Houston Texans wide receiver Will Fuller will not play in the Week 17 season finale against the Tennessee Titans after suffering a groin injury in Saturday’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Fuller’s injury likely has a three-week recovery time. There is an outside chance he plays in the Texans’ first playoff game and a greater one that he returns if they were to advance.
Fuller suffered the injury in the first half of the 23-20 win in Tampa Bay. He previously missed Week 14’s loss to the Denver Broncos with a hamstring injury; an ailment that sidelined him from Week 7 to Week 12 before.
By missing the game, Fuller will have either not finished or not played in seven games in 2019. In games that he does start and finish, the Texans are 7-2.
He has never played a complete season, which, for the Texans, is concerning.
“He’s a great guy, love coaching him, but it’s hard for him to stay healthy,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said of Fuller on Saturday. “That’s the bottom line. Hopefully, we can help him stay healthy because this team is a very good team when we have him in the lineup.”
On the season, Fuller has 49 receptions for 670 yards and three touchdowns. His speed and precise route-running open up the offense for quarterback Deshaun Watson, who benefits from defenses giving attention to him.
Fuller has never played a full season in his four-year career. The closest he got to doing so was in 2016, when he played in 14 games, missing times for hamstring and knee injuries.
Throughout his career, Fuller has struggled with lower-body injuries specifically. In 2018, he played in just seven outings due to a torn ACL. In 2019, his crux is the hamstring and now groin.
In the meantime, expect wide receiver Kenny Stills to receive an uptick in snaps.
