The Texans have been a solid passing offense to use for fantasy football this season even though they haven’t been the straight goldmine some people expected after adding Stefon Diggs this offseason. They were dealt a big blow on Sunday with the loss of Diggs to a non-contact knee injury, though, which could open the door for John Metchie III to emerge as a very relevant fantasy option for the next few weeks.
The Setup
So far this season, second-year QB C.J. Stroud has only been the No. 18 QB in fantasy points per game, but the team is 6-2 and two games up on the Colts for the lead in the AFC South.
The Texans were already without Nico Collins, who was the best WR in fantasy football early in the season but landed on IR with a hamstring injury suffered in Week 5 against the Bills. Last week, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reported that Collins is on track to return in Week 10.
#Texans wide receiver Nico Collins, on injured reserve with a hamstring injury and out at least two more games, is doing well in his recovery with no setbacks, per sources, and there is optimism that the original three to four week diagnosis is on track @KPRC2 https://t.co/fzl01k4XRM
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 23, 2024
In addition to the Collins injury, on Sunday of Week 8, Stefon Diggs was forced to leave in the third quarter after planting his knee awkwardly against the Colts. No official word has come out on his prognosis yet, but initially, it doesn’t look good. Here’s the Monday morning update from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport
From @GMFB: Updates on #49ers RB Christian McCaffrey, #Packers QB Jordan Love (groin), #Patriots QB Drake Mays (concussion), and #Texans WR Stefon Diggs (knee). pic.twitter.com/78ugIw5rRC
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 28, 2024
Even in a best-case scenario, it seems very unlikely that Diggs will return this week, so the Texans will be without Diggs and Collins for their Thursday Night Football matchup. Without those two stars, Tank Dell will likely be the team’s WR1 this week and a very solid fantasy play. However, the matchup is with the New York Jets, and Dell will likely see plenty of coverage from Sauce Gardner, who can be a total shutdown corner.
The Stash
Here’s where we get to Metchie!
The Texans drafted Metchie in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with cancer just two months after that and missed the entire 2022 season. When he did play, he only had 16 catches for 158 yards in the 2023 regular season. He had a career-high three catches in the Wild Card round of the playoffs last year.
Coming into this year, Metchie got praise from coach DeMeco Ryans for his offseason work but didn’t play any snaps for the first three weeks of the season. After the injury to Collins, though, he has played 20+ snaps in each of the last three weeks. He played 20 snaps exactly against the Colts and got four targets, more than any other wide receiver except for Diggs.
Metchie finished with three catches for 29 yards with 28 of them on one catch to pick up this critical first down in the fourth quarter.
Metchie with a big first down‼️
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/oM55Fm2AgU
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) October 27, 2024
Methcie will have to battle for targets behind Tank with Robert Woods (2-of-2 targets for 18 yards) and Xavier Hutchinson (1-of-1 target for 19 yards), but of the three, I think he offers the most upside.
The Skinny
Metchie is basically unowned in season-long fantasy leagues, but I think he has a huge opportunity to break out this week. Even after Collins returns, there should be room for him as a third WR behind Nico and Tank, and neither of those two have been the picture of durability in their careers.
If there are other options like Cedric Tillman available in your league, you should prioritize them in your waiver claims for Week 9, but if you’re looking for an edge in a deep league or trying to get ahead of the game, Metchie is a name that could pop in the coming week with so many injuries opening up a golden opportunity for him.
He’ll also be a name to watch for DFS purposes in Thursday night’s showdown contests once the salaries and contests go live. Right now, Metchie and the Texans are one-point underdogs on the road in New York this Thursday.
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