With the news that Marcus Mariota is out for Week 8 and Zach Mettenberger is getting the start, it may seem like the defense for the Houston Texans should rack up a lot of Fantasy points this weekend.

Is this call as automatic as it may seem? Let’s take a quick look at Mettenbergers’ history against the Texans’ defense and what may happen in Week 8.

Zach Mettenberger vs. Houston Texans

According to SCOUT’s Head to Head Stats, Mettenberger has recorded mixed results against the Texans’ defense.
Of course, that was last season, so you can’t rely too heavily on those numbers.

From his first start this year, however, it doesn’t look like Mettenberger is going to light up the Texans the way Ryan Tannehill and company did in Week 6.

It may seem like starting the Texans’ defense is automatic this week, especially with a price tag of $4,700 on FanDuel and $3,100 on DraftKings.

But, this defense is still living off its reputation from previous years for a lot of Fantasy players…

The Houston Texans Defense

The Texans’ defense is only allowing an average of 242 passing yards opposing teams, but the more important number to look at is the 16 touchdown passes.

Especially with the struggles in the backfield, the Titans may need Mettenberger to just chuck the ball around for most of the game. Obviously the more passing attempts he has, the better chance the 24-year old quarterback has to be relevant and hurt the value of the Texans’ defense in Week 8.

Conclusion on the Houston Texans and Zach Mettenberger in Week 8

You never want to rely on stats from the previous year too heavily, but it doesn’t appear likely that Mettenberger is going to transform into the next Aaron Rodgers.

One thing to note from last season is that Mettenberger never passed for more than two touchdowns in a game. He also threw an interception in every game he played in the 2014 NFL season.

From last season, the 24-year old quarterback’s performance really came down to how much he threw the football.

If Antonio Andrews and Dexter McCluster can get something going off the ground, that means Mettenberger won’t have to carry the team.

In four out of six games this season, the Titans’ offense has only managed an average of 11 points per game. I don’t expect Mettenberger to drastically change anything, especially since the Titans only managed seven points with the second-year quarterback as the starter against the Atalanta Falcons last week.

The Over/Under for this game is pretty low at 43.5, and the Titans’ don’t have enough of a spark to make this game a shoot out. The Texans’ defense is at least appealing because this should be a very low scoring game. You may not get a lot of points, but you shouldn’t have to worry about receiving 0 or negative points either. The Texans’ should stick near to the starting points you get from a defense to start out.

The history and current stats don’t suggest that the Texans’ defense will offer you a huge pay day against the Titans, but the price point, relatively safety and potential upside does make this a defense I’m playing in Week 8.

Categories: 2015 Fantasy Football

Tags: Fantasy Football Week 8 Daily Defenses, Houston Texans Defense Week 8, Houston Texans Start Week 8, Houston Texans Week 8 Fantasy Football, Week 8 Fantasy Football Defense, Zach Mettenberger Week 8