TEXANS CB STINGLEY RETURNS, WILL PLAY

Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley was activated from the injured reserve Saturday and will return for Sunday’s game at Cincinnati.

Stingley, the third overall pick in last year’s draft, has missed the last six games after injuring a hamstring in practice. This injury came after he sat out the last eight games of his rookie season with a hamstring injury.

Also Saturday, the Texans placed kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn on the injured reserve with a quadriceps injury. He was injured in the first half of Houston’s game against Tampa Bay last week, and the team was forced to use running back Dare Ogunbowale as the kicker for the second half. He made a 29-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to become the first non-kicker or punter to make a field goal since 2004.

The Texans signed kicker Matt Ammendola to the practice squad Tuesday, and he was elevated to the active roster Saturday to fill in while Fairbairn is injured.

Notable

The Buffalo Bills’ injurydepleted defense will be without two more starters after safety Micah Hyde

and cornerback Christian Benford were ruled out Saturday from playing against the Denver Broncos on Monday night.

Neither practiced this week after getting hurt in a 24-18 loss at Cincinnati last weekend. Hyde sustained a neck/stinger injury and Benford hurt his hamstring.

Starting linebacker Terrel Bernard, meanwhile, is listed as questionable after opening the week in the concussion protocol.

Buffalo’s defense already is missing three starters: cornerback Tre’davious White (Achilles tendon), linebacker Matt Milano

(right leg) and tackle Daquan Jones (torn pectoral muscle).

The Bills (5-4) have lost three of five and have fallen out of the playoff picture.