Texans' Woody Marks: Leads backfield with 81 scrimmage yards
Rotowire
Marks carried the ball 15 times for 56 yards and caught two of three targets for 25 yards in Sunday's 34-31 win over the Jaguars.
With David Montgomery (groin) inactive, Marks led the Texans backfield in touches and scrimmage yards, but practice-squad elevation Jawhar Jordan arguably made a bigger splash with 43 rushing yards and a touchdown on just six carries. Jordan showed some upside late last season when pressed into duty as well, so even if Montgomery's absence continues, Marks could see his workload shrink. Marks will take on the Giants in Week 7.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Woody Marks: RBs to Start
Rotowire
I hate the matchup for Marks against the Jaguars, who are No. 3 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. Jonah Coleman in Week 2 and Chase Brown in Week 4 each scored at least 14.8 PPR points against Jacksonville, but those are the only two running backs to reach double digits in PPR against this defense. Marks will hopefully add his name to that list, and he's headed for a heavy workload with David Montgomery (groin) out. Marks just had 19 total touches (15 carries and four catches on four targets) in Week 5 at Tennessee, and he scored a season-high 12.5 PPR points. Given the expected workload -- and despite the matchup -- I would still start Marks as a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Woody Marks: Lead role awaits sans Montgomery
Rotowire
Marks is expected to handle a lead role out of the backfield during Sunday's game against the Jaguars in London after Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans announced Monday that fellow running back David Montgomery (groin) is viewed as week-to-week, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Montgomery logged just nine snaps in the Texans' 26-3 win over the Titans in Week 5 before departing with the injury, which cleared the way for Marks to see his heftiest workload of the season. The second-year player out of USC ended up taking the field for 56 of 66 snaps, finishing with 62 yards on 15 carries to go with four catches for 23 yards on four targets. With Montgomery on track to miss at least the London game and potentially additional contests beyond that, Marks should have a decent chance at replicating his Week 5 touch count. Beyond Marks, Dare Ogunbowale is the only other healthy running back on the 53-man roster, while Jawhar Jordan and Deuce Vaughn loom as potential candidates to be elevated from the practice squad to add depth to the position group amid Montgomery's expected absence.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Woody Marks: Takes over starting duties in Week 5 win
Rotowire
Marks carried the ball 15 times for 62 yards and caught all four of his targets for 23 yards in Sunday's 26-3 win over the Titans.
The 19 touches and 85 scrimmage yards were season highs for Marks, and the added volume came after David Montgomery left the game in the second quarter due to a groin strain and didn't return. Marks has been trending toward taking on a larger share of the load anyway as a result of Montgomery's ineffectiveness, but if the veteran back is forced to miss any additional time, the decision on who the Texans' No. 1 RB is would be made for coach DeMeco Ryans. Through five games, Marks has 149 rushing yards and two TDs along with an 11-54-0 line through the air on 13 targets, but his 3.5 yards per carry is a reflection of the offensive line's struggles. If he does take on the top job in the backfield in Week 6, it'll come against a very stingy Jaguars run defense.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Woody Marks: Sleeper RBs
Rotowire
Marks has scored a touchdown in each of his past two games against Indianapolis and Dallas, and ESPN reported prior to Week 4 against the Cowboys that he should start getting more work over David Montgomery. That hasn't happened yet, but Marks did see a snap increase from Week 3 to Week 4. Marks is worth using as a flex option in tandem with Montgomery heading into Week 5 at Tennessee, and the Titans have allowed a running back to score at least 11.8 PPR points in each game this season.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Woody Marks: Sleepers (Start/Sit)
Rotowire
Marks has scored a touchdown in each of his past two games against Indianapolis and Dallas, and ESPN reported prior to Week 4 against the Cowboys that he should start getting more work over David Montgomery. That hasn't happened yet, but Marks did see a snap increase from Week 3 to Week 4. Marks is worth using as a flex option in tandem with Montgomery heading into Week 5 at Tennessee, and the Titans have allowed a running back to score at least 11.8 PPR points in each game this season.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Woody Marks: Reaches end zone in defeat
Rotowire
Marks rushed six times for 22 yards and a touchdown while failing to reel in his only target during Sunday's 34-30 loss to the Cowboys.
Marks logged four fewer carries than David Montgomery (10), but he was able to notch a six-yard score in the fourth quarter. The running back has now scored in back-to-back contests as he attempts to eat into Montgomery's workload in the backfield. Neither running back is a particularly appealing option in fantasy at the moment, but Marks is trending in the right direction.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Woody Marks: Sleeper RBs
Rotowire
David Montgomery remains a low-end No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues, but Marks can be a flex option in Week 4 against Dallas. ESPN reported that Marks could start to get more work, and he has scored at least 8.5 PPR points in each of his past two games against Cincinnati and Indianapolis. I would love to see Marks more involved in the passing game, and he had five catches for 27 yards on six targets in Week 2 against Cincinnati. The Cowboys have already allowed two running backs to catch at least four passes, with Devin Singletary in Week 1 and Rachaad White in Week 2, and hopefully C.J. Stroud uses Marks as a weapon out of the backfield in Week 4.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Woody Marks: Sleepers (Start/Sit)
Rotowire
David Montgomery remains a low-end No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues, but Marks can be a flex option in Week 4 against Dallas. ESPN reported that Marks could start to get more work, and he has scored at least 8.5 PPR points in each of his past two games against Cincinnati and Indianapolis. I would love to see Marks more involved in the passing game, and he had five catches for 27 yards on six targets in Week 2 against Cincinnati. The Cowboys have already allowed two running backs to catch at least four passes, with Devin Singletary in Week 1 and Rachaad White in Week 2, and hopefully C.J. Stroud uses Marks as a weapon out of the backfield in Week 4.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Woody Marks: Scores first TD of 2026
Rotowire
Marks turned five carries into 15 yards and a touchdown and hauled in his lone target for six yards during the Texans' 19-17 loss to the Colts on Sunday. He also returned two kickoffs for 52 yards.
Marks and David Montgomery both averaged only three yards per carry during Sunday's loss, though the former found the end zone for the first time this season on a one-yard rushing touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Marks' 20 snaps on offense was behind Montgomery's 34, though neither running back has found much success in the rushing attack in each of the Texans' last two games. Houston will look to avoid an 0-4 start to the season in Week 4 against Dallas.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Woody Marks: Totals 35 yards in loss
Rotowire
Marks rushed eight times for eight yards in Sunday's 20-6 loss to the Bengals. He added five catches for 27 yards on six targets.
Neither Marks nor David Montgomery (6-10-0 rushing) could get anything going on the ground against Cincinnati, as C.J. Stroud was actually the team's leading rusher with three carries for 29 yards. In the passing game, Marks out-targeted Montgomery six to two, as Montgomery turned in a 2-14-0 receiving line. The backfield duo split snaps essentially right down the middle for the second straight week, as Montgomery played 42 snaps to Marks' 38 against the Bengals. Marks is an RB3/4 heading into Week 3 against the Colts. Montgomery remains the favorite for goal-line work.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Woody Marks: Splits snaps 50-50 with Montgomery
Rotowire
Marks rushed nine times for 42 yards and caught his lone target for a two-yard loss in the Texans' 36-31 loss to the Bills on Sunday.
While David Montgomery stole the headlines with three total touchdowns, Montgomery wasn't exactly efficient with his 20 carries, turning them into just 60 yards (3.0 YPC). Marks averaged 4.7 yards per carry with his nine attempts and actually out-snapped his veteran backfield mate 40 to 39 and ran 20 routes to Montgomery's 14, proving the 50-50 split talk from the summer to be true in the season opener. Marks remains an elite fantasy bench stash with some standalone value as an RB3 during bye weeks.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Woody Marks: Expected to split backfield work
Rotowire
Marks is expected to split backfield work pretty evenly with David Montgomery this season, Jonathan Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.
"The distribution ... might not be 50-50, but it will be close," Alexander wrote Aug. 23. "The Texans have utilized both nearly evenly throughout camp." Alexander expects a sort-of hot-hand approach out of the Houston backfield on a weekly basis. Marks played 10 snaps in the Texans' second preseason game and rushed four times for 37 yards and one touchdown. He also added a catch for six yards, working exclusively with the first-team offense while Montgomery was rested for that exhibition. Marks is being drafted nearly five rounds after Montgomery in fantasy.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Woody Marks: 'Lots of opportunities' on tap
Rotowire
Texans running backs coach Danny Barrett said Sunday that he still envisions Marks taking on a sizable workload in his second NFL season, even after Houston acquired David Montgomery earlier in the offseason, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports. "I think the key for Woody is understanding his role, which he does," Barrett said. "He's going to get lots of opportunities."
As a rookie fourth-round pick in 2025, Marks led the Texans in rushing yards (703) but averaged just 3.6 yards per tote. Poor offensive line play was a factor in Marks' inability to churn out big gains on the ground, though Houston appears to have upgraded that group with the signings of veteran guard Wyatt Teller and offensive tackle Braden Smith and the selection of center/guard Keylan Rutledge in the first round of the draft. While the presence of Montgomery will likely limit Marks' touches on early downs, any improvement in his efficiency as a runner to go along with a heightened role on passing downs -- he shined as a pass catcher with a 24-208-3 receiving line as a rookie -- may be enough for Marks to build on his first-year production. The Texans are also looking to take advantage of Marks' shiftiness in space by deploying him on kickoff returns.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Woody Marks: Likely to back up Montgomery
Rotowire
New teammate David Montgomery is expected to replace Marks as Houston's starting running back, ESPN.com's DJ Bien-Aime reports.
The Texans gave up a fourth-round pick, a seventh-round pick and OL Juice Scruggs in exchange for Montgomery, who has one season remaining on a three-year contract. A new deal may be coming soon. Either way, Marks likely will be No. 2 on the depth chart at the start of the offseason program after posting a 198-703-2 rushing line (3.6 YPC) during the regular season of his 2025 rookie campaign (16 games, eight starts). Fellow second-year pro Jawhar Jordan should be back to compete for a depth role in Houston's backfield this spring, while veterans Nick Chubb and Joe Mixon (foot) don't seem to be part of the plan for 2026.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Woody Marks: Held in check by Pats
Rotowire
Marks carried the ball 14 times for 17 yards and caught two of three targets for 19 yards during the Texans' 28-16 loss to the Patriots in the divisional round Sunday. He also lost a fumble.
Houston couldn't get much of anything going on the ground, and Marks' turnover was one of five by the Texans and eight in total by both teams in cold, wet conditions at Foxborough. Marks went the entire regular season without losing a fumble, so ball security shouldn't be an issue for him in 2026, and the fourth-round pick out of USC had a successful rookie campaign with 911 scrimmage yards and five total TDs in 16 regular-season games. It remains to be seen whether the Texans will look to expand his role next year or bring in a back more adept at running between the tackles to work in tandem with Marks.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Woody Marks: Back in Sunday's game
Rotowire
Marks (shoulder) returned to Sunday's divisional-round game against the Patriots, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Marks had exited the contest to have his shoulder checked out, but he was subsequently deemed able to return to action. He'll continue to pace Houston's backfield in a game in which two of the team's top pass catchers, Nico Collins (concussion) and TE Dalton Schultz (calf), are unavailable.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Woody Marks: Hurts shoulder Sunday
Rotowire
Marks exited Sunday's divisional-round game against the Patriots due to a shoulder injury.
Before his departure from the game, Marks carried eight times for seven yards and caught one of his two targets for six yards. While Marks is sidelined, Nick Chubb, Dare Ogunbowale and British Brooks are Houston's available backfield options.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Woody Marks: Cleared to return
Rotowire
Marks cleared concussion protocol and will re-enter Monday's wild-card game against the Steelers, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Marks hit his head hard on the turf late in a Texans' drive in the second quarter and was evaluated for a concussion in the medical tent. He will return after missing only a handful of plays and likely continue to lead Houston's backfield.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Woody Marks: Being evaluated for concussion
Rotowire
Marks is questionable to return to Monday's wild-card game against the Steelers due to a head injury.
Marks hit his head hard on the field on a carry midway through the second quarter. He is in the medical tent being evaluated for a concussion. Marks had just started to get going on the ground prior to his departure, picking up 51 yards on nine carries.
