The Houston Texans are sticking with Ryan Mallett as their starting quarterback, according to Texans TV's Drew Dougherty. The declaration came from head coach Bill O'Brien, who yanked Mallett in the second half of Sunday's blowout 48-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Ryan Mallett to remain starter, per report, but should remain on fantasy waivers as well
Texans head coach Bill O’Brien is sticking with Ryan Mallett under center. We break down the fantasy implications.
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Mallett was abysmal, leading zero scoring drives in a game that got out of hand fast. Though backup Brian Hoyer outperformed Mallett on the stat sheet, it was difficult to evaluate with the game already meaningless. Mallett played in 41 of 77 snaps, completing 12 of 27 passes for 150 yards and an interception.
Fantasy impact: No fantasy owner is going to start Mallett or Hoyer unless they're in absurdly deep leagues, but it's in the interest of Arian Foster and DeAndre Hopkins owners who will be under center. In Hopkins' case, it's irrelevant who is taking snaps, as each quarterback at least has the presence of mind to throw it in his direction, as evidenced by his absurd 22 targets on Sunday.
In Foster’s case, it’s more important to have the quarterback who will sustain drives and allow him to cap-off long ones with touchdown runs from the red zone. The Texans offense, and Foster, are trying to find their stride, and until Foster flashes the form he had pre-injury, he may be reliant on his team’s quarterback more than he has in the past. That isn’t good news for fantasy owners in the meantime.
