The ankle is better. The thigh is warming up. Now it's game time for Texans running
back Domanick Davis.
Davis has struggled with injuries through the first six games, as a result the Texans running game has been forced almost squarely on the shoulders of Jonathan Wells.
Of course Wells welcomes the challenge. He rushed for more than 100 yards against the Raiders and has two rushing touchdowns on the year. The Texans have ran the ball well enough to win three games but the re-addition of Davis, last season's Rookie of the Year, can do nothing but help.
Houston is averaging 3.3 yards per rush. That is not terrible, but it could use some improvement.
"I'm feeling good," Davis said Thursday. "I'm ready to roll."
He added that he is about "97 percent" healthy.
Davis rushed for 1,031 yards last season and was a popular dark horse pick when
it came to fantasy drafts in August.
But injuries knocked him out of games at Kansas City and Tennessee and kept him
out of the lineup against Oakland.
He said he healed up nicely over the bye week and is ready to get back and contribute. When it comes to stats and talk of his rough start, he is not concerned.
"I really don't even think about that," he said. "I don't even look at that. I'm just the type of guy that just goes out there and plays, that's it. I never worry about how many yards I have or what this one or that one says. I just get out there and play."
But it won't be easy against Jacksonville's run Sunday.
For starters, the Jaguars defensive tackle tandem of John Henderson and Marcus Stroud is a combined 640 pounds. Henderson is 6-7. Stroud is 6-8.
"It used to be that the defensive end position was the big position," Texans guard Zach Wiegert said. "But now it seems like there are a lot more good defensive tackles in the league. Every team is getting these huge defensive linemen now."
It is not as simple as running to the outside. Jacksonville's linebackers are expecting that. So, Davis said he'll take the play call and run hard every snap.
If that means running over the big tackles, so be it.
"We've got to establish the running game in some way early in the game and just match their energy," Davis said.* *
FANTASY GAME BALLS:First of all, it is time to honor someone who has been left off this list for too long and someone the Texans defense will welcome to Reliant Stadium Sunday.
When it comes to customers, they don't get much cooler than Byron Leftwich. The Second-year quarterback has captained his team to four game-winning drives inside of three minutes and thrown for 1,664 yards and nine touchdowns.
- Now, for the most bizarre fantasy stat of the week. When is it a good idea to start a running back and his backup on the same day?
How about when the Kansas City Chiefs are playing the league's best run defense?
Priest Holmes and his backup Derrick Blaylock rushed for four touchdowns a piece against the Atlanta Falcons Sunday.
- Cheers to Mewelde Moore.
The Vikings running back entered training camp as fourth on the depth chart. Injuries lifted him to the number one spot where he has rushed for more than 100 yards in three straight games, including 138 against the Titans last week.
- No guarantees needed. Wide receiver Chad Johnson and the Cincinnati Bengals got the job done Monday night against the Broncos.
Johnson finished with 149 receiving yards and a touchdown perhaps brining the Bengals and the city back to life.
RANT OF THE WEEK:A lot has been made the past couple of days about the Texans bye week. It is as if "the bye" were some strange entity defying both space and time.
It sounded like an NSYNC song was on constant loop in the locker room.
So, did the bye come at the right time?
How about the bye?
Bye, bye, bye… bye, bye!
Of course, the "bye week" has been the bane of many fantasy players' existence for years.
Never mind the impossibility of drafting quality players to back up starters; you also have to plan for them to play a mere one or two weeks per year.
*Bye *the way, we all know a player's best day never comes when he's filling in for a starter. It comes on the day he is on the bench.
WHO TO START:David Carr’s ankle is finally healed up. That is good news for the Texans who have been unable to roll out the quarterback for the past few weeks.
Carr can throw on the run and will have to roll out to find the passing lanes around a big Jaguars defensive line. Jacksonville's pass defense started out strong but has been exploited as the season has progressed.
Don't forget wide receivers Brandon Stokley and Reggie Wayne. Stokley led the Colts in receiving last week and Indianapolis draws a weaker Chiefs defense this week.
