Dynasty Fantasy Football Free Agency Preview 2026: Houston Texans

Houston Texans fans are obviously not happy with the way things ended this year. There are ways to lose that you can stomach, like the Panthers losing a 34-31 shootout with the Rams. Losing the way the Texans did, with your quarterback getting utterly embarrassed, is a tough way to go into the offseason.

That said, there is a lot of hope in Houston. They did just go 12-5 and win a playoff game, after all. C.J. Stroud is still a 24-year-old quarterback with a lot of upside left to be uncovered. They have a great defense and some nice offensive pieces. This offseason is more about reloading than it is rebuilding, so we’ll take a look at the depth chart, contracts, and narratives to make some predictions about the offense. And we’ll discuss where it could impact fantasy football along the way. 

If you’d like to see where the Texans' weapons fall for us in dynasty, become a Fantasy Alarm Member today to access our full Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings along with our buy, hold, or sell recommendations!

*The salary cap numbers referenced in this article come courtesy of our friends over at Spotrac.com*

Houston Texans Depth Chart 2026 (Fantasy Football Relevant)

KEY

• White = free agent
• Green = role is safe
• Yellow =  role in flux
• Orange = likely a depth piece
• Red = roster spot not guaranteed

Houston Texans Free Agency 2026

• PROJECTED 2026 SALARIES: $312M
• ESTIMATED 2026 CAP SPACE: -$5M

Free Agent Types

Unrestricted free agent: Any player with four or more accrued seasons whose contract has expired. They are free to negotiate with any team.

Restricted free agent: A player with three accrued seasons and an expired contract. The CBA allowed for NFL teams to tender these players to one-year qualifying offers to retain them. Another team can sign them but would need to provide the tendering team with compensation. In layman’s terms, if a new team signs a player, the current team can match it or they receive the corresponding pick from the new team. These are the projected RFA tender levels per OverTheCap.com:

• 1st Round - $7,893,000
• 2nd Round - $5,658,000
• Right of First Refusal - $3,453,000

Exclusive rights free agent: Any player with fewer than three accrued seasons and an expired contract. If his original team offers him a one-year contract at the league minimum, the player cannot negotiate with other teams. If the team wants the player back, these contracts are a no-brainer, as the player either needs to play on the contract or sit out. 

Texans Quarterback Depth Chart

C.J. Stroud: C.J. Stroud was a hot commodity after his rookie season in 2023. And, in hindsight, we have to wonder if maybe the Texans should have stuck with Bobby Slowik’s scheme from that season. After having decent success, they brought in Stefon Diggs and had Slowik ditch the fullback. Before the season was even over, Slowik was fired.

The Texans have since struggled to find an identity (and a WR2 after both Diggs and Tank Dell suffered serious injuries). But that doesn’t mean there isn’t hope for C.J. Stroud. We’ve seen him play well in the right scheme with the right weapons. And the publicly terrible game against the Patriots might offer a buy-low opportunity for a quarterback who is at least a locked-in starter with upside for more. If they don’t work out an extension this off-season, the Texans will almost certainly pick up his option by the May 1 deadline. 

Davis Mills: The calls for Davis Mills to replace C.J. Stroud are, quite frankly, nonsense. We have a pretty decent sample size of Mills, and C.J. Stroud has been statistically better in virtually every way. Even this year, in his three wins as a backup, Mills had only a 57.2% completion percentage. Mills is under contract as a backup in 2026, but he’s not a real threat to take over as starter. 

Graham Mertz: As a sixth-round pick, Mertz isn’t a roster lock. But it is promising that they decided to sign him to the 53-man roster and keep him there all year. You really only do this if you want to protect this guy from other terms - oftentimes, guys like this bounce up and down from the practice squad. So I could see them keeping all three QBs as depth in 2026. Or they could play that game with Mertz and hope no one poaches him.

• Reserves/Futures: Sidy Sow

Texans QB FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Texans don’t really need to do anything in free agency or the draft here. They have all three quarterbacks for 2026, and it’s very likely that they pick up the fifth-year option for C.J. Stroud and/or extend him. Again, I know that some folks can let the end of the season dictate their emotions. But the Texans just went 12-5 and won a playoff games so Stroud would need to take a pretty big step back for them to start considering making a change for 2027. The Vikings acted drastically with Sam Darnold last year, and that proved to be a mistake. 

• POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: N/A

Texans Runningback Depth Chart

Woody Marks: Marks was forced into the starting role this year due to the Joe Mixon mystery (more on that below) and an ineffective Nick Chubb. Marks wasn’t super efficient with the role, and he did have a number of injury scares, but brute force volume actually made him a startable fantasy football asset for a good chunk of the year.

That being said, this is the kind of guy we look to sell in dynasty. As a Day Three draft pick, you likely got him for a good price and even used him in the lineup from time to time. But these are the exact kinds of guys we worry get replaced - just like Dameon Pierce before him. This Texans RB depth chart is going to be a thing, and all it takes is one signing or one draft pick to really crush the value here. So I’d cash out while you can - it’s free real estate. Check our full dynasty rankings to see where we have him.

Nick Chubb: Giving Nick Chubb another shot wasn’t a bad move if you ask me. He was an incredible rusher, and you never quite know what might still be in the tank. But what we saw was that there wasn’t much there. I doubt Chubb is back for the Texans. And, if he is picked up as depth somewhere, I’m not sure what the impact will be. The opportunity he just got was about as good as you are going to see, and he couldn’t capitalize. 

Joe Mixon: I have no idea really where to put Joe Mixon on this depth chart. Could be #1, could be #5. Because we really don’t know what the injury to Joe Mixon even was. Nick Caserio attempted to explain, and that actually made us even more confused. Here is what he said, per Cole Thompson of the Texans Wire.

"It wasn't like he was riding a snowmobile. It was more of a medical condition or situation that just never… It really didn't improve, maybe as much as everybody would've hoped," Caserio said. "I'm not trying to evade the question. I think that's the reality of the question. He didn't jump off a building; he wasn't cliff diving. He wasn't doing anything irresponsible. It was a freak thing. Honestly, I’ve never seen it, the condition.”

So I guess the good news is that it wasn’t some boneheaded move that they hold against him. And Mixon has now said multiple times on social media that he expects to play in 2026. The general situation as well as the fact that he can be released to save $8M in cap space with only $2M in dead cap pretty much forces us to list him as red on the grid above but I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t crazy enough to try to buy low just to see if he can start somewhere. 

Dare Ogunbowale: Ogunbowale serves as depth as a pass-catching back, though he did a lot more of that in 2024 than in 2025. Now he operates largely on special teams, where he actually logged over 300 snaps on four different special teams units. That’s his path to getting a new contract this offseason.

Jawhar Jordan: Jawhar Jordan actually flashed in his limited usage - especially in a Week 15 game where he ran for 101 yards on 15 carries. He signed a reserve/futures contract last year, then was elevated from the practice squad in December. Guys like this are never a roster lock, but I think he showed enough to hang around on a shallow team. And, if he does enough this year, they can keep him on a cheap exclusive rights free agent deal in 2027. 

British Brooks: The Texans seemingly go back and forth on whether they want a fullback or not. That will be up to Nick Caley in 2026, as Brooks can be released with zero dead cap. 

• Reserves/Futures: N/A

Texans RB FREE AGENCY TAKE: If the Texans don’t get Joe Mixon back, they’re basically looking at Woody Marks and Jawhar Jordan as their options. Let’s assume they do release Mixon for the $8M in savings. That doesn’t necessarily put them in the best cap space position, but running backs also aren’t generally prohibitively expensive. So let’s list the possible options that a 12-5 Texans team could add as a big boom for 2026. Some of the lesser names could at least test Woody Marks.

• POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker, Travis Etienne Jr, Javonte Williams, Rico Dowdle, Najee Harris, JK Dobbins, Tyler Allgeier, Brian Robinson

Texans Wide Receiver Depth Chart

Nico Collins: If you were patient with the slow start for Nico Collins, you’ve been rewarded as he’s developed into an NFL star. They extended him through 2027, and he’s locked in as the starting split end as an every-down player. You can’t have too many guys like this in your dynasty fantasy football leagues. 

Jayden Higgins: Jayden Higgins started the year only playing two WR sets, as they gave the rookie a few packages. He slowly started picking up more snaps but never quite graduated to a full-time player. The only games he played more than 80% of the snaps were the three games that Nico Collins missed. This is a guy we are buying as we believe in the talent, but it was annoying to see Xavier Hutchinson playing over him at times. A full-time role for him in 2026 is the hope, but it’s not guaranteed. 

Christian Kirk: The Jaguars announced they were releasing Kirk, but before the ink on the paperwork dried, the Texans swooped in to swap a late pick for him and avoid free agency. He essentially only played slot and, as has been the norm for him, missed a number of games. I don’t think he needs to be a priority to bring back in 2026 unless he wants to sign for cheap. 

Jaylin Noel: Noel is the obvious candidate to take over in the slot for Kirk if he’s gone. He and Jayden Higgins actually played together at Iowa State, with Joel as the slot/flanker and Higgins at split end. So you have to assume that the Texans had visions of an offense with Nico Collins and Jayden Higgins with Noel in the slot. Jaylin Noel returned virtually every punt as well as leading the team in kick returns, so he is a valuable player to the team already. We just want to see more for fantasy football. 

Tank Dell: Tank Dell is the curveball here that could cap the upside for both Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel in the short term. The speedy field stretcher has dealt with very serious injuries. But he is expected to be back in 2026. It’s yet to be seen how effective he’ll be or how he’ll be used. But any usage at all would make at least one of Noel or Higgins a part-time player. And, after Nico Collins, it could just be a big rotation like it was this year.

Xavier Hutchinson: Xavier Hutchinson has been a decent “next man up” for Houston. He can block well, plus he contributes on a handful of special teams. That said, a performance escalator in his contract is set for him to be paid $3.75M this year, with only ~$40,000 of it guaranteed. So, even though I expect him back, he’s now entered the realm where his contract isn’t quite in “vet minimum” territory anymore, so it’s not guaranteed. But I do think he will be back as depth.  

Justin Watson: Watson is a decent blocker, but he’s never really popped in the pass game. He was surpassed pretty quickly by rookies and didn’t appear much this season. He can be released with $1.5M in savings, and I don’t really see him back unless they opt to release Xavier Hutchinson instead. 

Braxton Berrios: The emergence of rookie Jaylin Noel in the slot and on special teams makes Braxton Berrios expendable. He’s an unrestricted free agent and will likely be moving on. 

• Reserves/Futures: Josh Kelly, Jared Wayne

Texans WR FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Texans don’t really need to go crazy at wide receiver in free agency. They have Nico Collins as a locked-in split end. Jayden Higgins can play flanker, and if Xavier Hutchinson is back, he will likely contribute some there, too. Even with Christian Kirk gone, Jaylin Noel proved to be a servicable slot guy (plus he returns punts and kicks). And then Tank Dell is a field stretcher. The Texans will need some depth, but I don’t expect much of a fantasy football impact in free agency, so it’s not really worth speculating. I would be shocked if they made a major splash on their budget, but the NFL is full of surprises. 

• POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: N/A

Texans Tight End Depth Chart

Dalton Schultz: Dalton Schultz would have been a cut candidate had he not restructured his deal. He was looking at only $2.5M in guaranteed money with $11.5M in savings if released. But both helped the team and himself by moving some money around in 2025. Now he would have a dead cap north of $10M with only $5M in savings if released. So he’ll start at tight end for Houston in 2026. 

Cade Stover: Stover has not had a good injury history. And that continued with a broken foot early in this year, followed by a knee injury in the playoffs. Luckily, tests showed his ACL is intact, so it amounted to partially torn MCL and PCL ligaments. So he could be ready for the 2026 offseason program. The hope for Stover fans is that Schultz is gone after this year, where Stover will be on the last year of his deal in 2027 to prove himself. 

Harrison Bryant: Harrison Bryant is a decent journeyman blocking tight end and special teams guy. He did not play much when Stover was active, but played around 25-30% of the snaps when Stover was out. Assuming Stover is back, he is expendable but could return for depth. He’s an unrestricted free agent. 

Brevin Jordan: Further making Harrison Bryant expendable is the one-year extension that Brevin Jordan signed in December. He, too, is a depth/blocking tight end. 

• Reserves/Futures: Luke Lachey, Layne Pryor

Texans TE FREE AGENCY TAKE: I know for these offseason articles, it’s fun to do a lot of speculation. Rampant speculation, at times, when called for. But there’s not much of that to do with the Texans' tight end position. They made their call on Dalton Schultz last year. Cade Stover is waiting in the wings. And they even extended blocking tight end Brevin Jordan. They are over the cap as it stands anyway. So free agency is probably out of the question - maybe they take a stab in the draft at some point. 

• POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: N/A

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