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Ryan Mallett's Fantasy Outlook After Being Named Texans Starting QB

Fantasy Football
September 16, 2015

Brian Hoyer had his shot. Now, it’s Ryan Mallett‘s turn.

According to multiple reports, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com first among them, the Houston Texans will start Mallett at quarterback Sunday when they face the Carolina Panthers. It was news that both surprised folks—it turns out head coach Bill O’Brien has a fast hook—and simultaneously seemed like the smart decision, as Matt Miller of Nerdy Football noted:

For fantasy owners, however, the news isn’t terribly relevant.

Mallett did play well in relief of Hoyer in Week 1, finishing 8-of-13 for 98 yards and a touchdown while leading the Texans to two offensive scores after he took over in the fourth quarter. Hoyer struggled, going 18-of-34 for 236 yards, one touchdown and two turnovers as the team struggled against the Kansas City Chiefs defense while he was in the game.

But quarterback is a deep position in fantasy, and Mallett will struggle to get into the QB2 conversation, let alone garnering any QB1 consideration. He has just 92 career passing attempts, and he wasn’t good enough in camp to beat out Hoyer, so his upside on talent alone seems low.

For another, while he does have an elite target in DeAndre Hopkins, beyond that, the Texans aren’t exactly brimming with talent at wide receiver. With running back Arian Foster injured and his return date up in the air, he doesn’t have the team’s most dynamic weapon on offense, either, as Foster is an excellent safety valve in the passing game.

Hopkins owners need not worry, however: Mallett is good enough—and smart enough—to continue targeting the young star. But it doesn’t seem he’ll be good enough to have major fantasy relevance this season, either, and he’ll likely be looking over his shoulder after Hoyer was given the hook so quickly.

Mallett is worth monitoring, but for the time being, he isn’t worth adding in fantasy leagues.

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