Woody Marks’ fantasy football stock has been on the rise since we saw him enter the league last season, but it may have just hit its peak following Sunday’s game. The Houston Texanswon their first football game of the NFL 2026 season on Sunday in Tennessee against the winless Titans. The Texans didn’t leave Nashville unscathed, with new starting running back David Montgomery, who was signed in free agency, going down with a groin injury in the middle of the second quarter after recording 11 yards on five carries on Sunday.

Woody Marks Fantasy Value Expands After Week 5

With David Montgomery going down with a groin injury and being monitored, as week to week, the backfield will be all second-year back Woody Marks. When Marks came into the NFL as a rookie in 2025, he did have a pretty relevant fantasy football presence at the beginning of the season, but that slowly faded away, and his performance on the ground was almost concerning toward the end of the season. That is a big reason the Texans went and made a move for a veteran running back like Montgomery in free agency.

But in the 2026 season, it is a different story: Woody Marks is averaging just under nine carries a game on the ground for about 30 yards a game while finding the end zone two times in the first five games. Maybe the best sign is that Woody Marks is trending up in this pass game, recording four catches for 23 yards on Sunday’s game in Tennessee along with a five-reception game earlier this season against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Are these numbers super exciting? No, but they are very productive for playing under 50% of the Houston Texans offensive snaps working behind David Montgomery for the early part of the year. The increase in usage for Woody Marks should also increase all of his production as well, making him a weekly flex starter in standard 12-team leagues and even a running back two for even deeper leagues as long as Montgomery is sidelined.

Why Can You Feel Confident in Woody Marks?

Marks was relied on so heavily for a rookie running back last year in an offense that could not move the ball in the pass game, and he wasn’t able to provide a spark in a flat offense, along with not being involved in the pass game, only hauling in 24 receptions during the whole 2025 season. The Houston offense statistically is pretty similar to what we saw last year when it comes to points per game, but the pass game has evolved, and we have seen Marks being much more involved on that side of things.

But with the defense struggling a whole lot more than last year, coming in at 15th in the NFL in points per game five games into the 2026 season, the pace of these Houston games has been quicker and better for fantasy production compared to what we saw last season.

Two things stand out in this Houston offense that led to feeling comfortable starting Woody Marks with David Montgomery out. Marks provides a solid floor every week in the receiving game for PPR leagues, recording four receptions in his first game as the true lead back with no Montgomery inclines us to believe we can expect to see that week to week, which can avoid a weekly dud from your flex if Marks is in your lineup.

The other big thing that stands out is this Houston offense hasn’t struggled moving the ball, but they have struggled punching it in the red zone, especially through the air. With the offense simplifying itself in the red zone, we can expect Woody Marks to be the biggest weapon to get in near the goal line while he is the lead back.

The Last Word

Going into fantasy football Week 6, things are getting real, and managers are getting desperate and weird trying to keep their hot start going or trying to dig their way out of a hole. Woody Marks is definitely one of the more exciting names after Week 5, whether that is waivers in redraft or as a trade asset in dynasty.

With Marks being pretty peaked on fantasy relevance leading into this week, it could also be a good time to move him in dynasty if a contender is thin and needs a back or flex option because of all of the injuries around the league early into the NFL season. Marks should get a steady, consistent workload the next few weeks, making him a treat for any managers that have him stashed or get a waiver claim.

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Main Photo: [Steve Roberts] – Reuters Connect