Fantasy Football: Houston Texans Week Thirteen Start 'Em/Sit 'Em

It was a great day for fantasy owners who had Texans players in their starting lineup when they last faced the Titans this season. In their week four game Arian Foster, Owen Daniels, Matt Schaub, and the Texans defense all turned in solid performances. Andre Johnson had a down game with only three catches for 56 yards, but he probably would have done more had the defense not put the game away with two pick six touchdowns. After Kareem Jackson took one back 63 yards, the Texans put it on cruise control and ran the clock out on offense. I expect another good game for Texans players this week. Check out this week thirteen edition of start 'em/sit 'em.

Start:

Arian Foster - His yards per carry average was awful in their last meeting, but he still managed to have a good fantasy game. Foster averaging only 3.58 yards per carry was disappointing in real life, but you'll take his 14 fantasy points. Even when facing tough matchups, Foster is a must start. He's the focal point of the offense and is one of, if not the most reliable running back in fantasy football. This week shouldn't be a tough matchup. The Titans rank 27th in rushing yards allowed, 22nd in rushing touchdowns allowed, and 20th in yards per carry allowed; I don't expect Foster to be held under 100 yards again this time around.

Matt Schaub - The Titans actually rank a bit worse against the pass then they do against the run. They rank 27th in both passing yards and passing touchdowns allowed. In their last meeting Schaub didn't have a monster game, but certainly didn't hurt you with 202 yards and two touchdowns; good enough for 16-20 points depending on your league settings. As I mentioned earlier, the Texans ran out the clock on offense during the fourth quarter which hurt Schaub's numbers. I don't expect the Texans to be up by 31 points in the fourth quarter again, so Schaub should put up more yards in this game than their last meeting. He's not a must start, I'd rank him between 10th and 12th in fantasy quarterback this week, but he is a nice option if your other quarterback has a tough matchup.

Owen Daniels - The veteran tight end is having a Pro-Bowl caliber season. Daniels has already topped his previous career high in touchdowns and is averaging more yards per game this season than his Pro-Bowl season in 2008. Daniels totaled six catches for 72 yards and a touchdown during their earlier meeting with the Titans this year. The Titans have allowed the fourth most fantasy points to tight ends this season; Daniels is a great start this week.

Andre Johnson - As I mentioned earlier, Johnson didn't have a great game in their last meeting. As far as his production goes, it's almost like he's had two seasons this year. It took him several games to round in to shape and he is now starting to play at the level he did during his 20's. Johnson is currently on pace for 100 catches and 1,539 yards; numbers he hasn't reached since 2009. He's on a hot streak right now with the bulk of those yards coming over his last two games and faces the 27th ranked pass defense this week; he's a must start.

Texans Defense - As a guy who owns the Texans defense in a couple leagues, they're on a short leash with me. I discussed why I think the Texans defense has struggled in recent weeks in an article on Monday, but regardless of the reason, their fantasy value is sliding. They've allowed an average of 34 points and 491.5 yards over their last two games and put up only a combined nine fantasy points. The Titans aren't exactly a high powered offense ranking 19th in points scored and 24th in yards, so this should be a good week for them to get their confidence back. There are more attractive options this week like the 49ers, Bears, Seahawks, Cowboys, and Patriots, but the Texans remain a good fantasy option.

Sit:

Shayne Graham - He's just been too inconsistent in recent weeks. Graham has had back to back double digit fantasy games, but has also missed three field goals over his last two games. Feel free to disagree, but I'd keep him on the bench this week.

Kevin Walter/Ben Tate/Keshawn Martin - Tate may not even play, but even if he does he'll likely lose some of the back up carries to Justin Forsett as he works himself back into shape. For Walter and Martin, both are capable of putting up good numbers but are at best the third option in any game behind Johnson and Daniels; keep all of them on your bench.

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