Sit Texans D/ST in Week 10 if you have a real alternative — 3 projected points lands 3.5 under the DST starter line.
- Projection
- 3 pts
- DST rank
- #9
- Matchup
- at CLE
Texans D/ST's fantasy role in Week 10
Texans D/ST goes into Week 10 of the 2026 season as a every-week lineup piece at DST for the HOU. He is rostered in 91% of leagues and actually started in 77% of them, and we rank him DST9 on our own weekly board at 3 projected points.
Roster rates are steady week over week, so his role looks settled rather than in flux.
No injury designation to work around right now, which keeps his projection honest.
Week 10 matchup breakdown
The matchup: at CLE. Our Pepper Meter heat rating for this spot is 1 out of 5, which is how we grade the combination of role, projection and opponent difficulty.
Against a typical starting DST baseline of 6.5 points, his 3-point projection is 3.5 points short. That gap is the whole start/sit argument in one number.
How to play it
Sit Texans D/ST in Week 10 if you have a real alternative — 3 projected points lands 3.5 under the DST starter line.
If you are deciding between him and another DST, compare projections first, then lean on the Pepper Meter heat rating as the tiebreaker.
Sally's take
Peppers & Picks ranks Texans D/ST (HOU DST), our DST9 this week for Week 10 of the 2026 NFL season at CLE, projecting 3.0 projected points with a mild Pepper Meter rating. Sally wants fireworks, and 3.5 points below a typical starter isn't fireworks. He's still in 77% of lineups at 91% rostered, which is exactly the trap I'm trying to talk you out of. 3 points is roughly 54% short of the DST baseline, and I rank on output, not name recognition. The Pepper Meter cools him to Mild, and that reading is doing its job.
Tina's take
Peppers & Picks ranks Texans D/ST (HOU DST), our DST9 this week for Week 10 of the 2026 NFL season at CLE, projecting 3.0 projected points with a mild Pepper Meter rating. Tina plays contrarian — with 77% start rate he's priced in, and she cares more about his floor than his name. The at CLE draw matters here — road snaps against CLE shape how often he's asked to do something. He's still in 77% of lineups at 91% rostered, which is exactly the trap I'm trying to talk you out of. Tina keeps him at Mild until the usage says otherwise.