For the second year in a row, the Houston Texans have started 2-0, Of course, 2013's 2-0 turned into a 2-14, worst-in-football season, so their optimism might be tempered a bit. Still, the Texans are favored coming into Sunday's game, in which they travel to take on the host New York Giants at 1 p.m. ET.
Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 3: Texans vs. Giants
The Texans could exceed last year’s win total by Week 3. Good times.
Elsa
The biggest fantasy name in Sunday’s game comes along with some injury concerns, so here’s a look at him and the other relevant players:
Texans
Start in every league: Arian Foster, Andre Johnson, Defense/special teams
Start if you're desperate: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Alfred Blue, DeAndre Hopkins, Randy Bullock
Bench: Jonathan Grimes, Garrett Graham, Ryan Griffin
The most interesting name is also the first. Foster has been held up in practice all week, but as of this writing it sounds like he’ll play, and if he does, he needs to be in fantasy lineups. ... Johnson hasn’t had a huge game yet, but he’s still at 167 yards through two games. He’s a top-10 play. ... The Texans’ defense is one of the league’s top options this week, going against a team that likes to offer interceptions.
It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which you’re forced to use Fitzpatrick, but it’s by no means an awful situation if you are -- he’s my No. 16 quarterback for the week. ... Blue is pretty clearly the backup in Houston, and if Foster were forced to miss the game, he’d be a fine RB2. ... Hopkins has looked good through two games; he’s a flex play. ... If Houston can continue its early success, Bullock could reap the kicking benefits.
In preseason, it seemed like Grimes would be the No. 2 running back in Houston, but he’s fallen behind Blue; even if Foster misses, Grimes is a stay-away. ... Neither Houston tight end -- Graham and Griffin -- is even a TE2.
Giants
Start in every league: Rashad Jennings
Start if you're desperate: Victor Cruz, Larry Donnell
Bench: Eli Manning, Rueben Randle, Josh Brown, Defense/special teams
Two weeks into his Giants tenure, Jennings has pretty clearly established himself as a fantasy starter, with a touchdown and more than 200 total yards.
Cruz has been disappointing so far. Even the better of his two games, Week 2, had only 60 yards. He’s still a flex play, but he needs to do more. ... Donnell, meanwhile, has been the Giants’ most pleasant surprise so far. He’s still just outside of the top 10 at tight end, but his stock is rising fast.
It’s hard to imagine a situation where you could be comfortable starting Manning; he has only 21 total fantasy points through two games. ... After a no-show in Week 1, Randle had a better game in Week 2. Still, with Donnell’s rise, he’s not a big enough piece to use in fantasy. ... Brown has scored exactly two fantasy points per game so far. ... The Giants’ defense has one total fantasy point in two games.
