Derek

Stingley

Stingley will reportedly be playing through his oblique injury, so there is a chance he’ll leave mid-game. This leaves the Texans with six healthy scratches for Week 4: WR Braxton Berrios, QB Graham Mertz, RB Dameon Pierce, CB Zion Childress, DE Darrell Taylor, and T Cam Robinson.

Per Rapoport, Stingley is “pushing to play.” He will go through warmups before the team makes a final decision on his status, but it sounds like he is at least on the right side of questionable. Stingley will be tasked with covering Calvin Ridley for much of today’s game. Already struggling to put together usable box scores, Ridley will fall into the WR3 ranks for Week 4.

We were expecting a rule out and Houston media talked to Tremon Smith yesterday so this is a surprising turnaround. Stingley practiced on Friday in a limited capacity for the first time this week. It’s possible this is just a decoy move, but if Stingley does play it will lessen the desire to want to use Elic Ayomanor as a WR4/FLEX option.

The Texans are reportedly preparing for Tremon Smith to start outside, which is good news for Titans deep-league plays like Calvin Ridley and Elic Ayomanor. The Texans defense played decently without Stingley against the Jaguars last week, but it only takes one big play allowed by Smith to build a good fantasy day.

Stingley left Week 3 with the injury and was quickly ruled out. Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans called him day-to-day on Monday. A DNP to open the week is an ominous sign for the shutdown corner. The Texans have been leaning on their stout defense to start the season while their offense attempts to get on track. Losing Stingley would be a notable blow to their secondary. Stingley has three pass breakups and eight tackles this year.

However, he also said the evaluation process is still ongoing. Stingley left Week 3’s game against the Jaguars in the first half and did not return. Tremon Smith was pressed into extra action outside and would seem to be a possible starter if Stingley cannot play in Week 4 against the Titans.

He’s been playing through some sort of injury for most of the season. Stingley’s absence should help the Jags passing attack today. Stingley had been in the blue medical tent for some of the first few drives. We’ll probably get some sort of update from the Texans in the next 48 hours.

Stingley was selected No. 3 overall by the Texans in the 2022 NFL Draft and has quickly cemented himself as one of the league’s top corners. After being plagued by injuries in his first two years in the league, Stingley played in all 17 games for the Texans last season, totaling five interceptions and 18 pass breakups on his way to First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. In 37 career games, Stingley has totaled 11 interceptions and 36 pass breakups and also forced three turnovers in two postseason games this past season. Stingley is now under contract through the 2029 season and will be eligible for free agency before his age-30 season.

A first-round pick of the Texans back in 2022, Stingley is officially eligible for a contract extension before the start of next season. Whether or not the Texans are in a rush to give him that long-term extension is another question, as the team could still pick up his fifth-year option for the 2026 season, allowing them to potentially put off the extension for at least one more year without complicating the situation. Stingley earned a PFF coverage grade of 74.9 this season while playing on a career-high 1,012 defensive snaps. He allowed 38 receptions for 394 yards and three touchdowns, per PFF, but also picked off five passes while breaking up another 10. The two sides will almost certainly reach an extension at some point in the near future, but whether that’s this offseason or the next is to be determined.

Stingley will see his first action since Week 2 and could see a lot of Ja’Marr Chase this weekend. His return is a welcomed one for the Texans, who are fresh off a back-and-forth matchup with the Buccaneers last week. The Texans declared S Jimmie Ward, TE Brevin Jordan, WR Nico Collins, RB Dameon Pierce, LB Jake Hansen, LB Henry To’oTo’o, and FB Andrew Beck inactive for Week 10.