Houston Texans: 3 factors to watch against the Oakland Raiders

DeAndre Hopkins and Kenny Stills duo

The Houston Texans would be in a world of hurt if they didn’t acquire Kenny Stills in the trade with the Miami Dolphins that netted them talented young left tackle Laremy Tunsil. The Texans are, without a doubt, a better team on offense with Will Fuller starting across from DeAndre Hopkins, but injuries have kept him playing in all 16 games within a regular season since entering the league in 2015.

Fuller’s hamstring injury would be a devastating problem for the offense in the past with the Texans not having another deep threat on the roster capable of having a similar impact, but Stills has the skillset to be the boundary receiver across from Hopkins.

Week 7 was the first time the Texans had two receivers break the 100 yard mark in 2019, and it will be interesting to see if both receivers can replicate that success against the Oakland Raiders’ secondary. Deshaun Watson will rely more on Hopkins than he has with Fuller’s absence, and Stills could reap the benefits with the attention defenses have on his counterpart.

Still’s ability to get vertical and eat up yardage in a hurry can be a problem for Raiders’ defense, and he could be Watson’s home run option for a big play downfield. Texans could surprise opposing defenses after the Texans lost a dimension on offense without Fuller in the past.