The Houston Texans will be without two key offensive players for their crucial Week 4 matchup against their division rivals, the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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The Texans have ruled out wide receiver Tank Dell and running back Dameon Pierce.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared the news via Twitter/X.
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Texans are listing WR Tank Dell (chest) and RB Dameon Pierce (hamstring) as out for Sunday.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 27, 2024
Dell is out due to a chest injury, and Pierce is out due to a hamstring injury.
Dell was not spotted at practice on Friday and also missed Wednesday and Thursday. It was inevitable that he would be ruled out by missing practice all this week, and that ended up being the case.
Dell emerged from last Sunday’s loss at Minnesota with soreness, which was clarified to be a chest issue on the Texans’ first injury report of Week 4 prep. Without Dell, the Texans will continue to turn to Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs, who are the WR1 and WR2 of the team.
The other wide receivers on the team, such as Robert Woods, Xavier Hutchinson, Steven Sims, and John Metchie, will be candidates to fill in behind the top duo.
Dell has had a slow start to the season. Through three games, he has recorded nine receptions on 17 targets for 99 yards and an average of 11.0 yards per reception with zero touchdowns. The 24-year-old’s season was cut short last year due to a broken fibula.
Pierce, 24, didn’t practice this week and is slated to miss his third straight game. Earlier in the week, he was excited to play on Sunday, but that all changed on Friday.
Fellow Texans running star back Joe Mixon is leaning toward playing after missing Week 3’s contest due to an ankle injury. Last week, Cam Akers carried the load but rushed for only 21 yards on nine carries against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Texans drafted Pierce in the 2022 NFL Draft with the No. 107 overall pick in the fourth round. He made a name for himself in his rookie season after he exploded onto the scene. Although his rookie season was cut short, he finished it with 939 rushing yards and four touchdowns, along with 30 catches for 165 yards and one touchdown through 13 games started.
However, since his rookie season, he has struggled to find that groove he hit in 2022.
Dell and Pierce will sit out of this contest, and while it hurts the team, the Texans are still favored to win the game. According to ESPN’s bet, the Texans are favorites with a -5.5 spread. According to ESPN analytics, Houston has a 60.8 percent chance to win the game.
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