On Wednesday, April 3, the Houston Texans acquired All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs in exchange for a second-round pick among other draft compensation from the Buffalo Bills. It appears as though the Houston Texans are going all in to compete for a championship while quarterback CJ Stroud is still on his cheap rookie deal.
The Texans surprised the NFL last year with their explosive offense that led them to the divisional round of the 2024 NFL playoffs. Adding Diggs created a loaded offensive skill group making them a coveted offense for fantasy football players. However, there is still only one football, which will create winners and losers from these additions in the fantasy football landscape.
Winner: Houston Texans Quarterback CJ Stroud
After winning Rookie of the Year, CJ Stroud will be entering the 2024 season with a lot of hype. Adding Stefon Diggs will create arguably the best wide receiver trio in the league. Stroud has already shown an ability to elevate those around him, and now he won’t be relied on so much to do so.
As most positions are in fantasy football, generating touchdowns massively impacts a player’s fantasy value. The Texans finished 14th in points per game a season ago and that number has a great chance to increase in 2024. Being the hub of the offense, Stroud finished 2023 as QB11 in fantasy and should be viewed as a breakout candidate with a high ceiling in 2024.
Winner: Houston Texans Wide Receiver Stefon Diggs
Stefon Diggs has been a fantasy football superstar during his time in Buffalo, finishing as WR7 in 2021, WR4 in 2022, and WR9 in 2023, in PPR (point per reception)-formatted leagues. In the last two seasons, Diggs’ ADP (average draft position) had him being selected in the first round of most fantasy football drafts.
However, we saw massive regression last year, finishing as WR45 over the last eight weeks of the season. Diggs was in dire need of a change of scenery, where he wouldn’t attract all of the defense’s attention. Diggs probably won’t return to being a fantasy superstar, but should still be viewed as a WR2 in 2024.
Winner: Houston Texans Wide Receiver Nico Collins
Nico Collins is poised to be a solid number-two receiver in the fantasy football landscape. Collins will still be the number-one receiver in Houston and Diggs will serve as a great compliment. Collins is the Texans’ big, physical, jump ball receiver, and will now be able to draw more single coverage opportunities with Diggs in the lineup.
With the Texans offense improving, more red zone opportunities will be generated, creating a massive touchdown upside for Collins. Nico finished the season as WR12, and should be expected to finish around that same position.
Loser: Houston Texans Wide Receiver Tank Dell
Tank Dell is coming off of a breakout season where he and Stroud developed one of the best deep ball connections in the NFL. The downside, Dell suffered a season-ending leg injury in week 13. Through those first 12 weeks, Dell finished as WR14.
Having to return from a devastating injury, while adding another receiver to the mix will make it challenging for Dell to keep up the same target share from a season ago. However, the addition of Diggs should have no negative effect on Dell returning to his role as the team’s deep threat. Dell should be viewed as a WR3 until returning to full health.
Loser: Houston Texans Wide Receiver Noah Brown
Unfortunately, wide receiver Noah Brown will now get pushed to the team’s fourth wide receiver, hardly making him fantasy-relevant. We saw Brown become a steady flex play towards the end of the season with Dell’s injury, and he showed flashes of solid production. However, unless there is an injury to one of the top three receivers, Noah Brown is a stash play in a league with deep rosters.
Loser: Houston Texans Tight End Dalton Schultz
Another loser is tight end Dalton Schultz who finished the year as TE10 in PPR-formatted leagues. It will be tough to predict what Schultz’s target share will look like but adding Stefon Diggs and running back Joe Mixon will challenge Schultz’s role in the red zone. With the streaming tight end strategy becoming more effective in fantasy football, it is hard to view Schultz as anything other than a stream play. The target consistency will not be reliable in 2024 unless there is an injury to one of the other top targets.
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