David Lombardi reports rookie RB Kaelon Black was added to the injury report as limited participant Thursday with a groin issue. Black surprised many in Week 1 by playing 43% of snaps, while rushing for 65 yards on 14 attempts and adding a 5-yard reception. Christian McCaffrey praised Black this week in an interview, likening his ability to have the impact for him that David Montgomery had last year on Jahmyr Gibbs and Tyler Allgeier had on Bijan Robinson to keep them fresh.
Black was a big riser after Week 1’s surprising performance and one of the biggest waiver adds of the week. Fantasy football manager’s will need to keep an eye on tomorrow’s practice report to see Black’s level of participation in order to get a better idea if he will be able to play this weekend.
Houston Texans running back David Montgomery is ready for ...
Houston Texans running back David Montgomery is not taking ...
For the first time since 2023, Houston Texans running back ...
While both sides made a run at completing an extension before the regular season begins, they couldn’t strike a deal and both sides now prefer to wait until after this season to work out a long-term deal. C.J. Stroud. Stroud has had an up-and-down past couple of years after a strong rookie season, culminating in a brutal Divisional Playoff loss last year to New England where he completed 20 of 47 passes along with 4-INTs. This has Stroud wanting to bet on himself to revert back to his rookie year form, where he finished as QB11, and the Texans not willing to financially commit to him at that level.
This should lead to a highly motivated Stroud this year. The arrival of David Montgomery at RB in the offseason, combined with Woody Marks, whose improvement this offseason has impressed the coaching staff, should force defenses to be more honest against Stroud and star WR Nico Collins. Stroud is PlayerProfiler’s No. 22 ranked QB in dynasty rankings and No. 21 ranked QB in Week 1 rankings.
The Texans have deployed David Montgomery and Woody Marks in near even workloads throughout camp, with the backfield trending closer to a committee than a traditional starter backup setup. Montgomery should open as the lead back, but OC Nick Caley’s tendency to stick with what is working creates a path to a hot-hand approach on game days.
PlayerProfiler gives Montgomery the stronger established profile, while Marks brings the younger prospect profile and could force the Texans to keep the split close if his preseason play carries over. Montgomery is the safer early bet, but Marks is a 12-team bench stash with a path to stealing more work than his ADP suggests.
While these may be opportunities to pass block on third downs, it is a positive report for Woody Marks who is ticketed for a specialized third-down and pass-catching role in 2026 season following the acquisition of veteran David Montgomery. Barrett further commented, “I think the key for Woody is understanding his role, which he does. He’s going to get lots of opportunities. Last year we brought him along slower, which was good to help him kind of learn the game.”
Marks handled a heavy workload as a rookie, logging 196 rush attempts and a 52-percent snap share, but he was inefficient, averaging under 3.6 yards per carry with a long gain of only 23 yards. Marks’ fantasy upside now shifts entirely to the air, where his 22.0-percent college target share at USC suggests he can easily outperform last year’s 24 receptions. He offers both standalone value in negative game script situations as well as massive contingent fantasy football value if Montgomery misses time. Marks is the perfect Zero RB option in the mid to late rounds this summer.
Recent Houston coaching staff comments signal a reduced role for Woody Marks this season. Texans RB coach and assistant head coach Danny Barrett claimed that Marks’ “role is going to pick up some third downs, special teams.” His elite college target share—highlighted by a 22.0-percent College Target Share and 261 career receptions shows that his pass-catching upside is massive.
Though Marks is developing an all-purpose skillset, the presence of David Montgomery and his $16.5 million contract, has relegated him to satellite back duties in 2026. Recently, Montgomery was labeled “a three-down back” who “can do it all,” by NFL.com’s Kevin Patra.
After 196 rush attempts in 2025, Marks is now more handcuff than fantasy producer. At 25.5 years of age, he has impressive all-purpose contingent upside if Montgomery misses games this season. He is an uncapped late-round option with limited standalone value. Given the limiting dynamic with Montgomery, Marks is more attractive in fantasy football dynasty leagues.
This is music to David Montgomery‘s ears. The Houston Texans dropped their pass rate down to 55.8-percent from Week 13 to Week 18 of 2025, and Caley wants to deploy more multi-tight end sets and heavy personnel packages to extend the offensive line and attack defensive surfaces with creative blocking schemes this season.
Given the Texans feature a top tier defense, a renewed commitment to a heavy, balanced ground attack make perfect strategic sense. Houston’s myriad of WR options also suggests a more diversified wide receiver rotation, lowering the ceiling of Jayden Higgins, Tank Dell, and Jaylin Noel. Though Caley also praised C.J. Stroud for taking a leap this offseason and exuding “a different comfort level,” Montgomery remains best Houston player to target in fantasy football drafts this year.
