Fantasy Football: Lamar Miller hits the jackpot in Houston

Lamar Miller, with only 638 career carries, signed a four-year deal with the Texans. Dave Richard says it should translate into Miller being a Top 12 Fantasy running back.

For years, Fantasy owners whined, complained and probably threw objects across the room while watching Lamar Miller not get the kind of touches they thought he deserved. Over four seasons in Miami, he had 20 or more carries twice. Heck, he had 20 or more touches just 10 times.

The knock on Miller was he didn't have the body to withstand the punishment that comes with being an every-down back. But is it true? The guy was never given a chance to carry the mail.

That's going to change in Houston, where Bill O'Brien is a very big fan of running the football.

The Texans ranked 15th in rushing last season, which you might think isn't so bad considering what became of their run offense. But volume played a huge role in that ranking because Houston ran the fifth-most of any NFL team (472 rushes).

Don't think of that as inefficiency. Think of it as the Texans' true commitment to running the ball.

And that's where things get exciting for Miller.

Between his age, his lack of career work (thank you, Miami) and the Texans' doctrine to hand off, Miller is in prime position to set some career highs in just about everything.

There are still some road blocks. The Texans already have Alfred Blue and passing downs specialist Jonathan Grimes on the roster -- could they add another back? If they do, it will cut into Miller's workload and lower his Fantasy value.

But that's for another day. For now, as things stand, Miller should be in line for a lot of work with the Texans, perhaps as many as 240 carries and 50 catches. Given his track record -- 4.5 yards per carry or better in three of four seasons and eight rushing touchdowns in each of his last two years -- that should lead to a productive year.

Lamar Miller, for now, is a No. 1 Fantasy running back. It's kind of by default, and there's a long way for him to go to keep that value, but the opportunity should be large for him in Space City.