Welcome to the twenty-fourth part of a thirty-two-part series: Reading the NFL Offseason Tea Leaves. Fantasy football tasseography is deeply rooted in predicting future fantasy fortunes. Some of the team tea cups we'll be looking into may be larger than others. The smallest of cups may have the most alluring blends of offensive weaponry, or be set to bloom after a long steep. This series will aid in your approach to Redraft and Dynasty leagues by bringing you up to date on:

• Free Agency
  • Re-signings, additions, who signed elsewhere, and what it means for fantasy.
• NFL Draft
  • What can we decipher about the direction a team is headed in based on their draft selections?
• Coaching Changes
  • Who's in, who's out, and how do the coaching philosophies translate to fantasy production?
• Fantasy Fortunes
  • What does this all mean for your fantasy football drafts?

Like tasseography, the arrangement of these four topics will vary as we digest each team's offseasons and see how the offensive pieces settle. Each article will interpret what this NFL team has told us about their future plans based on what they've done since their 2025 season ended.

Reading the Houston Texans' 2026 Offseason

The Montgomery Trade & the Backfield

The only splash the Texans made on the offensive side of the ball this offseason was the trade to add former Lions RB David Montgomery. The Texans traded offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, a '26 fourth-round pick, and a '27 seventh-round pick to acquire the veteran RB.

Montgomery will lead this backfield in snaps for 2026, relegating Woody Marks to a change-of-pace role. Before the trade for Montgomery, there was a bit of excitement around Marks, who finished the 2025 season as the Texans' lead RB. Marks will certainly be involved in the offense in 2026, but it will be Montgomery who leads the RB in fantasy points.

Nico Collins and the WR Room 

Nico Collins is the undisputed WR1 in this offense. Collins was rewarded with a 2-year extension worth $60M that will keep him tied to CJ Stroud through 2027. Second-year wideouts Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel will compete for the WR2 role.

Higgins appeared to be the coaching staff's preference in year one of their careers. Noel is the better route runner of the two, but Higgins checks the box as a size/speed freak. The Texans drafted Boston College WR Lewis Bond in the 6th round of the draft, who will compete for a roster spot with Justin Watson.

No one is sure if WR Tank Dell will return to form after suffering a gruesome leg injury in 2024.

The TE Picture

Did the Texans draft a Dalton Schultz replacement in rookie TE Marlin Klein? Or will it be Stroud's former college TE, Cade Stover? Schultz has two years left on his contract after finishing second on the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards in 2025.

If neither of these prospects develop, expect Schultz to remain tied to QB Stroud as his safety valve in the short and intermediate areas of the field. It's unlikely Klein or Stover usurp Schultz in the near future.

Fantasy Fortunes

Veteran QB Stroud is criminally underrated in fantasy football circles. After a strong rookie season, his stock exploded, but two straight years of QB2 finishes have brought him back to earth. Stroud is still a young prospect on a good offense who can be acquired at a reasonable price for sustained QB production on your dynasty fantasy teams.

Montgomery is also underrated after two seasons in Jahmyr Gibbs' shadow. Montgomery has weekly RB1 upside in this offense, and will likely finish 2026 as an RB2. Schultz can be bought for a 3rd round pick in many dynasty leagues and has back-end TE1 upside. The only top-tier player in this offense is Collins, and he should be treated as a perennial WR1.

This offense is shaping up to deliver a QB2, RB2, WR1 and potentially a WR3, and a TE2

Cam White is a Senior Analyst & Host at Optimus Fantasy. You can find more of his work on our YouTube channel, and make sure to follow him on Bluesky.