This Starter Won't Be Back With the Houston Texans in 2021

As long as head coach/general manager Bill O’Brien is at the helm for the Houston Texans, literally anyone and everyone has a possibility of being moved.

With the trade of DeAndre Hopkins for David Johnson, a draft pick and a bag of chips, O’Brien is susceptible to making any move he deems necessary in order to create the team in his own image. And since Hopkins is not coming back in 2020, it is equally possible that another receiver might find himself on the outs after the season has ended, especially if he's unable to stay healthy and demands a raise.

Texans WR Will Fuller is making "steady progress" from his January sports hernia surgery, according to the Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson. Fuller has resumed running and should be a full-go when training camp opens. He's missed 22 games through 4 NFL s… https://t.co/TohZ2OPJSU
— Fantasy Football (@FantasySmarts) May 25, 2020

The curious case of Will Fuller is an interesting one. When he is on the field and healthy, he can make dynamic plays with Deshaun Watson as his quarterback. Emphasis on “when he is on the field and healthy.”

Fuller has played 42 out of 64 possible regular season games in his career as a Texan. He’s averaging a solid 14.3 yards per catch, but he is also liable to drops when on the field. In addition, Houston has brought in three new wide receivers dating back to the start of 2019, trading for Kenny Stills during the season, and picking up both Randall Cobb and Brandin Cooks during this offseason.

On the flip side of what I tweeted yesterday, some drop rate numbers that are certainly intriguing/worrying:

Randall Cobb: 9.64%
Will Fuller: 7.04%
Brandin Cooks: 5.56%
Kenny Stills: 3.64%

Deandre Hopkins: 2.67%

This offense is really boom or bust, but it will be exciting.
— Texans Draft (@Texans_Draft) May 21, 2020

With Cobb and Cooks’ contracts expiring in 2023 and 2024, respectively, those two are expected to stick around beyond this season. Both Fuller and Stills are slated to be free agents in 2021, but the younger and oft-injured Fuller could command more money coming out of his rookie contract than Houston may be willing to pay. With that in mind, expect O’Brien to move forward with his newly-acquired receivers beyond 2020, and exclude Fuller from the mix.