Kevin

Walter

As Rotoworld’s Evan Silva points out, Jacoby Jones filled in as the LWR, with Kevin Walter as the RWR, back in 2007 when LWR Andre Johnson missed time. Asomugha usually matches up against the left wide receiver. For what it’s worth, Raiders coach Tom Cable has “no doubt in his mind” that Johnson will play for Houston this week.

Walter’s injury is far less serious than originally feared, but he’s still a poor bet to be active against the Dolphins this Sunday. Count on Jacoby Jones starting opposite Andre Johnson for the Texans.

Note that the Chronicle was adamant about Arian Foster (hamstring) being ready for Week 1, so we’re treating their speculation with a grain of salt. But coach Gary Kubiak confirmed that Walter has a bad bruise and hinted that his No. 2 receiver won’t be able to practice Wednesday. Jacoby Jones would start if Walter sits.

The team is calling Walter’s injury a “bad bruise.” He will be reevaluated later this week. This a complete 180 from Sunday evening, where Walter was thought to be staring at a 2-to-3 month absence. Jacoby Jones will resume the Texans’ third receiver role when Walter gets healthy, as opposed to emerge as a fantasy sleeper. Owen Daniels will pick up targets in the meantime.

“There’s a good chance that Kevin will be back this week,” said Kubiak, adding that Walter was “pretty close” to playing against the Dolphins. Jacoby Jones managed 48 yards on three receptions in Week 2, and the two will likely continue to rotate going forward. The situation is best left avoided in fantasy.

Jacoby Jones had one reception for zero yards. Walter showed excellent concentration to haul in a twice-tipped pass on his fourth-quarter touchdown catch, but in the long run increasing roles for James Casey and Owen Daniels kill his fantasy appeal. The Texans also won’t throw as often as they did in this game. Look for Walter to finish as a top-50 or so fantasy receiver.

Walter might be limited again on Friday, but is fully expected to be active against the Steelers this weekend. You can safely start him in your deeper PPR league.

Walter caught a five-yard touchdown early, and racked up four more receptions on possession-type routes. While he’s an effective NFL player, Walter is typically a shaky fantasy bet because he lacks big-play ability and struggles to get open against more skilled corners. He’ll be a shaky WR3 in Week 6 against the Ravens, even with Andre Johnson expected to miss one more game.

Walter outproduced Jacoby Jones, who had two receptions for 27 yards on the same number of targets (4). Neither receiver was a factor after the Texans jumped out to a 20-0 halftime lead. Walter can be dropped this week if Andre Johnson returns to practice by Wednesday.

The move cleared $1.5 million in salary cap space. The Texans may have threatened to release Walter before the “restructuring.” Walter didn’t get a signing bonus to compensate for his salary loss, however; he’s just going to be paid less. Likewise, look for Walter’s role to decrease on offense this year.