Getty Houston Texans RB Tyler Ervin
If you’re an avid fantasy football player, there’s a good chance you’ve at least glanced at Houston Texans running back Tyler Ervin in Week 8. With the Texans playing on Thursday Night Football, it leaves the young running back as an interesting option in regular lineups, but specifically showdown games.
For those who haven’t played showdowns on DraftKings, they are single-game fantasy options in which you select a team of six players at any position. You’ll pick one captain who costs 1.5-times the price but earns 1.5-times the points as well. The Texans’ matchup with the Miami Dolphins is the Thursday night option this week, and Ervin may be a name to consider.
The 25-year-old back hasn’t seen much work this season (just two catches for 31 yards), but an injury to Keke Coutee could lead to him having an intriguing role.
Is Tyler Ervin Worth Playing on DraftKings in Week 8?
As Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle revealed, Ervin is expected to take over as the Texans’ slot receiver in place of Coutee against the Dolphins. Bill O’Brien spoke about Ervin ahead of the game, as Wilson cited.
“Tyler was a guy that we spent a lot time studying in the draft and he was a guy that played in the backfield at San Jose, played some receiver, so we felt like he was a guy that was an edge-type of player,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said Monday. “A guy that could do some things out of the backfield and do some things in the slot and also could help us on special teams. A lot of that has come to fruition.
“Now, he’s been injured a lot before this season, and knock on wood, he’s been able to stay healthy and he’s helped us in a lot of different ways. He’s a very smart player, so we’ll see how that goes for us moving forward. We’ve got a lot of different things we can do in the slot, but he’s definitely one guy that we can use there.”
All signs point to Ervin seeing an expanded role as a pass-catcher. While Coutee played 25 percent of the team’s snaps last week before his injury, it led to Ervin getting on the field for 34 percent of the offensive snaps, per Football Outsiders.
There’s no question that Ervin has appeal in daily fantasy football this week, but when you consider his showdown price is just $1,400, it makes things incredibly interesting. Opting to use a player who can produce and is that inexpensive allows you to get some of the top players on the slate in.
The Texans running back/wide receiver is unquestionably in play this week on DraftKings, and his price just makes him more appealing. At the very least, he’ll see plenty of snaps and a handful of targets from Deshaun Watson.
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