Where Does Andre Johnson's Fantasy Production Go?

[Inhales deeply] Ah, the weekend. Oh, wait, that's just Vicks VapoRub I smell. Anywho, Vicks has graciously decided to sponsor a series of posts to help you...with fantasy football.

Okay, it isn't help, per se, but sage advice from a fellow who is in the top-six in all his fantasy leagues so far. Pumping up my ego aside, this thread could also be a good place for last second fantasy advice....unless I'm playing you, in which case I suggest starting every single Kansas City Chief you possibly can.

The big fantasy question, since many of us likely own a Houston Texans player or two, is who will fill the void of Andre "The Natural" Johnson? Perhaps you would even consider this the hunt for the ultimate sleeper. That's where we jump, man, just like Jumpman, to find our answer.

To start, those with Matt Schaub as their quarterback should not fret. Without Johnson, Schaub averaged 296 yards a game and threw for four touchdowns and two interceptions. Not too schaubby.

If you're like me, you have Andre Johnson but are also stacked at receiver. If not, then you're probably debating Kevin Walter vs. Jacoby Jones to fill in for Johnson. Or maybe you have one of those on your bench and are wondering what they could do on Sunday against an Oakland secondary that hasn't been that good this season.

Gus Johnson's favorite non-related Johnson recently missed time last December, so let's take a look at what each receiver did during those games.

Walter: ~4 receptions for 49 yards and 0.3 touchdown(s).
Jones: ~6 receptions for ~78 yards

Out of the two, Jones makes sense to see more action - especially as he's seen more passes thrown his way so far in 2011. If you're in a deep league where both are available, I'd grab Jacoby Jones.

Of course, those with tight end Owen Daniels should be giddy. Daniels, with three touchdowns to his credit already this season, averaged about six catches for 60 yards and a touchdown with no Andre Johnson.

If you're looking for dark horses, look at tight end Joel Dreessen and fullback/tight end/H-Back James Casey. I imagine we will see Houston using more two tight end sets, and Dreessen has Schaub's trust to catch a pass after a 2010 campaign that saw him catch 32 passes for 518 yards.

Casey, MDC's favorite Swiss Army Knife, has shown the ability to make big plays. A motioning Casey can give the Texans another weapon to fill in for their missing All-Pro - especially if a linebacker is matched up on him.

Overall, the Texans' offense should see everyone else's production increase. If you're a Daniels owner, expect big things (from a tight end). If you're looking to find an Andre fill-in in desperation, nab Jones and hope history repeats itself.

Feel free to fantasize about football in the comments, BRBers. Who do you think is lurking for a big numbers Sunday or Monday?

P.S.: If I had Arian Foster on my roster, I would probably play him. Call it a hunch.

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