Christian Kirk Poised For WR3 Fantasy Football Numbers With Tank Dell Injured

Christian Kirk brings veteran upside to Houston’s passing attack and could outperform his WR52 ADP in PPR leagues.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk (13) signals a first down pickup during the third quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Packers edged the Jaguars 30-27 on a last-second field goal. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After a strong two-year run in Jacksonville, Christian Kirk heads to Houston with a golden opportunity to reclaim fantasy relevance. With Tank Dell recovering from knee surgery and a clear path to targets, Kirk projects as a sneaky mid-tier WR3 in PPR formats heading into 2025.

Christian Kirk, Houston Texans

Jacksonville rewarded Kirk with $84 million for four seasons before 2022 despite never being a top-24 wideout in any year. He repaid their investment by setting new tops in catches (84), receiving yards (1,108), touchdowns (8), and targets (133). He gained more than 100 yards in three games (6/117, 9/105/2, and 6/104) while also scoring more than 20.00 fantasy points in five other matchups (6/78/2, 8/76/1, 6/99/1, 8/78/1, and 7/70/1). His success led to him ranking 12th in wide receiver scoring (243.40) in PPR formats.

After an empty Week 1 (1/9) in 2023, Kirk was the Jaguars’ best-receiving option over his next eight matchups (48/615/3 on 68 targets – 8.5 per game while catching 70.6% of his chances). His top output came in three games (11/110, 6/90/1, and 6/104). Over his next two contests, Kirk only had seven combined catches for 137 yards on 13 targets. He suffered a season-ending groin injury on his first play and catch in Week 13. His stats over his first 11 games projected over a full season came to 87 catches for 1,117 yards and five touchdowns (a mid-tier WR2).

Other than Week 3 (8/79) and Week 4 (7/61/1), Kirk underperformed expectations in his other six matchups (12/239/1 over 25 targets). A broken collarbone ended his season with nine games to go. 

Christian Kirk Fantasy Football Outlook

Kirk should be a good fit for the Texans in 2025, and his experience should rank him above Tank Dell due to his recovery from knee surgery. His recent resume suggests a 70/1,000/5 season is well within reach, putting Kirk in the mid-tier WR3 category in PPR formats. The change in depth at wide receiver of the Texans creates a buying opportunity in early June, based on his ranking (WR52).