Although the Houston Texans acquired running back David Montgomery in an offseason trade with the Detroit Lions, second-year back Woody Marks should "stay fresh in a complementary role that should involve a lot of opportunities to catch passes out of the backfield," according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Sports. As long as Montgomery stays healthy, Marks won't have an opportunity to take over a three-down role in Houston, but he could still be very valuable for fantasy managers in PPR leagues, and RotoBaller has Marks currently ranked as the No. 45 overall RB in half-PPR setups. The former fourth-rounder out of USC in 2025 was a prolific pass-catcher as a Trojan and during his time at Mississippi State. Marks finished his rookie campaign in the NFL with a team-high 703 rushing yards on 196 carries after taking over the starting gig from veteran Nick Chubb. The 25-year-old added 24 receptions on 36 targets for 208 yards and three scores through the air in 16 regular-season games (eight starts). In college, Marks had at least 47 catches in four of his five seasons
We’re getting closer to our first look at the 2026 Chicago Bears , and there’s one thing in particular ESPN’s Ben Solak wants to know about this squad: what are sophomore stars Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III about to do now that their roles are set to expand this season? As Bears fans know, general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson moved veteran receiver DJ Moore this past offseason to make room for the glut of young talent in the pass-catching corps, which also includes 2024 No. 9 overall pick Rome Odunze . Assuming Odunze is healthy, he’s likely to see substantial targets and hopefully return to the level of production he enjoyed before leg injuries derailed his own sophomore campaign. But after what Loveland, the No. 10 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, and Burden, the 39th pick in the same class, did down the stretch of their respective rookie seasons, there’s no way they’re not going to be major parts of the offense. Burden’s case is especially intriguing because he figures to slot alongside Odunze as a starter in Moore’s place—a scenario one could envision after he started to break out late in his rookie campaign. “Burden averaged 2.92 yards per route run during the regular season. That’s tied with A.J. Brown for the best mark for a rookie receiver (minimum 50 targets) in the past 15 years. Just below Burden and Brown are Justin Jefferson, Odell Beckham Jr. , Puka Nacua and Ja’Marr Chase. Those players did it on remarkably higher volume than Burden, but even the low-usage rookies who spiked in yards per route run ( Tank Dell , Christian Watson , Tyreek Hill , Doug Baldwin ) indicate a promising future for Burden,” Solak wrote. After a slow start that likely had to do with a combination of inexperience and too many bodies ahead of him, Burden started getting more opportunities after Odunze went down and Olamide Zaccheaus ’ hands turned into a liability. His explosive run-after-catch ability and improving route-running continued to earn him more snaps until he posted a three-game stretch of 67, 84, and 138 receiving yards in three of his final four regular-season games. Johnson sounds extremely committed to giving him more opportunities in 2026. Assuming Burden makes the strides with the playbook that we’d expect, we should expect him to take advantage. That said, we all know who the real top dog in this pass-catching pecking order is now. Loveland’s insane finish to last season placed him almost immediately into top-five tight end conversations, punctuated by his monstrous eight-catch, 137-yard performance in the Wild Card Round against the Green Bay Packers . Calling him “unguardable” in that game didn’t do it justice. And there’s more where that came from, suggests Solak. “Loveland is an impossible cover. Long and rangy, Loveland eats up ground similar to a receiver in his route stem. Loveland is snappy enough to separate from linebackers, but the real issue is how his size and toughness make him nearly impossible to play through. Safeties keep trying to light him up at the catch point with big hits. They look like they’re hit-sticking a telephone pole. “The real needle-mover for Loveland is his blocking ability. He can dig out defensive ends and hold his water one-on-one in the running game. This makes him doubly dangerous in the play-action pass game, as his pre-snap alignment doesn’t tip Johnson’s hand to the opposing defensive coordinator. Safeties and linebackers have to meet him aggressively when he’s blocking downhill. But if they guess wrong and he’s climbing vertically for a route, their goose is cooked,” he wrote of the rising second-year tight end. Loveland’s massive surge, plus some injuries to the receiving corps, pushed him into the team lead for catches and receptions by year’s end. While the likes of Odunze will undoubtedly get a high share of targets in 2026 now that he’s back, Loveland is the real problem in that offense right now. The scary part: he doesn’t have Mo
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A third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Houston Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel played a limited role in his team's offense as a rookie. Across 17 games (three starts), the 23-year-old hauled in 26 receptions for 292 yards and two touchdowns on 35 targets. Noel's path to meaningful playing time out of the slot in Houston was largely blocked off by veteran wideout Christian Kirk, who departed the Texans in free agency for the San Francisco 49ers. However, Houston will likely be getting back wide receiver Tank Dell (knee) from the disastrous knee injury that cost him the entire 2025 season. With Nico Collins and Jayden Higgins entrenched on the outside, Noel could once again find himself on the outside looking in with the Texans in 2026. With Dell's uncertain health situation, Noel could work his way into a starting role as the team's WR3. Still, his playing time and production outlook remain murky after his underwhelming rookie year. RotoBaller currently ranks Noel as the 75th-best wide receiver for dynasty formats heading into 2026
The Texans didn't waste much time after defensive end Will Anderson became eligible for a contract extension before signing him to a new deal that ties him to the franchise through the 2030 season
Texans GM Nick Caserio said the team hopes to "have a better idea as we get through the spring" on Tank Dell's recovery. Dell missed all of last season following a brutal knee injury late in the 2024 season. Caserio noted that Dell has been in the building more now that he's able to do more on his knee. The Texans are still continuing to be cautious with him this offseason
Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (knee) has not played since suffering a brutal knee injury in Week 16 of the 2024 season, and general manager Nick Caserio said that the team expects to have a better read on what he'll be able to do going forward once the Texans are deeper into their offseason program. "With Tank, honestly, it's probably day to day," Caserio said. "We'll see where he is -- probably have a better idea as we get through the spring of what his availability is going to be in training camp. He's been here pretty religiously since he's been able to do more." The 26-year-old former third-rounder in 2023 out of Houston should remain stashed in all dynasty/keeper leagues, but he'll be a total wild card in redraft formats after a devastating knee injury that initially looked like it could end Dell's career. Dell had 98 catches for 1,376 yards and 10 touchdowns in 25 games in his first two NFL seasons, so he could be a difference-maker for this offense behind WR1 Nico Collins if he returns to pre-injury form. However, we're still waiting to see if Dell will even be ready for the start of the 2026 regular season in September
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