Boutte continues lead of sad Texans WR platoon

Jaylin Noel outsnapped him 44-to-36 for the Texans No. 3 receiver role but Wayne beat Noel out by one catch, two yards, and two targets. “Man starts over again everyday, in spite of all he knows, against all he knows,” Emil Cioran once wrote. And these are the readings C.J. Stroud should get familiar with as he endures another week of this receiving corps in Week 3.

Expected to be “used a lot” by Ian Rapoport’s reporting, Boutte was on the field for 53-of-76 snaps. He either didn’t look completely comfortable with the offense yet or wasn’t fully integrated, depending on how nice you want to be about it — C.J. Stroud’s one near-pick was in his area on a ball he wasn’t expecting and it was clear he and Dalton Schultz weren’t on the same page. Boutte’s role should continue to grow next week assuming Nico Collins remains out but the Texans haven’t really embraced his talents yet.

Rapoport adds that Noel is “really talented.” We agree, but the Texans have consistently played WR Xavier Hutchinson ahead of him. Noel, 24, is an explosive player, and the Texans will be looking for playmakers to contribute with WR Nico Collins (hamstring) sidelined this week. Noel is officially on the boom-bust FLEX radar in Week 2 against the Bengals.

Rapoport’s full quote is winding and hyperbolic, but it sounds like Boutte will be a featured receiver if the Texans believe he is ready to handle that role with WR Nico Collins (hamstring) sidelined. Rapoport notes that Boutte played in “the same” offensive scheme during his time with the Patriots, so adjusting to his new team’s playbook theoretically should have been easy. That said, Boutte caught just one pass last week. He can be treated as a volatile but viable FLEX starter in Week 2.

Boutte managed just 36-of-79 snaps, third-most among Texans wideouts, as they ran weird platoons that had Jared Wayne, Jaylin Noel, and Xavier Hutchinson all on the field for at least 24 snaps. Until someone conclusively wins this job, or at least we start getting some juice that someone might win the job, it’ll be hard to start any of these receivers in fantasy football.

Speaking on Monday, Ryans said Boutte has been “picking up the playbook really well.” The fourth-year receiver was acquired in a trade with the Patriots back on August 24th and is expected to have an immediate role in the offense after the Texans lost Jayden Higgins to a torn ACL earlier this offseason. Boutte has served primarily as a field stretcher during his first three years in the league and shouldn’t be trusted in start/sit leagues this week.

The designation to return means that Dell is expected to contribute in some capacity this season, although he appears a ways off still. With Jaylin Noel still nursing an injury after experiencing a setback and Jayden Higgins lost for the season, recent acquisition Kayshon Boutte has all the runway to operate as the WR2 opposite Nico Collins to start the season. Xavier Hutchinson should also see an uptick in opportunities while tight end Dalton Schultz should see a significant boost in weekly volume.

The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero was the first to report the transaction. Boutte now gets a fresh start in Houston after being phased out of the Patriots’ offense following the additions of Romeo Doubs and A.J. Brown this offseason. The 24-year-old receiver is in the final year of his rookie contract and has a chance to step into an immediate role for the Texans after they lost Jayden Higgins to a torn ACL last week. Boutte totaled 33 receptions for 551 yards and six touchdowns last season and has averaged 15.0 YPR in his last two seasons. He’s been used primarily as a field stretcher by the Patriots and will likely see a similar role in Houston, which could make meaningful fantasy production hard to come by.

Boutte has been the subject of trade rumors all offseason. Back in June, the Commanders and Raiders were linked to him in an ESPN report. Nothing has come to fruition thus far, and Boutte has received positive reviews throughout training camp. The Athletic’s Chad Graff described him as the camp “star” earlier this month. The Texans are attempting to improve their wide receiver corps after losing WR Jayden Higgins to an ACL tear recently. Fellow second-year wide receiver Jaylin Noel has also been dealing with finger and hamstring injuries. Boutte would give the Texans a solid vertical element if he ends up in Houston. He might warrant FLEX treatment in the right matchup.

A real “call an ambulance, but not for me” situation here as it was reported that Noel would be out for a few weeks on Sunday. He’s likely only participating in practice in a reduced role based on that. At this point Noel is likely just a bench dart throw in most leagues despite playing objectively well last year.