scores 6 all-purpose TDs to go along with 700 all-purpose yards, ceding touches to other backs.

PREDICTION: Johnson probably won’t be terrible, but I am not excited about him, either. His value depends on where you select him in your draft. I am seeing 9 total TDs, 1,300 total yards. Not too shabby considering production like that at RB isn’t easy to find.

RB2: Duke Johnson

CEILING: Duke Johnson averages 6.5 yards per touch on his career, but he never gets touches. That is until David Johnson is so awful Houston is forced to give Duke the rock. He goes off for 10 touchdowns, and 1,500 scrimmage yards as Houston’s 2020 RB1.

FLOOR: Duke Johnson doesn’t get touches, and he continues his disappointing fantasy career with 4 total TDs and 600 total yards.

PREDICTION: I am suspicious as to why he doesn’t get touches. Is it something unrelated to production? I am hesitant to believe he becomes RB1 considering what Houston traded to acquire David Johnson. Duke has 6 TDs and 900 total yards.

RB3: Buddy Howell, RB4: Karan Higdon, RB5: Scottie Phillips

CEILING: None of these guys do anything for me. They are backups at best, not worth having as handcuffs.

FLOOR: Where do I go from that ceiling? One of them changes their name to Donnie Johnson, and Bill O’Brien extends them. Maybe that’s a ceiling. Not for Texans fans, though.

PREDICTION: Special teams contributors for 2020 and perhaps beyond.

Ceilings and Floors: Wide Receiver

WR1: Brandin Cooks

CEILING: Brandin Cooks responds to his QB upgrade, and stays healthy, recording 1,400 yards and 10 TDs while opening up the Texans offense.

FLOOR: Cooks’ drop-off in production is due to his health, and he is never the same big-play guy we were used to in his prime. 3 TDs and 600 yards, which is essentially what he did last year.

PREDICTION: Cooks could thrive with Watson if he is healthy. I expect 8 TDs and 1,100 yards receiving.

WR2: Will Fuller

CEILING: Fuller stays healthy, and, alongside Cooks, rips the top off of defenses. He has 11 TDs and 1,200 yards receiving.

FLOOR: Fuller struggles to stay on the field. If we want to be honest, his floor is he misses a majority of games and never catches stride due to injury.

PREDICTION: Fuller has a lot of question marks, but if he can get everything right, I can see 8 TDs and 900 yards receiving.

WR3: Kenny Stills

CEILING: Stills benefits from the defensive attention generated by the burners, and feasts for 10 TDs and 1,100 yards.

FLOOR: Stills doesn’t emerge from a crowded WR room, and winds up being a fantasy afterthought, with 3 TDs and 500 yards.

PREDICTION: I actually love this scenario for Stills. He shouldn’t have the CB1 following him, and he can create mismatches with some defenders. I like him for 8 TDs and 800 yards this year. Plus he has the cleanest bill of health with this group, by far.

WR4: Randall Cobb

CEILING: Cobb somehow manages to rescue his career, and scores 7 TDs to go along with 900 yards.

FLOOR: Cobb turns out to be an awful investment for the Texans, he falls down the depth chart, recording 3 TDs and 600 yards before fading out of our fantasy consciousness.

PREDICTION: He might catch 5 TDs and have 700 yards. But only because one of the injury-prone guys probably goes down.

WR5: Keke Coutee

CEILING: Coutee stays healthy and has 800 yards receiving and 5 TDs as he moves in and out of the lineup with other injuries.

FLOOR: Coutee doesn’t play much, the other guys are healthy, and he is passed by younger talent in the depth chart.

PREDICTION: I expect Coutee to contribute when he is on the field, but not in a major way. 3 TDs and 500 yards.

WR6: Isaiah Coulter, WR7: DeAndre Carter, WR8: Steven Mitchell

CEILING: This trio will have 5 TDs and 600 yards between them covering for guys who are injured. I like Coulter the best.

FLOOR: These guys never play meaningful snaps on offense.

PREDICTION: Coulter could get a few snaps, filling in for the guys, but he should only be drafted in dynasty as a stash.

Ceilings and Floors: Tight End

TE1: Darren Fells, TE2: Jordan Akins, TE3: Jordan Thomas, TE4: Kahale Warring

CEILING: I know, this is cheating, having all the tight ends together, but not even O’Brien knows what’s happening here. I project the ceiling for the group is 13 TDs and 1,200 yards. Who gets what with that, I truly wish I knew. Fells has experience, but If I am being honest, I am leaning Kahale Warring as the tight end I want exposure to.

FLOOR: Each of them has an incredibly low floor, untouchable.

PREDICTION: One of these guys is going to produce. I like Warring, but I am not betting a penny on any of them. Roll the dice at your own risk.

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