Texans rookie WR John Metchie unlikely to play this season due to leukemia

Houston Texans rookie WR John Metchie III announced Sunday he has been diagnosed with leukemia and is unlikely to play this season. The Texans selected Metchie with the No. 44 pick in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft back in April. The Alabama product helped the Crimson Tide win a National Championship in 2020 and he won the Jon Cornish Trophy in 2020 and 2021.

This is a tough break for the Texans, who will have a pretty lackluster wide receiving core. Brandin Cooks is still around and will be the No. 1 wideout for Houston. With Metchie out this season, it’ll be a rough behind Cooks. Chris Conley, Phillip Dorsett, Chris Moore and Nico Collins are among the other WRs on the roster. Collins figures to be the No. 2 option. Outside of Collins and Cooks, there isn’t much talent there. Conley and Moore played limited snaps last season but were on the roster.

QB Davis Mills could lean more heavily on the tight ends and Cooks. Pharaoh Brown and Brevin Jordan figure to be in the mix at tight end and see the most snaps/targets. Either way, the Texans offense isn’t going to be all that appealing. The thing is, most fantasy managers will likely overlook players like Collins, Jordan, Conley and Moore. There will be plenty of targets to go around outside of Cooks. Especially if the Texans are trailing most of the season.