Texans Fantasy Football Picks For Week Nine

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It's family reunion time for Texans, as they face the Eagles in Week Nine. Nine (9) players on the Eagles have been the Texans' roster at one time or another. It's a great storyline that I'm sure we'll be reminded of many times during the broadcast of the game, but storylines aren't relevant to fantasy football.

Football Outsiders ranks Philly as the fourth-best defense against the run and nineteenth against the pass. The Eagles defense has allowed 17.1 fantasy points per game from the running back position; that's the eighteenth most in the league. Per Football Outsiders, Philadelphia has averaged 79.9 receiving yards on 11.9 passes per game to the "number one wide receiver" and 70.7 yards on 6.4 passes per game to the "number two wide receiver". They have also allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to receivers this season at 26.6 points per game. All signs point to a great day for Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins.

QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick - Fitzpatrick is like a governor on a sports car.  Sure, the car can still get from Point A to Point B but it can only do it a set speed. The Texans' offense could be going 200 MPH without the governor, but at the moment they are just cruising along at 70 MPH. FItzpatrick puts a ceiling on the production of the wide receivers and tight ends.

RB: Arian Foster - All glory to Arian Foster. Foster ran for 151 yards on 20 carries, added 22 yards receiving, and scored three touchdowns. He did it all. The only question left is whether he can overtake DeMarco Murray as the most valuable fantasy player in the league.

WR: Andre Johnson - Johnson was once again consistent.  The only problem is Johnson's ceiling isn't very high at this point in his career. He has seven games with five catches for at least 50 yards receiving, zero games over 100 yards, and one touchdown. Johnson is money in the bank in a PPR league, limited in a non-PPR format, and a number two receiver going forward.

WR:  DeAndre Hopkins - Hopkins was close to picking up his third 100-yard receiving game this season with 95 yards against the TItans on Sunday. He caught five passes on eleven targets. Hopkins still is a solid start each week with his explosive play ability, but he still isn't the first option in Fitzpatrick's reads.

TE: Garrett Graham - I have to believe the Texans' tight ends are in some kind of witness protection program.  Two weeks in a row against teams that don't cover tight ends well have resulted in zero production. As a matter of fact, the tight end position saw just one target in last Sunday's game.

K: Randy Bullock - Bullock was 3-for-3 including a 49-yard field goal against the Titans. A solid day by all accounts. Now, the question is whether the Texans' offense continue to give him chances?

Team Defense: Texans - The Texans won't be facing another rookie quarterback this week.  Instead, they will face the high octane Eagles offense. The speed at which the Eagles operate could decimate the already thin depth of the Texans' defense. The Texans' offense will have to keep possession and control the clock to give J.J. Watt and the boys a breather. I would look elsewhere if possible for a defense, as Fitzpatrick's inconsistency will have the defense in a track meet with the Eagles all game long.

Summary: The Foster train keeps rolling in your starting lineup. Hopkins and Johnson look to have a good day against a less than stellar Philadelphia pass defense. FItzpatrick and Graham are still on the shelf, collecting dust. Randy Bullock may be an option if you need a kicker replacement for a week, and the Texans defense has a tough matchup with the Eagles.

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Editor's Note: FanDuel is hosting a $500,000 one-week fantasy football league this weekend. It's $10 to join and first place wins $40,000. League starts Sunday 1 PM ET and ends on Monday night. Here's the link.

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