Indianapolis Colts vs Houston Texans Matchup Preview 11/21/19: Analysis, Depth Charts, Daily Fantasy

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This Thursday night matchup is a good one. The Colts and Texans will play to see who is the top team in the AFC South. Both teams sit at 6-4 and a win here for either team would greatly increase their chances at winning the division. After a disappointing blowout loss against the Ravens, the Texans have a chance to rebound with a win at home. They have to prove that they can consistently beat playoff teams if they want a chance at the Super Bowl. For odds movement and full matchup history, visit the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans matchup page.

TV Schedule

Date: Thursday, November 21st, 2019
Time: 8:20 ET
Location: NRG Stadium – Houston, TX
Coverage: FOX, NFL Network

Injury Report

Indianapolis Colts: RB Marlon Mack (O) – Hand, RB Jordan Wilkins (Q) – Ankle, WR T.Y Hilton (Q) – Calf, WR Parris Campbell (Q) – Hand, TE Eric Ebron (Q) – Ankle, TE Mo Alie-Cox (Q) – Thumb, CB Rock Ya-Sin (Q) – Ankle, CB Pierre Desir (Q) – Hamstring, CB Shakial Taylor (Q) – Ankle, S Khari Willis (O) – Concussion, S George Odum (Q) – Shoulder
Houston Texans: WR Will Fuller (Q) – Hamstring, S Tashaun Gipson (Q) – Back, S Justin Reid (Q) – Concussion, S Mike Adams (Q) – Concussion, CB Bradley Roby (Q) – Hamstring, CB Lonnie Johnson (Q) – Ankle, LB Dylan Cole (Q) – Knee, T Tytus Howard (Q) – Knee

Indianapolis Colts Analysis

The Colts have a great opportunity to get their passing game going against a Texans defense that ranks 25th in passing yards allowed. However, the Colts passing game has been pretty stagnant without T.Y. Hilton in the lineup for the past few weeks. Additionally, Devin Funchess was placed on IR last week. Backup receivers Zach Pascal and Parris Campbell have to step up if the Colts want to win this game. Parris Campbell is also injured though. He has missed the last two weeks with injury and may not even play this game. That leaves Zach Pascal as the probable top receiving option for this offense. In the last two games, he has had an opportunity to prove himself as the top receiving option for the Colts, but did not capitalize on it. Over the last two games, he has had 4 receptions for 43 yards. The only promising statistic is that he had 13 targets over the last two games. He could be a decent start this week, as the Texans secondary has not performed well and is currently plagued with injuries.

The Texans rushing defense ranks 2nd in yards allowed, and it may be hard for the Colts running backs to be productive this game. Last week, they held Mark Ingram to 48 yards on 13 carries and held Lamar Jackson to 86 rushing yards. That is pretty good against the Ravens top rushing offense. Marlon Mack is out for this game, so the backup running backs Jonathan Williams and Nyheim Hines should get more carries. They probably will not do too well this game, but are worth adding to your roster in case they do well in the coming weeks.

Indianapolis Colts Depth Chart

QB: Jacoby Brissett
RB1: Nyheim Hines
RB2: Jonathan Williams
WR1: T.Y. Hilton
WR2: Zach Pascal
WR3: Chester Rogers
TE: Jack Doyle

Houston Texans Analysis

After a slow start to the season, receiver DeAndre Hopkins has returned to peak form. He has had 15+ PPR points in the last 6 games and should do well against the Ravens defense this week. The Colts rank 20th in fantasy points allowed to receivers and have allowed decent games to good receivers. Last week, D.J. Chark caught 8 balls for 104 and 2 touchdowns. Also, the Colts have five defensive backs listed as questionable for this game. Hopkins should have no problem tearing apart this Colts defense. Will Fuller may be a great fantasy option for this week. Though he is listed as questionable, he could still play this week. In the last two full games he played, he was targeted 25 times. He is a solid flex option this week against the Colts.

Running back Carlos Hyde will probably not have a great game. The Colts rank 6th in fantasy points allowed to running backs. Though Hyde has gotten a lot of carries recently, he has not done well against good rushing defenses. Against the Ravens last week, he only had 9 carries for 65 yards. The Colts rushing defense is solid and will probably not allow Hyde to have a good game. Also, he is not used in the passing game very much, as he has only caught 6 receptions this whole year. This makes his floor for fantasy very low. It is probably a good idea to sit Hyde this week.

Houston Texans Depth Chart

QB: Deshaun Watson
RB1: Duke Johnson
RB2: Carlos Hyde
WR1: DeAndre Hopkins
WR2: Will Fuller
WR3: Keke Coutee
TE: Jordan Akins

Daily Fantasy: Zach Pascal is a Sleeper Pick

Zach Pascal (DK: $6,000, FD: $5,800) is a great option this week. Though he has not done well over the last two games, he has gotten a lot of targets. Against this Texans secondary, he should have a great game. Also, DeAndre Hopkins (DK: $7,800, FD: $8,300) should be a great option as well. Though he is expensive, he consistently puts up solid statlines. Also, DeShaun Watson (DK: $6,700, FD: $8,000) should have a great game and has a relatively low salary. The Colts rank 14th in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks, which is a good matchup for Watson, who regularly tears apart mid-tier defenses. The running backs in this game may not be as good though. Both these run defenses are strong, so the running backs should not be that productive.