James Casey caught three passes for 20 yards and a touchdown in Week 11 against the Jaguars.

Casey caught all three of his targets but capitalized on one of them for an easy one-yard score in the second quarter. Jacksonville left him wide open in the back of the end zone as they concentrated on stopping the run. Casey is not a fantasy option moving forward.

James Casey caught zero passes in Week 10 after being asked to take on a heavier load due to Owen Daniels' (hip) absence.

Owners that gambled on Daniels and backed him up with Casey are sure to be unhappy with that decision. Garrett Graham got the start at tight end and caught three passes for 15 yards, but Casey was the one that head coach Gary Kubiak suggested would benefit most from Daniels being down. Casey saw just two targets on the night. Houston has a 1:00PM ET game against the Jaguars next week, so Casey can be dropped. Better TE2 options will be available if Daniels is forced to miss another week.

Texans coach Gary Kubiak expressed confidence Friday that TE/FB James Casey can handle a full tight end workload Sunday night against the Bears should Owen Daniels (hip, questionable) be unable to play.

"James is ready to do that," Kubiak said, suggesting Casey's snaps could shoot from 30-35 a game to 60 against the Bears. Casey won't be much of a fantasy option if Daniels does play, but he's a recommended fallback option if Daniels is declared inactive. The Bears have struggled to defend tight ends this year.

In addition to starting at fullback, James Casey is also the Texans' No. 2 tight end.

"He's like my Jim Thorpe. I'm going to play him everywhere," said Kubiak. "He gives us a lot of versatility offensively and causes problems for people, so I've got to use James the right way." Considering his athleticism and the dearth of proven weapons in the passing game, Casey is a player to monitor for a bigger role throughout August.

Texans coach Gary Kubiak says FB/TE James Casey will open the season as primarily a fullback.

"I kind of envision what he was doing the first month of the season for us last year, playing fullback, moving all over the place," Kubiak said. "He gives us the ability to run a one- and two-back offense when he's in there." Casey had one game of over 30 receiving yards in the first four games last season.

Coach Gary Kubiak says the Texans will continue to use FB/TE James Casey "all over the place" in 2012.

"He's going to play everywhere," Kubiak said. "He's our starting fullback today; he's our starting Tiger today if we go to two tights. ... It's still about versatility with James, so that really hasn't changed." Casey managed just 18 receptions in a similar role last season. He figures to experience a slight production bump with Joel Dreessen gone, but not enough for fantasy start-ability.

Texans FB/TE James Casey is expected to get a "lot more playing time" at tight end after Houston lost free agent Joel Dreessen to the Broncos on Friday.

Respected Texans' beat writer John McClain had previously said Casey was set to "inherit" the Texans' starting fullback job after they let Lawrence Vickers depart in free agency, but he's apparently back in the mix at tight end. Even if that is the case, however, Houston still has Garrett Graham behind Owen Daniels, and the vast majority of Casey's snaps should come at fullback. He's no longer a dynasty-league consideration at tight end.

James Casey "inherits" the starting fullback job with Lawrence Vickers signing in Dallas.

Casey saw the majority of his playing time in the backfield last season. He's now moving away from tight end altogether. Once a highly regarded multi-skilled Dynasty league prospect, Casey is no longer worthy of a roster spot even in deeper leagues.

Texans TE/FB James Casey caught seven balls for 91 yards in the team's Week 17 loss to the Titans.

Jake Delhomme showed a nice rapport with Casey, presumably from playing together on the second-team offense in recent weeks. Casey has a knack for getting open against zone defenses and possesses soft hands. While his Week 17 production was largely due to the fact that Houston's first-string pass catchers were resting, Casey could certainly make some noise off the bench in the playoffs. The Texans will face the Bengals in the Wild Card round.

Texans FB James Casey (pectoral) was limited in Thursday's practice.

"He was fine (in practice)," said coach Gary Kubiak. "All indications are right now that he should be ready to go." Casey has no fantasy value as the lead blocker in Houston.

Texans FB James Casey (pectoral) is expected to return to practice Wednesday.

Texans FB James Casey (pectoral) was held out of practice again on Thursday.

Casey is unlikely to play this week against the Titans. He's only worthy of a roster spot in deep Dynasty leagues right now.

Texans FB James Casey (pectoral) missed Wednesday's practice.

A bad sign for a player coming off two straight inactives. He'll need to at least be limited on Thursday to have any realistic chance of suiting up this week. With Andre Johnson also sidelined, Casey is missing out on a golden opportunity to solidify himself as a legitimate fantasy option.

Texans FB James Casey (pectoral) has yet to practice this week.

Casey is expected to be a game-time decision for Sunday's game against the Ravens. Even with the Texans receivers banged up, Casey won't be a fantasy option at less than 100 percent.

Texans FB James Casey (pectoral) is expected to be a game-time decision in Week 6.

Casey is able to run and stay in shape, but the pectoral strain will keep him out of practice. The injury also kills Casey's appeal in fantasy football.

A Monday MRI showed that FB/TE James Casey only has a pectoral strain, and the Texans consider him "day to day."

It's much better than the pectoral tear reported by the Houston Chronicle Sunday night. Casey may have a chance to play in Week 6 at Baltimore. Throw out his 137-total yard Week 3, and Casey has just four catches for 37 yards this year.

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports that Texans FB/TE James Casey and OLB Mario Williams both suffered torn pectorals in Sunday's loss to the Raiders.

The Texans are hoping that both players will avoid surgery. MRIs will determine the severity. If surgery is needed, the player(s) will have to go on injured reserve. The Texans can replace Casey with offseason addition Lawrence Vickers, but finding someone capable of generating pressure like Williams will be impossible. They'll need Connor Barwin and rookie Brooks Reed to step up.

Texans TE/FB James Casey left Sunday's Week 5 game with a third-quarter pectoral injury.

"(Mario Williams) and Casey both have a pec problem," coach Gary Kubiak said. "We'll evaluate it here this evening and find out (the severity)." Casey finished without a catch against the Raiders and is no longer on the fantasy radar.

James Casey caught just one pass for 8 yards in Week 4 against Pittsburgh.

It was his lone target on the afternoon. Casey is worth monitoring, but today's performance should be a wakeup call to anyone convinced he's breakout fantasy candidate. The potential is there, but we'd like to see more consistency before rostering him.

Texans OC Rick Dennison was a bit evasive when asked Wednesday whether James Casey is on the verge of a breakout.

Casey had a career game in Week 3 with 137 yards, but there are indications that the production was game-plan specific. "He had a great game, moving around, catching the ball," said Dennison. "We'll continue to experiment with things and use him in that regard, but he still does what we need him to as a fullback, too." Casey is worth grabbing in 14-16 team leagues and monitoring in 10-12 teamers, but he's not a priority waiver pickup.