Caserio: Tank Dell (knee/IR) ‘close’ to return

It’s a rough blow for Noel, who had been extremely efficient on his targets. It does clear up space for some of Houston’s other receivers. The recently-activated Tank Dell and recently-acquired Marvin Harrison Jr. will benefit a bit from one fewer mouth to feed after the Texans come off bye.

He added a two-yard rush on an end around. While it was good to see him back on the field, it should be noted that it looked like his 43-yard catch glanced off Jaylin Noel’s hands and seemed to immaculately find it’s way into Dell’s as he scampered off for some yards after the catch. Dell further confounded the Houston Wideout Situation, playing just 14 snaps. We have no idea what to trust here beyond Nico Collins. Dell seemed to be running just fine, though it sounded like at times his delay in getting up to speed was about recovery. We’ll all get the Week 8 bye to sort this one out. Dell isn’t a must-roster through it.

Dell will make his long-awaited return next week against the Giants. By the time he takes the field in Week 7, Dell will have been more than 22 months removed from his last regular-season game, which came in Week 16 of the 2024 season. Dell suffered a torn ACL, LCL, and MCL, along with a dislocated knee, in that game against the Chiefs and has been on a long road to recovery. He’ll join a crowded receiver room that recently acquired Marvin Harrison Jr., and Jaylin Noel has posted a solid 17-334-2 line through the first six weeks of the season and topped 100 yards in Sunday’s win over the Jaguars. Targets could be hard to come by for Dell, but his return next week is an impressive feat on its own given the injury he had to work through.

The Texans depart for London tonight to face the Jaguars on Sunday, and Dell will remain in Texas. He is currently practicing in full, but the team has not yet cleared him for game-day activities. Dell does not need to be stashed in 12-team leagues at this time.

The Texans are facing the Jaguars in London this week. If Dell travels, that would indicate that Dell has a chance to play for the first time since suffering a multi-ligament tear in 2024. He would be a low-floor FLEX if he is active.

He did not practice on Friday and was ruled out. The Texans reportedly pushed hard on Dell in full pads on Thursday’s practice despite the questionable listing, it seems his body did not react as they’d hoped. This leaves Jaylin Noel in a potential FLEX-useful spot against a rough Titans secondary.

The diminutive wide receiver remains limited through two practices. In most situations, that would put him on track to play. In this case, Dell might need to consistently practice fully before the Texans let him go out there on game day. Stay tuned.

It is unclear when Dell will take the field on game day, but he is officially participating in his 21-day practice window. His range of potential outcomes is quite wide. Stashing him on fantasy benches is a reasonable move at this time, though he is not guaranteed to be a fantasy contributor.

Dell has missed the mandatory four games on injured reserve, but may be a week-to-week proposition at this point. None of the Texans secondary receivers have really hit the bar of fantasy interesting — partially because none of them gets full playing time — and we’d be skeptical that Dell would hit that either early in his return. But he could grow into a bigger role as the season plays out.

The deal includes $1 million in guarantees while saving the franchise almost $2 million against the cap. Dell is reportedly nearing a return from the devastating knee injury suffered in Week 16 of the 2024 season but will begin 2026 on the physically unable to perform list, meaning he will miss the first four games of the regular season. The contract restructure hints at a potential “prove it” year for Dell, giving the team options following 2026 pending health.