Dalton

Schultz

He didn’t exactly make the most of Tank Dell’s absence, but 3/34 feels pretty good for a fantasy tight end in 2024. Schultz will likely remain a touchdown-or-bust bet in Week 5 against the Bills.

Schultz is the distant fourth option in the Houston passing offense. He had three targets in each of the Texans’ first two regular season games before Week 3’s quiet outing against the Vikings. Schultz is not fantasy relevant in any format.

Schultz has now seen three targets in consecutive games to start the 2024 season, a far cry from his pace a season ago. A lot of that is likely due to the emergence of alpha Nico Collins in conjunction with the offseason addition of Stefon Diggs. Schultz can likely be returned to the waiver wire with no clear path to consistent volume in a now-crowded Texans offense.

NBC Houston’s Aaron Wilson reports “No injury designation for Texans veteran tight end Dalton Schultz (minor sprained ankle), who had full practice Friday in his return after being held out Wednesday and Thursday for precautionary reasons.” Schultz is good to go for the Texans’ Sunday Night Football game against the Bears.

That makes back-to-back missed practices for Schultz. It seems more likely that tight end is not going to be available for Week 2 against the Broncos, which means that Cade Stover and Brevin Jordan will be C.J. Stroud’s targets at the tight end position for that contest.

Not much is known about Schultz’s addition to the injury report, but a DNP to start the week is not a good sign for his Week 2 outlook. Schultz caught three passes for 16 yards in Week 1. With Stefon Diggs now soaking up targets alongside Nico Collins and Tank Dell, it’s going to be hard for any fourth pass-catching option to make an impact. Brevin Jordan and rookie Cade Stover would both see an uptick in snaps if Schultz misses Week 2.

To no one’s surprise, the addition of Stefon Diggs ate directly into Schultz’s target share. He saw 17 percent of the Texans’ targets in 2023. That number plummeted to nine percent in Week 1. With three elite receivers all deserving of targets on the field alongside him, Schultz is going to struggle to earn looks consistently. He will rank as a touchdown-or-bust TE2 for the Texans’ Week 2 game against the Bears.

PFF’s Nathan Jahnke notes all Texans tight ends played for extended durations due to a injury-thinned personnel group. Schultz is the team’s TE1 but rookie Cade Stover made the most of his opportunities, catching 3-of-3 targets for 32 yards, including one target earned on his lone first-team snap.

We’re sure the money is funny there, but Schultz is presumably landing a nice 2024 guarantee. Playing on a one-year deal last season, Schultz posted a respectable 59/635/5 line alongside ascendant QB C.J. Stroud, but he never felt like an integral part of the Texans’ game plan. He also missed two games with injury and struggled with drops. It wouldn’t be surprising if this is really a one-year deal and Schultz is playing elsewhere in 2025. As it is, he is in a perfect spot to maintain low-end TE1 fantasy relevance for the upcoming campaign.

One of Schultz’s missed connections was an awful drop, something ESPN’s Troy Aikman opined you don’t see often from him. In fact, Schultz’s four official drops put him in the top 10 amongst tight ends this season even though he caught only 59 passes. Playing on a one-year deal, Schultz didn’t exactly scream out “contract extension.” The ex-Cowboy turns 28 in July. That being said, he’s a proven enough pass catcher that he should still mange guaranteed money on the open market if he doesn’t re-sign with Houston.