The Houston Texans signed two unheralded-yet-important skill players Thursday in tight end Owen Daniels and running back Derrick Ward . Daniels' new deal is reportedly for four years and $22 million. Ward signed a one-year deal. The 2010 season was a tough one for Daniels. He got off to a slow start due to a long recovery from knee surgery before more ailments kept him out of five games during the heart of the regular season. However, he did end the season's final month with some notable productivity. He caught 22 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns. He was fantasy's No. 1 tight end at the moment he tore an ACL on Nov. 1, 2009. "If you look at [Daniels'] numbers from two years ago, it looked like he was going to be a 1,000-yard receiver at tight end," head coach Gary Kubiak said. "Those guys don't come along very often. If you look at what he did last year on a limited basis, if he plays the whole season, he'd have done it again. Those guys are hard to find." Ward was picked up last season off of Tampa Bay's trash heap, and he turned into quite a bargain for the Texans. As the primary backup to Arian Foster, Ward averaged 6.3 yards over his 50 carries. His deal is reportedly worth $875,000 with a signing bonus of the same amount.

Fantasy Analysis:

However, Ward will have to compete to keep his role as primary backup. 2010 draft pick Ben Tate , who broke a leg, tore some ankle ligaments and didn't play at all last season, will be given all the opportunities he can handle to unseat Ward. Foster is the clear top dog, but whoever wins the battle behind him will be quite a valuable handcuff in fantasy leagues. Daniels, 28, showed glimpses of his 2009 self late last year. I think he is a nice sleeper at a fairly deep position heading into the 2011 season.