HOU · RB
Projected Points (PPR)
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Woody Marks sits as the number two back in the Houston backfield, behind David Montgomery on the depth chart. Through the first stretch of 2026, his snap share has registered at 46%, down from the 52.6% he carried across all of 2025. That drop in field time is already showing up in his workload: twenty-two rush attempts across three games, with just three of those carries coming in the red zone. Last season he saw 32 red zone carries over a full sixteen-game slate, so the current pace of red zone work is thin by comparison. His receiving role has held up better in relative terms — seven receptions on eight targets through three games keeps him involved as a check-down option, mirroring the 24-catch, 36-target line he posted over the entirety of last season. C.J. Stroud remains the quarterback distributing the ball, Nico Collins anchors the receiving corps as the clear top target, and Dalton Schultz works the middle of the field at tight end — none of that changes how touches get split in the backfield, but it does tell you Houston has other established options to lean on when the offense is humming, which reduces the urgency to force-feed any one running back. Marks projects as a complementary piece: enough passing-game trust to stay fantasy-relevant in points-per-reception formats, not enough rushing volume right now to call him a lead option.
The case for Woody Marks starts with receiving work. Seven catches on eight targets through three games is an efficient clip, and if Houston continues funneling check-downs his way, he can accumulate points even on light rushing volume. His 151.1 PPR points over a full season a year ago, finishing as the number twenty-nine back at his position, shows he can post weekly relevance even without being the primary rusher. There's also a scenario where increased snaps follow if Houston leans pass-heavy, since his receiving role gives him a path to targets that a purely early-down rusher would not have. The case against him is rooted in the rushing numbers, and it is substantial. Three yards per carry this season, following 3.6 a year ago, points to inefficiency that has persisted across a sample now nearing two hundred twenty carries combined. His snap share has fallen from 52.6% to 46%, which is the wrong direction for a back trying to claim more of the touches. Red zone volume has nearly disappeared, with just three carries inside the twenty through three games against 32 across the whole of last season — that is the single most damaging data point for anyone hoping he scores touchdowns with any consistency. Those short-yardage opportunities are often the first thing a competing back absorbs, and David Montgomery sits ahead of him on the depth chart in exactly that phase of the game. Montgomery's presence as the primary ball carrier caps Marks's upside no matter how well he performs in the passing game, because Houston has shown no indication of making Marks the early-down option. The honest read is that Marks projects as a passing-game complement operating behind a more established rusher. His finish of number thirty-two at his position in PPR scoring through three games this year, down from number twenty-nine over the whole of last season, reflects a role that has not grown and may be shrinking. Investors in Marks are betting on volume shifting his way — perhaps through game script, perhaps through Houston deciding to expand his touches — rather than on anything the current numbers support. Nothing in the red zone usage or the snap-share trend argues for that shift happening on its own.
Treat Woody Marks as a bench piece in most formats right now, with flex consideration only in leagues that reward receptions heavily and start a large number of roster spots. His role behind David Montgomery caps his rushing ceiling, and the red zone numbers — three carries inside the twenty through three games, compared to thirty-two across all of last season — suggest touchdown equity has dried up for the moment. The receiving work is the one thread worth monitoring: seven catches on eight targets is a strong rate, and if that target share holds or grows, he becomes a viable points-per-reception flex even without much rushing production. Do not bench him entirely if your league is deep enough that waiver replacements are scarce; the receiving role gives him a weekly floor that some backs further down the depth chart cannot match. But do not start him as a confident flex in shallower leagues where better options with clearer paths to touches are available. What would change the calculus is a jump in snap share back toward or beyond the 52.6% mark he carried a season ago, or a return of meaningful red zone work. Absent that, he is a depth stash, not an active roster piece in standard lineups.
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