Sleeper Watch

No matter whether Houston chooses Carr or Harrington (and all indications point toward Carr), the question remains the same: will the focus of the Texans’ innaugural offense play like Ryan Leaf or Daunte Culpepper? Akili Smith or Donovan McNabb?

Rookie quarterbacks who step into the starter’s role right away have always attracted lots of fantasy attention. Not all have fulfilled championship hopes, neither real nor fantasy. You definitely can’t overlook the potential of these players and taking a gamble here could provide your team with a nice boost, but make sure you also have a more proven option on your roster in case your prized rookie falters.

Houston has been building a team for the future, so the Texans’ QB won’t get pulled out of the game very often even if he struggles. Both Carr and Harrington certainly have the tools to succeed at the NFL level, and Houston might actually be able to field a decent squad, as far as expansion teams go. Whoever gets picked by the Texans should be drafted in the middle rounds of most fantasy drafts. If you have a veteran who can start the season for your team you should definitely consider drafting a Texan as a backup. The new Houston QB will certainly suffer growing pains, so you don’t want him starting early in the season, but he could still be a nice, inexpensive bye week or injury fill in. And if he develops into a solid fantasy player, you’ll be ahead of the game.