Texans D/ST is a fair Week 3 play — our DST3 at 6.4 projected points, right around the DST starter line.
- Projection
- 6.4 pts
- DST rank
- #3
- Matchup
- at IND
Texans D/ST's fantasy role in Week 3
Texans D/ST goes into Week 3 of the 2026 season as a every-week lineup piece at DST for the HOU. He is rostered in 95% of leagues and actually started in 79% of them, and we rank him DST3 on our own weekly board at 6.4 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 3 matchup breakdown
The matchup: at IND. Our Pepper Meter heat rating for this spot is 2 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 6.4-point projection is 0.1 points short. That gap is the whole start/sit argument in one number.
How to play it
Texans D/ST is a fair Week 3 play — our DST3 at 6.4 projected points, right around 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 DST3 this week for Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season at IND, projecting 6.4 projected points with a spicy Pepper Meter rating. Nothing in the projection defends him — 2% below positional par is a bench line for me. The at IND draw matters here — road snaps against IND shape how often he's asked to do something. He's still in 79% of lineups at 95% rostered, which is exactly the trap I'm trying to talk you out of. Sally keeps the Pepper Meter at Spicy here because the ceiling is capped, not the role.
Tina's take
Peppers & Picks ranks Texans D/ST (HOU DST), our DST3 this week for Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season at IND, projecting 6.4 projected points with a spicy Pepper Meter rating. Nothing in the projection defends him — 2% below positional par is a bench line for me. The at IND draw matters here — road snaps against IND shape how often he's asked to do something. He's still in 79% of lineups at 95% rostered, which is exactly the trap I'm trying to talk you out of. Tina keeps the Pepper Meter at Spicy here because the ceiling is capped, not the role.