Indianapolis’ Luck could be agood choice this week,
It flew a bit under the radar this week, but Houston Texans veteran wide receiver Nate Washington is set to return Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.
Washington missed the past two games with a strained hamstring.
He has caught 13 passes for 210 yards and no touchdowns and is averaging 16.2 yards per reception.
“It will be good to be out there with the fellas,” Washington said. “A lot of hard work has been put in. It will be good to see it pay off on Sunday.”
Washington’s return coincides with the Texans not having starting wide receiver Cecil Shorts in the lineup, also because of a hamstring injury.
“It will be beneficial for me to be out there with the numbers we have,” Washington said.
Fines for hits: Jacksonville safety Johnathan Cyprien was fined $8,681 by the NFL for his unnecessary roughness penalty
against the Texans. Cyprien’s punishment stems from a hit on Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer after he was on the ground.
Texans rookie cornerback Kevin Johnson was fined $8,681 for his unnec-
essary roughness penalty for when he grabbed wide receiver Bryan Walters by the facemask. Johnson is appealing that fine.
Texans star defensive end J.J. Watt wasn’t fined for roughing the pass
er. Watt was held and knocked into Jaguars QB Blake Bortles.
Praise for rookie: Texans coach Bill O’Brien reiterated Friday how impressed he has been with Johnson, who will start at cornerback Sunday in place of the injured Kareem Jackson.
“He’s done a good job. It’s not easy to come into
this league as a rookie and play corner,” O’Brien
said. “He’s able to play outside or inside. He studies tape. He’s a smart player and a good reactor. He’s able to play off, play press.”
This will be Johnson’s first start at corner, but he started at free safety in place of Rahim Moore in the Atlanta and Indianapolis games as the Texans went to a different defensive look. Johnson also continues to contribute on special teams, some-
thing he did throughout
his college career at Wake Forest, which impressed O’Brien when the Texans were weighing their firstround options.
Injury report: The Texans officially ruled out Shorts, Jackson (sprained ankle) and rookie inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney (concussion) for Sunday’s game.
Although limited in practice the past two days, outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney has made progress and is regarded as having a good chance to play against Miami. Clowney missed the last game with a sprained right ankle. He’s questionable on the injury report.
Texans starting offensive guard Brandon Brooks (toe) and strong safety Quintin Demps (hamstring) also are both questionable and
were limited in practice. Brooks is expected to start Sunday.
Among those who are probable: middle linebacker Brian Cushing (ankle), running back Arian Foster (groin), offensive tackle Derek Newton (knee, toe), running back Alfred Blue (toe), and offensive guard Oday Aboushi (toe).