Dalton Schultz

Schultz left the Texans' Divisional Round loss to the Patriots in the first quarter and did not return. The good news is that it doesn't sound like the calf injury will affect his offseason routine much, if at all. Schultz quietly led the Texans with 82 receptions this year. He finished second on the team in yards at 777. Houston has several young receovers fighting to see more work in 2026, but Schultz has proven to be a reliable check-down option for C.J. Stroud over multiple years. He will remain a solid TE2 fantasy option for the upcoming season.

With Nico Collins (concussion) out and Dalton Schultz (calf) soon joining him, Higgins took over as the Texans' No. 1 pass catcher after playing second fiddle to Christian Kirk in the Wild Card Round. Although it was a disastrous day for the Texans' passing attack, Higgins was indeed a "rare bright spot." Although he was much more involved in the second half of the season than the first, Higgins did have a quiet stretch run as the Texans rode their defense to the postseason. The No. 34 overall pick still showed more than enough for fantasy managers to maintain optimism heading into Year 2 in Houston. Collins spends an unfortunate amount of time on the shelf, while Schultz has no guaranteed money remaining on his contract. Kirk is an impending free agent. Already with a 41/525/6 slash to his name, Higgins could end up a "surprising" 2026 WR2.

Nico Collins (concussion) was sidelined and Dalton Schultz (calf) soon joined him, but third-rounder Noel commanded only one target as C.J. Stroud turned his 47 attempts into just 20 completions and an unfathomable four interceptions. Unlike fellow Iowa State rookie Jayden Higgins, fellow 23-year-old Noel never took on a bigger role in the Texans' offense after popping up for some 4-5 catch performances in late October/early November. He caught six total passes after Thanksgiving, including zero in the playoffs. With fellow slot man Christian Kirk headed to free agency, there's still plenty of reason to believe Noel could be more involved in 2026, but he is looking like an average at best hold in shallower dynasty leagues.

Stover, who is the Texans' primary "tush push" specialist, also added two rushes for six yards. He made some big plays in that department, but appeared to tear up his knee adjusting to an inaccurate fourth quarter C.J. Stroud attempt. It's a brutal blow for the second-year fourth-rounder, as Dalton Schultz is heading into the final year of his contract, one with no guaranteed money. Now looking at an extended stay on the shelf after being limited to nine games in 2025 by a foot injury, Stover is a 26-year-old (in June) with 27 catches across 24 career games.

About the only good news was that Stroud managed to avoid any fumbles in one of the worst fiasco performances in recent playoff memory. Missing Nico Collins (concussion) and without Dalton Schultz after a first quarter calf injury, Stroud seemed incapable of delivering a clean ball in adverse New England weather conditions. Almost literally every attempt was inaccurate, with Stroud's picks being of the "hard-earned" variety rather than hard luck. It was a confidence- and potentially franchise-shaking performance as the Texans mull Stroud's fifth-year team option for 2027. It will undoubtedly be exercised, but an extension is probably out of the question at this point after Stroud closed the book on his postseason with seven turnovers in eight quarters. Stroud is capable of deep touchdown strikes, but too often loses his mechanics and looks as if he is throwing literal darts over the middle of the field. Heading into his age-25 campaign, Stroud is a player more on the spot than ever.