It’s hard to find two teams that want to make a deep playoff run more than the Houston Texans and the Los Angeles Chargers. Both their fan bases have waited a long time for team success, and they play well on both sides of the ball. While each team has weapons, they both have strong defenses, so players are going to need to be extra picky in finding which players to start in DFS for this game.
Chargers at Texans Start Em’
JK Dobbins (Draft King Price 6.2K, FanDuel Price 7.1K)
It will be tough for the Chargers offense to gameplan against Houston’s secondary, but one way to beat them is to ignore them all together by running the ball. Despite a great quarterback and some speedy receivers at their disposal, the Chargers might be feeding the ball to Dobbins early to move the chains and open up play-action opportunities. Dobbins also has had 3 touchdowns in the last five games, so don’t be surprised if he gets many carries in the red zone.
Will Dissley (Draft Kings Price 3.4K, FanDuel Price 5K)
Dissley doesn’t usually command many targets per game, but he just got 6 targets in the matchup with the Raiders. Those targets resulted in 42 yards and a touchdown for Dissley. Since the Texans have great corners in Stingly Jr. and Lassiter, Herbert might be looking at Dissleys’s way much more often. Dissley could be looking at around 50 yards and at least 1 touchdown this game.
Nico Collins (Draft Kings Price 7.8K, FanDuel Price 8.5K)
Collins should be picked up for many DFS players, not because it’s a great matchup for him (The Chargers have a strong defense), but because Collins excels in bad matchups. When quarterback C.J. Stroud is in trouble, he tends to target Collins since he is a very reliable security option. Rest assured, edge rushers like Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack will break through into the Texans backfield, so Stroud might dial up lots of quick step-backs and tosses to Collins.
Chargers at Texans Sit Em’
C.J. Stroud (Draft Kings Price 5.5K, FanDuel Price 7K)
It’s tough to recommend picking up Stroud in this matchup for a very simple reason. Stroud is one of the most frequently pressured quarterbacks in the league, and the Chargers have Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa. When a poor offensive line (at least passing-wise) goes up against a great pass rush, things don’t tend to turn out too well for the throwing team.
Quentin Johnston (Draft Kings Price 4.8K, FanDuel Price 6.3K)
Given the type of defense that the Texans have, Johnston might have a tough time getting targets in this game. The Texans have a great secondary, which Herbert can bypass by targeting tight ends and running backs. He will be feeding the ball to Ladd because, well, he’s Ladd McConkey. That means that the Chargers offense won’t be planning on getting the ball to Johnston. He can still have a decent game but as a secondary option.
Diontae Johnston (Draft Kings Price 3.5K, FanDuel Price 5.3K)
It would be great to see Johnston play up to how he was when he was wearing the black and yellow for Pittsburgh. It’s more than likely that Collins and Metchie III will soak up the targets, though, since Johnston is a new signing. Stroud is going to be under duress for most of the game anyway, so it’s hard to see how Johnston is going to get his touches.
Chargers at Texans Lock
Joe Mixon (Draft Kings Price 7.2K, FanDuel Price 7.5K)
Since the Texans know Los Angeles can get after the quarterback, they should give Mixon plenty of carries to start the game with. Mixon has proven to be a valuable running back even in the toughest environments. Mixon has not looked good the past four games, but the organization will need him to step up because the Texans will likely lose if this becomes a shootout.
Chargers at Texans Fade
Dameon Pierce (Draft Kings Price 4.7K, FanDuel Price 4.9K)
Since Mixon is going to be so necessary if the Texans want to win, backups for the Texans don’t look too good by comparison. In another matchup, Pierce could be a nice pickup. In the playoffs, teams are going to target their best players, though, and that means a heavy dose of Joe Mixon.
