The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Texans-Colts Week 3 matchup.
Find a breakdown of every Week 3 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| Houston | Rank | @ | Indianapolis | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | Spread | 2.5 | ||
| 23.0 | Implied Total | 20.5 | ||
| 18.5 | 21 | Points/Gm | 26.5 | 10 |
| 28.0 | 24 | Points All./Gm | 37.0 | 32 |
| 75.5 | 1 | Plays/Gm | 58.0 | 21 |
| 55.5 | 6 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 71.0 | 31 |
| 5 | 23 | Off. Yards/Play | 5.0 | 23 |
| 6.1 | 27 | Def. Yards/Play | 7.2 | 32 |
| 33.1% | 32 | Rush% | 44.8% | 18 |
| 66.9% | 1 | Pass% | 55.2% | 15 |
| 39.6% | 8 | Opp. Rush % | 46.5% | 21 |
| 60.4% | 25 | Opp. Pass % | 53.5% | 12 |
- The Texans rank second in the NFL in plays that gain 15 or more yards (19).
- The Colts have allowed a league-high 22 plays of 15 or more yards.
- The Colts have allowed a league-high 8 plays of 30 or more yards.
- The Colts have a -316 passing yardage differential compared to their opponents through two weeks, the worst margin in the league.
- That is their worst differential in a season through two games since they were in Baltimore (1981).
- The Colts have allowed opponents to score on a league-high 58.3% of drives.
- The Texans are averaging 0.44 yards before contact on running back runs, ahead of only the Browns (0.32).
Trust = spike production for that player
Texans vs. Colts Fantasy Quarterback Preview
C.J. Stroud
Stroud has posted two solid weeks to start the year, finishing as the QB16 (16.5 points) and QB13 (17.0 points).
Last week without Nico Collins, Stroud threw for 353 yards.
He needed 55 attempts (6.4 Y/A) to get there, and he didn't throw a touchdown pass to boost his counting stats.
He also added 29 yards rushing.
Houston moved the ball on Sunday, but they routinely botched drives in Cincinnati territory.
The Texans missed two field goals and failed on a fourth-down attempt at the Bengals' 18-yard line.
Stroud had the passing yardage, but Collins' absence was evident.
Stroud threw the ball to wide receivers 52% of the time (QB26 in Week 2).
Throwing to his remaining wide receivers, Stroud went 9-for-26 (34.6%) for 138 yards (5.3 Y/A).
He had a 30.8% inaccurate throw rate to his wideouts, 32nd in the league last week.
We will follow his status, but we expect Collins to miss another week with his hamstring injury.
If so, that casts a rain cloud over Stroud as a QB2 in what appears to be a great matchup.
The Colts have faced Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes to open the year, but they have been one of the worst defenses in the league through two games.
The Colts have allowed a 68.1% completion rate (22nd), a league-high 9.8 yards per pass attempt, the most passing yards (675), and a 5.6% touchdown rate (21st).
They are also coming off a long overtime game in which their defense played a league-high 78 snaps.
Stroud still has opportunities against the Indy linebackers with Dalton Schultz, but having Collins would add confidence in using him for a ceiling outcome.
The Colts have struggled to defend the play-action pass, which Houston still hasn't featured.
The Colts have allowed Jackson and Mahomes to complete 19 of 23 play-action passes (82.6%) for 229 yards (10.8 Y/A) with 2 touchdowns.
Stroud is 26th in play-action rate (20.4%).
Daniel Jones
Jones has opened the year with weeks as the QB29 (9.0 points) and QB23 (11.4 points).
He is averaging 6.1 yards per pass attempt, 28th in the league.
Coming off his Achilles injury, questions remained about how far downfield Jones would push the ball.
He is averaging 5.6 air yards per pass attempt, 29th in the league.
Jones also has a bit of a wide receiver problem himself.
Josh Downs is his best receiver right now.
When throwing the ball to wide receivers, Jones has a 66.8 rating, 27th in the league.
To give Jones some credit, he is coming off a major injury and facing defenses coached by Jesse Minter and Steve Spagnuolo.
The Colts were also in a position to win that game last week.
Unfortunately, things do not get much easier here.
The Houston defense did not dominate last week, but they improved significantly after their Week 1 letdown against the Bills.
They allowed 6.7 yards per attempt to Joe Burrow (12th last week) and sacked him 5 times.
Jones played one game against Houston last season, finishing as the QB17 (16.1 points).
He completed 51.9% of his passes for 201 yards, with 2 touchdowns.
That would be a positive outcome here for Jones as a QB2 with the loss of Alec Pierce.
Texans vs. Colts Fantasy Running Back Preview
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LEARN ABOUT FANTASYMore Week 3 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Week 3 NFL Games | Time |
|---|---|
| Falcons @ Packers | Thursday Night Football |
| Chargers @ Bills | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Panthers @ Browns | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Jets @ Lions | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Texans @ Colts | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Chiefs @ Dolphins | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Titans @ Giants | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bengals @ Steelers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Seahawks @ Commanders | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Patriots @ Jaguars | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Cardinals @ 49ers | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Vikings @ Bucs | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Ravens vs. Cowboys | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Raiders @ Saints | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Rams @ Broncos | Sunday Night Football |
| Eagles @ Bears | Monday Night Football |