Texans' Christian Kirk: Cleared to play vs. Las Vegas
Rotowire
Kirk (illness) is active for Sunday's game against the Raiders.
Kirk was battling through an illness over the weekend, but the veteran wide receiver has progressed enough in his recovery to play in Sunday's home tilt. He has failed to record a target in two of his last three games and has accumulated 22 catches (on 40 targets) for 204 yards and one touchdown through 10 regular-season games. Based on recent usage, Kirk appears to have dropped to the No. 5 receiver spot behind Nico Collins, Xavier Hutchinson and rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel.
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Texans' Christian Kirk: Should be able to play through illness
Rotowire
Kirk (illness), who is officially questionable to face Las Vegas on Sunday, is expected to play, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Kirk came down with an illness Friday and had to miss practice. He was given a tag of questionable ahead of Sunday's Week 16 contest, but it sounds like he's improved enough to be able to suit up. With that said, it's unclear how big of a role Kirk will have in Houston's game plan, as the veteran wideout logged a season-low 24 percent offensive snap share against the Cardinals last Sunday.
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Texans' Christian Kirk: Under the weather, iffy for Week 16
Rotowire
Kirk (illness) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Raiders.
Kirk popped up on Friday's injury report as a DNP due to an illness. The team will monitor his recovery over the weekend to determine whether he can play, but his official status may not be known until the Texans announce their list of inactive players approximately 90 minutes before Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff. Kirk played just 16 snaps on offense Week 15 against the Cardinals while not recording a target, so a potential absence from him would lead to a small number of snaps being available for absorption for Xavier Hutchinson, Braxton Berrios (who has been a healthy scratch since Week 11) and rookie wideouts Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins.
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Texans' Christian Kirk: Slide continues in win
Rotowire
Kirk was not targeted and played 16 snaps in Sunday's 40-20 win over the Cardinals in Week 15.
The snap count was a season low for Kirk, who went untargeted for the second time in three games. He now has one or zero catches in five of his last six contests. Rookie Jayden Higgins has emerged as the No. 2 wideout behind Nico Collins, leaving Kirk to compete with Xavier Hutchinson and Jaylin Noel for snaps and targets.
Kirk caught one of three targets for six yards in Sunday's 20-10 win over Kansas City in Week 14.
Kirk was limited to six or fewer yards for the fourth time in the last five games. Brought in to be a No. 2 wideout, the eight-year veteran has fallen behind rookie Jayden Higgins in terms of playing time and targets. He also had the same number of snaps (25) on Sunday as Houston's other rookie wideout, Jaylin Noel.
Kirk brought in five of six targets for 54 yards and a touchdown in the Texans' 23-19 win over the Bills on Thursday night.
Kirk recorded a team-high catch total while finishing second in receiving yards and targets. The veteran also posted a team-high 33-yard reception, and he recorded his first touchdown of the season on a two-yard grab late in the first half. Kirk has battled injury and game-to-game volatility with regards to his production in 2025, but he figures to remain busy in a Week 13 road matchup against the Colts during which he should be catching passes from C.J. Stroud (concussion).
