Nathaniel

Dell

Brown in Week 1 against the Ravens ran 65 percent of his routes from the slot and caught three of four targets for 20 scoreless yards. His trip to IR should open up more snaps and routes for rookie Tank Dell. Against Baltimore, Dell ran a route on just 41.5 percent of the Texans’ drop backs. He caught three of four targets for 34 yards. Dell is worth an add in deeper formats ahead of Houston’s Week 2 game against the Colts.

“It was good to see Tank make some plays,” Ryans said on the rookie’s debut. “We’ve seen him make a lot of plays, some of these same plays, so it was good to see him do the same thing here in a game. He’s going to be an explosive playmaker for us.” Dell had been lighting up Texans’ practices the last couple weeks. Now that they’ve seen him do it in games, the Texans should have no trouble finding early-season snaps for their third-round pick. Dell started Houston’s preseason opener over John Metchie with Robert Woods inactive and could open the year in three-wide sets.

Dell was also the intended target on an ugly C.J. Stroud interception. The miscue was not the wideout’s fault. For his touchdown catch from Davis Mills, Dell made a ridiculous move at the front left corner of the end zone to get open with only seconds remaining in the first half. Dell was frequently running free against the Patriots’ second-team defense. Ludicrously productive for the University of Houston, Dell has had a strong camp to date. He’s an intriguing late-round flier, especially in PPR leagues, though it remains possible he won’t be able to dislodge Robert Woods from the slot. Notably, Woods was kept in street clothes along with a number of other Texans veterans on Thursday evening.

“Tank’ Dell comes in, providing his route-running ability,” Ryans said. “He’s been open a lot in OTAs. So that’s exciting.” Ludicrously productive at the University of Houston, Dell forged an off-field friendship with new Texans QB C.J. Stroud, which surely played a part in his Day 2 selection. It is going to be easy to get overly excited about Dell at the expense of veteran Robert Woods, but there is no question Dell is where the upside resides. It is just a matter of if he can establish a PPR floor first. Dell is an interesting late-round flier in receptions-based formats.

Dell (5’8/165), better known by his nickname “Tank,” is one of the smaller receivers in the draft but also one of the most explosive. A slippery player after the catch, Dell can turn any play into a long score, amassing 29 receiving touchdowns in his final two seasons with the Cougars. Dell is a shifty route runner who excels at creating separation and uses his quickness to evade defenders in the open field. Over the last two seasons, Dell ranked fifth in the FBS in yards after the catch (1,148) and led all receivers in explosive receptions (68). Drops, in addition to his size, are the two biggest areas of concern for Dell. In his lone season as a punt returner, Dell returned nine punts for 153 yards and a score. His special teams prowess only adds to his value as a playmaker. In Houston, Dell will join Nico Collins, Robert Woods, and John Metchie as the team’s top wideouts. He could earn targets quickly without a target dominator in the Texans offense.

Dell enters 2023 with little guaranteed in Houston, but plenty of possibility on a depth chart where no one has really stepped forward as a big target. The C.J. Stroud “asking the team to draft Dell” narrative probably helps Dell’s case, but the Texans could work him in behind the scenes as Robert Woods, Nico Collins, Noah Brown, and John Metchie III all have a chance to post real playing time this year as well. Dell’s a speculative WR4-5 in deeper leagues for now, but there is real upside.

The Texans drafted Dell out of Houston with the 69th pick in the draft, a day after the Texans made Stroud the second pick, behind only Bryce Young. Dell said he and Stroud gelled at the NFL Combine in February, with Stroud complimenting Dell’s route running ability. “Tell them to come get me,” Dell told Stroud after the QB was drafted. The undersized Dell, who had 29 receiving scores in his final two collegiate seasons, is expected to be the Texans slot receiver this season. Over the last two seasons, Dell ranked fifth in the FBS in yards after the catch (1,148) and led all receivers in explosive receptions (68). Without much target competition, Dell could be a sneaky PPR selection in redraft formats.

Dell was one of the top receivers in the Big 12 the last three years at Houston and size concerns have most projecting him to stay in the slot. He was one of the most targeted receivers with 291 targets the past two seasons. With Nico Collins, Robert Woods, and John Metchie the returning veterans in front of him, there is a path to the Texans’ WR1 role for Dell, who was a target dominator in college. A strong preseason from Dell should see him open the year as a starter in three-wide sets.