2002 Results

Coach: Dom Capers Record: (4-12) Passing Offense: 32nd, 139.1 yds/gm. 11 TDs Rushing Offense: 31st, 84.0 yds/gm, 6 TDs Scoring Offense: 32nd, 13.3 pts/gm Team Leaders Passing Att Comp Yds TDs INTs Rating David Carr 444 233 2592 9 15 62.8               Rushing Att Yds Avg TDs Long   Jonathan Wells 197 529 2.7 3 37   James Allen 155 519 3.3 0 32   David Carr 59 282 4.8 3 20                 Receiving Rec Yds Avg TDs Long   Corey Bradford 45 697 15.5 6 81   Billy Miller 51 613 12 3 42   Jabar Gaffney 41 483 11.8 1 27   James Allen 47 302 6.4 0 21   JaJuan Dawson 21 286 13.6 0 28

2003 Results

Coach: Dom Capers Record: (5-11) Passing Offense: 29th, 165.9 yds/gm. 14 TDs Rushing Offense: 23rd, 103.2 yds/gm, 14 TDs Scoring Offense: 29th, 15.9 pts/gm Team Leaders Passing Att Comp Yds TDs INTs Rating David Carr 295 167 2013 9 13 69.5 Tony Banks 102 61 693 5 3 84.3               Rushing Att Yds Avg TDs Long   Domanick Davis 238 1031 4.3 8 51   Stacey Mack 93 253 2.7 4 13   Tony Hollings 38 102 2.7 0 17                 Receiving Rec Yds Avg TDs Long   Andre Johnson 66 976 14.8 4 46   Corey Bradford 24 460 19.2 4 78   Jabar Gaffney 34 402 11.8 2 33   Billy Miller 40 355 8.9 3 25   Domanick Davis 47 351 7.5 0 17

2004 Fantasy Outlook
Coaches: Dom Capers (HC), Chris Palmer (OC), Vic Fangio (DC)
Passing SOS: 19th (1 = Easy, 32 = Difficult)
Rushing SOS: 11th (1 = Easy, 32 = Difficult)

To nobody's surprise the Texans have struggled in their first two years of existence. They come into year three with a 9-23 record and continue to flounder near the bottom of most offensive categories. Their biggest concern remains on the offensive line. OT Todd Wade (MIA), OT Marcus Spears (KC), and TE Mark Bruener have been brought in to help but the shuffling between the guard and tackle spots may take some time to gel. The passing attack will once again be led by David Carr who's heading into his 3rd season as the starting QB. He's battled injuries and inconsistency the last two years but should be ready to make at least, a small jump forward. The receivers are young, but talented and the emergence of RB Domanick Davis last season gives Houston a nice foundation to build on. The Texans are talking about all the right things, and have high expectations for their 2004 season. After two years of ineptitude, they are tired of losing. As fantasy owners evaluating this team, you have to be realistic. The promising young players need to start living up to their potential. lf Carr can stay healthy there's an opportunity to improve the passing numbers, but I would expect Houston to continue building their rushing attack. Stacey Mack is long gone and Jonathan Wells is no longer being considered starter material. Tony Hollings is in the wings and could be ready to show himself after a 2002 ACL injury. Domanick Davis is expected to be the starting RB from day one and remain the fantasy focus of this team heading into '04.

Quarterbacks: David Carr, Tony Banks, Dave Ragone
Maybe David Carr was still reeling from the pounding he took in 2002 (76 sacks) or maybe Houston's offense was just that bad in 2003. Whatever the reason, Carr stumbled through last year with mediocre numbers and injuries to boot missing four games with ankle and shoulder boo-boos. He says he's healthy and for what its worth, has looked pretty sharp in offseason workouts. His 18 touchdown passes over the last 2 seasons doesn't make you sit up and take notice, rather sit down and look elsewhere for your fantasy QB. He does have some stability in the system and familiarity with his receiving corps (Johnson, Bradford, Gaffney, & TE Billy Miller) but Houston was 29th in passing offense last year and finished dead last in '02. The third year might be the charm but until he proves it, Carr is nothing more than a backup fantasy QB.

Tony Banks filled in for Carr last year, starting 3 games but was eventually put on IR because of broken hand. Once again he will be in a backup role and should not be drafted unless you are in a deep league... I mean, really deep.

Projected Stats
David Carr - 2,671 yds, 16 TDs, 16 INTs; 163 rush yds, 1 TD; 219.8 FF Pts
Tony Banks - HOU 269 yds 0 TD, 1 INT; 15 rush yds, 0 TDs; 14.9 FF Pts

Running Backs: Domanick Davis, Tony Hollings, Jonathan Wells, Travis Stephens
Fullbacks: Moran Norris, Jarrod Baxter
In 10 starts last year Domanick Davis rushed for over 1000 yards and 8 TDs. Add in over 350 yards yards in receptions and many fantasy owners are wondering what kind of numbers can be reached in a full season as the starter. He's got great quickness and uses his blockers well but is a little on the small side (5'9" 210 lbs) bringing his durability into question. The Texans have re-worked their blocking scheme to fit his talents... a zone-blocking scheme, run by a number of NFL teams, most notably Denver and Baltimore, and have added depth to the line, bringing in Marcus Spears and blocking TE in Mark Bruener. Most fantasy prognosticators are expecting a good season out of Davis based on his solid performance a year ago, so don't expect him to slide come draft day. If you can grab him as your #2 fantasy back, you've done well

Tony Hollings saw very limited action last season as he spent most of the year recovering from an ACL suffered in 2002. He will be the backup to Davis and should see increased playing time this season. How much playing time he gets depends on the health of Davis and what kind rotation head coach Dom Capers wants to use. Hollings has a similar running style to Davis and the Texans still seem high on his abilities. He should be on your radar in the late rounds, especially if Davis is already on your roster.

Projected Stats
Domanick Davis - 1,314 yds 12 TDs; 36 rec, 277 yds, 1 TD; 237.1 FF Pts
Tony Hollings - 251 yds, 1 TD; 2 rec, 16 yds, 0 TDs; 32.7 FF Pts

Wide Receivers: Andre Johnson, Corey Bradford, Jabar Gaffney, Derick Armstrong, Sloan Thomas®
Andre Johnson is the lead receiver on this team and fell just 34 yards shy of a 1000-yd season in '03. He'll remain David Carr's top weapon supported by Corey Bradford (19.2 ypc last year) and Jabar Gaffney. The team uses four-wide receiver sets sparingly so don't count on any other receivers to show their fantasy face. The Texans do enjoy a better Passing SOS this year so Johnson could sneak up a be a great number two fantasy wideout. He's got good size and speed more often than not if Carr is dropping back to pass, its Johnson he's looking for. Bradford will line up opposite Johnson with Gaffney filling the slot role but I wouldn't be surprised to see Gaffney take a more prominent role in the passing game this year. He's a nice mismatch in the three WR sets the Texans use and could end up second in receiving numbers when its all said and done. However, both Gaffney and Bradford are bye-week plug-ins at best unless you play in a deep league.

Projected Stats
Corey Bradford - 21 rec, 304 yds, 1 TD; 36.4 FF Pts
Jabar Gaffney - 53 rec 636 yds, 3 TDs; 81.6 FF Pts
Andre Johnson - 67 rec, 916 yds, 6 TDs; 127.6 FF Pts

Tight Ends: Billy Miller, Mark Bruener, Jabari Holloway, Bennie Joppru
TE Billy Miller has caught 91 passes over the past two seasons, more than any other receiver on the Texans roster and is a good mismatch for linebackers that attempt to cover him. Even with Houston's weak passing game last year, he finished among the top 20 TEs in most fantasy scoring systems and deserves a look this year. The backup TEs have no real fantasy value here. Bennie Joppru was expected to compete with Billy Miller for the starting job at TE last season but was sidelined with a groin injury and a sports hernia that required surgery last August. He's returned to the practice field but remains buried on the depth chart. Mark Bruener will play in two TE situations but will be used more as a blocker than a receiver.

Projected Stats
Billy Miller - 42 rec, 405 yds, 3 TDs; 58.5 FF Pts

Houston T.O.D Discussion on the FF Today Board