Jalen

Pitre

The Texans will be without Blankenship this week, but they get Jalen Pitre (shoulder) back. The Texans’ defense has underperformed this year, as has the Chargers’ offense. Perhaps one of the units can facilitate a get-right outing for the other.

Both Pitre and Montgomery, who are week-to-week, have a chance to come back after Houston’s Week 8 bye. They’ve both missed two weeks now with their respective injuries. The latter three are healthy scratches.

This will be the second game in a row that Montgomery has missed due to the groin injury he suffered in Week 5. Woody Marks, who totaled 17 touches in last week’s win over the Jaguars will again lead the Texans’ backfield. He has averaged 18.0 touches per game over the last two weeks and will be a volume-based RB2 with a chance at significant upside. Safeties Jalen Pitre (AC joint) and S Reed Blankenship (concussion) will also miss this week’s game against the Giants, putting the Texans down a handful of starters with one game left before their Week 8 bye.

Pitre suffered a left shoulder injury in Week 5, now revealed to be an AC joint sprain. The good news is he won’t require surgery or go on injured reserve, but the 27-year-old is considered “week-to-week.” Given the designation, Pitre seems unlikely to play Week 6 against the Jaguars.

Jalen Pitre, too, cleared protocol and will take on the current AFC South leaders. Stroud will be on the QB2 line after a long layoff, but has done reasonably well against the Colts over his two NFL seasons to date. Indianapolis’ defense, while improved with the return of Charvarius Ward and Sauce Gardner, isn’t a bad matchup from a fantasy perspective.

Something similar was reported on Sunday morning, but speaking on Monday, Ryans confirmed that Stroud may not return this week. The Texans’ QB1 remains in the league’s concussion protocol, but the Texans playing on Thursday night only adds to the complications. Stroud has missed two straight games due to his concussion, but the Texans have managed to go 2-0 in his absence with Davis Mills under center. Mills has thrown for 566 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in his two starts this season, but shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a desperation play in 2QB/superflex leads if he draws the start. Ryans said S Jalen Pitre, who is also in the concussion protocol, is uncertain for Thursday night’s game.

He will be around to harass Trevor Lawrence on Sunday. Jalen Pitre (concussion) was ruled out, giving some extra space for Parker Washington to move around in the slot against Houston’s backup cornerbacks.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports the deal has $29.156 million in guarantees. Pitre missed the back half of last season with a pectoral tear, but excelled in his new role as Texans nickel corner with a career-best 71.3 PFF coverage grade. This isn’t a needle-moving re-signing, but clearly Houston valued their slot corner highly to get this done ahead of the draft. Pitre was set to enter the final year of his rookie contract in 2025.

Pitre reportedly suffered a partially torn pectoral muscle and will undergo a repair that will sideline him for the remainder of the year. Pitre is technically a safety but primarily functions as the Texans’ slot DB, which is notable for fantasy purposes. Pitre finishes with a team-high 31 coverage tackles and six passes defended.

He partially tore the pec in Week 12’s loss against the Titans. His absence put Eric Murray on to the field as a deep safety and Jimmie Ward moved up to be the main nickel for Houston. Ward caught a pick-six in Pitre’s absence, so perhaps the drop-off won’t be stark, but Murray has never been a great defender. Pitre had been having the best season of his career with a 79.5 PFF run grade in 660 defensive snaps.