Houston Texans TE Cade Stover recently underwent emergency appendectomy surgery, sidelining him for an undisclosed period. Stover is expected to make a full recovery, per the team.
The timing could not be more unfortunate for Cade Stover, the rookie has been slowly coming along the past few weeks. Stover had a season high 4 targets week 12 and just logged a season high 59% snap share week 13. Houston is heading into week 15 fresh off their bye, which often coincides with rookies earning bigger opportunities as teams get a chance to self scout during the break.
The Houston receiving core has been absolutely battered this year, the Tight End room alone is already missing Brevin Jordan and Dalton Keene, both out on IR. Stover’s absence should lead to a further consolidated target distribution in Houston, with more opportunities for Dalton Schultz. Schultz may not carry a lot of allure but he’s surprisingly young for a Tight End at only 28, (seems older right?), plays the majority of snaps, and just posted 5 catches on 7 targets for 60 yards and a TD in his last game. 👀
Lukasz Stec, @Lukasz_FF01
Brevin Jordan suffered a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the 2024 season recovering from the injury.
Brevin Jordan suffered the injury at some point during week 2, playing the entire game before finding out the next day. Jordan will miss the remainder of year, but is aiming to come back better than ever.
Cade Stover will now assume the clear TE2 duties behind Dalton Schultz. Stover played with C.J. Stroud at Ohio State and Stroud has referred to him as “a brother.” Stover can expect to see more opportunities for the remainder of the year, and this news should accelerate his development by seeing more playing time. Schultz also got a little banged up in week 2 with an ankle injury, but was back practicing in full on Thursday after turning in a limited practice on Wednesday.
Brevin Jordan no longer warrants a fantasy roster spot at this time, even in deeper leagues. Stover should be owned in all deeper dynasty leagues, especially those that place a premium on the tight end position, as it seems inevitable that he’ll eventually be Stroud’s go-to target at tight end. For now, Stover should be on your bench, but offers strong upside if Schultz gets sidelined.
The Houston Texans drafted Ohio State University tight end Cade Stover with the 123rd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Cade Stover made strides as a tight end after being listed as a linebacker in his redshirt freshman season. Over the last two seasons, Stover compiled 77 receptions, 982 yards, and 10 touchdowns. In his senior season, Stover was named the Big Ten Conference Tight End of the year and was Second-Team All-Big Ten Conference.
Measuring 6’-4” and 247 lbs, Stover ran a 4.65 40-yard dash and did the 20-yard shuttle in 4.45. As a converted tight end from the defensive side of the ball, Stover runs very crisp routes and can illustrate his athleticism by using great footwork and being able to make adjustments for tough catches. He had a total Next Gen Stats Score of 76.
With the Texans drafting Stover, the tight end may have to wait for an opportunity due to Houston re-signing Dalton Schultz earlier this offseason. It’s a matter of time before Stover will gradually start to make plays with C.J. Stroud throwing passes his way. Stroud and Stover have reunited as teammates since playing together at Ohio State a couple of years ago. Dynasty managers in need of a tight end should consider drafting Stover in the last round of their rookie drafts. In tight end premium leagues, he may go even higher than that.
