Who Should I Start? Josh Downs or Kayshon Boutte

Tuesday, September 8, 10:14 AM

The Houston Texans have "big plans" for new wide receiver Kayshon Boutte in the immediate future after acquiring him in a trade from the New England Patriots in exchange for safety Jaylen Reed and a 2028 seventh-round draft pick, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Sports. The plan for Boutte is for the Texans to "utilize him immediately" in the Week 1 season opener versus the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. There is overlap for Boutte with the offensive scheme since coordinator Nick Caley is a former Patriots assistant whose playbook is similar to what Pats OC Josh McDaniels runs. "Kayshon is learning the playbook very well and we're throwing it all at him," head coach DeMeco Ryans said. "He's a smart guy. He's picked up on what we've asked him to do." Boutte has been working overtime since joining the Texans to build chemistry with quarterback C.J. Stroud. He will essentially be replacing Jayden Higgins (knee) as the WR2 in Houston after Higgins suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the preseason. With much more opportunity to become fantasy relevant than he ever had in New England, Boutte could become one of the more popular wideouts on the waiver wire early in the 2026 season. He is currently rostered in only 21% of Yahoo leagues.