Xavier Hutchinson

“[The Texans] should have a full-speed Tank Dell next season [2027], too, hopefully sooner, although he’s nowhere near ready to play,” McClain said in a tweet on Monday this week. This comes on the heels of Dell not even appearing at practices for the last week-plus.

McClain, who has covered the NFL for 50 years in Houston, went on to lament the loss of Dell since his two seasons in which he totaled over 90 catches and topped 1,300 yards combined in 25 games.

The surprising news comes as a blow to both fans and fantasy managers banking on Dell’s return from a devastating 2024 injury in which he dislocated his knee, tore his ACL, LCL, and MCL, and damaged his meniscus. It was a gruesome injury many thought no one could come back from. After seemingly defying the odds, fans will have to wait. It sounds as though he’ll miss significant time in 2026… if he plays at all.

Houston recently traded for Kayshon Boutte after a season-ending loss of Jayden Higgins (ACL). If Dell doesn’t return, they’ll either shop again or look to Jaylin Noel and Xavier Hutchinson to pick up the slack. Nico Collins and Dalton Schultz get a fantasy uptick as the most reliable pass-catchers.

It was nice knowing you, Xavier Hutchinson. Kayshon Boutte heads to Houston on the final year of his rookie contract after New England added Romeo Doubs and A.J. Brown, stepping into immediate perimeter opportunity following a torn ACL for Jayden Higgins

Operating as a dedicated field-stretcher, Boutte generated 551 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 33 receptions last season while maintaining a 15.0 Yards Per Reception mark over his last two campaigns. Without expanded route diversity or earned target volume beyond deep-threat usage, his profile points to volatile spike weeks rather than dependable weekly fantasy production. Boutte is currently PlayerProfiler’s WR78 in best ball formats.

Losing Higgins guts Houston’s secondary downfield element after a rookie campaign of 525 yards and six touchdowns, leaving the offense concentrated around Nico Collins and his alpha Target Share. This perimeter vacancy creates route participation for Xavier Hutchinson while boosting snap rates and designed touches for both Tank Dell and Jaylin Noel.

Outside of Collins commanding high-end Air Yards Share and Target Share, Houston’s ancillary pass-catchers will struggle to produce viable Fantasy Points Per Game in this balanced scheme. Collins is now PlayerProfiler’s WR11 for fantasy football 2026.

The Texans WR is dealing with a strained hamstring and is expected to miss a few weeks, but Houston remains optimistic he’ll be ready for the regular season opener.

The injury is a frustrating setback for Noel, who needs every preseason rep he can get while competing for a larger role in Houston’s crowded receiver room. The Week 1 optimism is good news, but hamstrings have a nasty habit of ruining timelines. Fantasy managers should keep Noel on the radar, but don’t reach for him until we see him back on the field.

After missing the 2025 season with a severe knee injury, Dell is reportedly making significant progress in the Texans’ current offseason conditioning program. Team management is using his performance in spring activities to gauge his readiness and official availability for the 2026 campaign.

If cleared to play, Dell likely holds the advantage over Jaylin Noel and Xavier Hutchinson for the team’s WR3 position and will push Jayden Higgins and Dalton Schultz for targets behind first-read Nico Collins. Dell is a value dart in best ball and a strong buy-low candidate in fantasy football dynasty leagues.