The Texans are set to get a familiar face back on the field Sunday against the Giants, but Tank Dell’s return comes with plenty of uncertainty around how much he’ll actually be involved.
Dell, Houston’s 2023 third-round pick, is listed as questionable for Week 7, yet he has been activated to the active roster and is expected to make his season debut. It will be his first NFL action since the 2024 season, when a serious knee injury ended his year, wiped out all of last season and kept him sidelined for the first six weeks of the 2026 campaign.
Texans officially activated WR Tank Dell to their active roster and he is set to return Sunday to his first NFL action in almost two years.
Before the injury, Dell was putting together a productive stretch. In 2024, he hauled in 51 catches for 687 yards and three touchdowns across 14 games. Through two NFL seasons, he has 98 receptions and 10 touchdowns.
Even with Dell back in the mix, Houston’s receiver room is crowded. Nico Collins remains the team’s top target, the Texans added former top-five pick Marvin Harrison Jr. in a trade before Week 6, and Jaylin Noel has become a meaningful part of the offense in 2026. That leaves Dell as a tough read for anyone trying to project his role right away.
Houston enters the game at 2-4, but it gets a chance to start climbing with a matchup against a depleted Giants team. The Texans are double-digit favorites, and the betting market reflects just how hard Dell is to pin down in his first game back.
At DraftKings, he’s listed at +1000 to score a touchdown, while his receiving yards prop is only 7.5. That points to limited snaps rather than a full-scale return to his old workload.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
In Other News...
DeMeco Ryans Sounds Alarm After Texans Loss Exposes Bigger Problems
The Texans came out of overtime with another costly loss, and the bigger concern inside the locker room was how many familiar issues showed up at once. At 2-5, Houston is staring at an uneven start that has been shaped not just by missed chances, but by the kind of sloppy stretches that can undo a game in a hurry. DeMeco Ryans pointed to the offense, the penalties and the coverage breakdowns after the loss to the Giants, all of which left the Texans trying to explain why a winnable afternoon slipped away.
Amid the frustration, there was at least one encouraging sign in Tank Dell's return. Dell made a 43-yard catch-and-run and gave Houston a burst it has been missing, and Ryans said the team plans to expand his workload going forward. For a Texans offense looking for answers, getting Dell back into a bigger role could matter just as much as cleaning up the mistakes that have piled up around him. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Have A Bigger Problem Than The Halftime Score
The first half in Houston had the look of a game that could tilt either way, with the Texans and Giants trading scoring drives and settling into a 14-14 tie at the break. Ka'imi Fairbairn helped keep Houston in it with long field goals, while Marvin Harrison Jr. gave the offense a touchdown catch to answer New York's strikes from Tyrone Tracy and Jameis Winston.
But the bigger concern for Houston was not the scoreboard so much as how quickly the Giants were able to answer and how little separation the Texans managed to create. A tied halftime can still leave plenty of room for a clean finish, but it also leaves the Texans with a need for sharper execution on both sides if they want to avoid letting a winnable game slip away. [Read more 🡒]
Woody Marks Suddenly Has A Texans Opportunity Fans Need To Watch
David Montgomery being ruled out with a groin injury changes the Texans backfield picture in a hurry, and it leaves Woody Marks in line for a much bigger role than he has had to carry so far. With Jawhar Jordan also unavailable, Houstons running game suddenly leans on a player who will need to handle the bulk of the work against the New York Giants, with Dare Ogunbowale and Deuce Vaughn behind him for support.
Offensive coordinator Nick Caley has already signaled that Marks should see a significant workload, which makes this one of the more interesting roster developments heading into the week. For a Texans offense looking to keep balance, the question now is not whether Marks will be involved, but how the team chooses to deploy him with the depth chart thinned out around him. [Read more 🡒]