New quarterback Brock Osweiler is the biggest offseason story for the Houston Texans. The Texans were surprise AFC South title winners but failed to win a playoff game. Can we expect Houston to improve in 2016?
3 Position Battles To Watch:
- Wide Receiver: Cecil Shorts vs. Braxton Miller vs. Jaelen Strong
DeAndre Hopkins has become one of the best wide receivers in the league but he needs some help. Houston spent the offseason drafting 2 wide outs in Will Fuller and Braxton Miller. Fuller figures to start as the teams deep threat option while the three above look for a slot role.
2. Tight End: C.J. Fiedorowicz vs. Ryan Griffin
The tight end battle features two guys who are virtually no name guys outside of the crazed fan like myself. C.J. should be the favorite at this point who is entering his 2nd NFL season out of Iowa.
3. Defensive Line: Devon Still vs. Ra’Zahn Howard vs. D.J. Reeder
J.J. Watt could miss the early portion due to back surgery and Vince Wilford is probably on his last leg. Jared Crick fled to Denver which created a hole. Howard is a rookie free agent who was eligible for the supplemental draft. D.J. Reeder is a huge nose tackle that could prove valuable coming out of Clemson.
Ready To Breakout: Jadeveon Clowney
If there is ever a time for Clowney to look like the former number one overall pick it is now. Clowney had 4.5 sacks in year two and could be primed to make that double digits.
Fantasy Sleeper: Alfred Blue
I’ll be the first to say I don’t expect Lamar Miller to have great season despite what others think. Alfred Blue is more suited for a complementary role. Blue could see a few extra receiving touchdowns added his way this year.
Rookie To Watch: Will Fuller
All of the attention will go to DeAndre Hopkins and people will sleep on Fuller. Being the deep threat that he is Fuller could rake in a couple deep balls to make the difference in a few games.
Houston will likely be competitive again but with the improvements of the other team in the division I expect the AFC South to be wide open.
