CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans face the New York Jets in Week 14, and they will do it without breakout rookie wide receiver Tank Dell. In just 11-plus games, the rookie QB and WR have developed quite a chemistry, and now that Dell is out for the season with a leg injury, Stroud missed his battery buddy. How can we be sure? Because Stroud wore a Tank Dell t-shirt while getting ready for the Texans-Jets tilt.

Through 11 games, Dell is the Texans second-leading receiver behind Nico Collins. The third-round pick out of Houston has 47 catches for 709 yards, and leads the team with seven receiving touchdowns. That’s enough to get a t-shirt shoutout from your soon-to-be Offensive Rookie of the Year quarterback.

Without Dell in the lineup, more responsibility will fall on Noah Brown, Robert Woods, Xavier Hutchinson, and John Metchie III. This is a big ask, though as the four of these receivers put together barely have more yards than Dell this season, and they have five fewer touchdowns.

Complicating matters in Week 14 is the fact that tight end Dalton Schultz, the team's third-leading receiver, is also out with an injury.

All this makes it a lot more understandable that CJ Stroud is leaning against the field goal stanchion with his eyes closed ahead of the Texans' Week 14 matchup with the Jets. The Jets have one of the fiercest pass defenses in the league, and without Dell and Schultz, Stroud will face an even tougher uphill battle than he would have had at full strength.