Dalton

Schultz

In the first season of a surprisingly lucrative three-year contract, 28-year-old Schultz slumped to five-year lows in receptions (53), yards (532) and touchdowns (two). This, despite the fact that Stefon Diggs never really got going before his ACL injury and Nico Collins spent time on injured reserve with a hamstring issue. Tank Dell was also lost in Week 16 to a knee issue. Schultz is a classic catch-and-fall specialist who long ago maxed out his talent, so it’s not like he has another level to ascend to. That being said, he probably ran unreasonably cold this year, and catching 50 balls five straight seasons is no small feat for a seam stretcher. Schultz will keep hanging around the TE1 periphery in 2025.

Schultz was able to get in a full practice Thursday and the 6-foot-5 tight end appears to be a full go for the contest against the Chiefs. It’s beyond plausible that the Texans are going to have to throw often in this game, so Schultz could be a sneaky play for the Saturday showdown in Kansas City.

The touchdown-dependent tight end is on track to play, having practiced in a limited capacity twice now. While Schultz is not a big-time difference maker, the Texans would undoubtedly prefer to have their starting tight end in the lineup for a potential shootout against the Chiefs.

Schultz has been dealing with this shoulder injury since Week 15, but hasn’t been on the injury report with it until now. It’s likely that he’ll continue to be a touchdown-or-bust bet against the Chiefs in the Divisional Round. Schultz did, notably, catch a score against the Chiefs on Christmas. He also saw a season-high eight targets in that game.

Schultz was again not part of the Houston passing attack. He had just six games with at least four grabs in the regular season and was third among Houston pass catchers in targets against the Bolts. Schultz ran a route on 35 of the team’s 43 drop backs on the day.

Schultz finishes the regular season never having more than five catches or 66 yards in a game. Given how banged up the Texans receiving corps has been, it’s kind of an indictment of either Schultz, Bobby Slowik, or both of them that he wasn’t more involved down the stretch. Schultz will remain touchdown-or-bust in Wild Card Round DFS and playoff best ball leagues.

Schultz came back to life last week with 45 yards and a score on five grabs. Even with Tank Dell out for this game (and the rest of the year), the veteran tight end failed to step up versus the Ravens, though that wasn’t entirely on him. C.J. Stroud missed him on multiple easy throws, turning a potentially average fantasy game into a flop for Schultz. With five catches and 66 yards serving as the ceiling performances for Schultz this year, he is stuck in the TE2 ranks for Week 18.

His touchdown was improvised in the red zone after C.J. Stroud scrambled around for a few seconds. Schultz had a 24-yard gain when he was left wide open on a checkdown. He dropped a key third-and-9 pass on the sideline in the third quarter. The target numbers support Schultz as a fringe TE1 going forward in Tank Dell’s (likely) absence, but it was by no means pretty or something you should be starting hoping for a transcendent fantasy performance.

Slim pickings. Schultz briefly left near the two-minute warning of the first half with a shoulder injury, but came back and wound up missing just three snaps. Assuming that’s nothing to watch, you can continue to roster Schultz and be disappointed with the results at your own leisure.

It was his first touchdown of the season and he caught it as he was left wide open on the right side of the Jaguars defense while all underneath defenders followed the crosser over the middle. In other words: It didn’t exactly portend much good for Schultz’s ROS outcome. Schultz shrugged off a shoulder injury early in the game to return to action and will rest up over the bye for those of you in leagues where you must start two tight ends.