Houston Texans receiver Keke Coutee burst onto the scene with 11 catches for 109 yards in his first career game. That type of production made the 2018 fourth-round pick a hit or miss prospect in fantasy football.
According to Scott Barrett of Pro Football Focus, the former Texas Tech Red Raider’s numbers in 2019 will be contingent upon how healthy receiver Will Fuller is and how dominant All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins remains.
It’s clear Coutee is a massive value in both redraft and dynasty leagues, but how much higher should he go? In my own rankings, I have Coutee listed as the 38th wide receiver off the board. Although he significantly out-targeted Fuller when both were on the field, Coutee is still far from a lock to out-target him in 2019, and we know Hopkins will again come close to leading the league in target market share. Still, Coutee’s athleticism and college and rookie year production paint the picture of a breakout waiting to happen.
Here is the interesting thing about Coutee’s first career game at the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4: Fuller was healthy and Hopkins couldn’t be guarded. Fuller finished with four catches for 49 yards and a touchdown while Hopkins hauled in 10 catches for 169 yards and a touchdown. Both the No. 1 and No. 2 receivers being healthy helped Coutee.
Coutee was a beneficiary of the “pick your poison” philosophy that opposing defensive coordinators employed when Fuller was healthy. They knew Hopkins would burn them, and they knew Fuller was a credible deep threat. Take chances with the rookie with the oft-injured hamstring and see what happens.
If Fuller and Coutee can both stay healthy, it will be a benefit to the former Lufkin Panther. Still, in terms of consistent fantasy production, maybe Coutee isn’t the answer in dynasty or re-draft leagues. However, he could be an interesting gamble in daily fantasy.
