NFL Player News

Fairbairn converted both field-goal attempts and both extra-point tries in Thursday night's 22-20 preseason loss to the Raiders.

Fairbairn's longest field goal came in the second quarter, with the 57-yarder propelling the Texans to a 20-3 lead. The kicker's eight-point night should leave Texans fans confident the 32-year-old still has a strong and consistent leg as the team enters yet another year of AFC title contention.

Jones is signing a contract with the Texans after completing a tryout with the team Friday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Jones and Sterling Shepard are joining Houston after the Texans lost Jayden Higgins for the season due to a torn ACL. In eight regular-season contests with the Cardinals in 2025, Jones hauled in 12 of 18 targets for 183 yards and no touchdowns.

Shepard is signing with Houston after trying out with the team Friday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

With Jayden Higgins lost for the season due to a torn ACL, Houston is adding veteran depth at wide receiver in the form of Shepard and Zay Jones. Shepard caught 39 passes for 371 yards and a touchdown across 13 games for the Buccaneers in 2025, but his path to a meaningful role will depend on where he slots into the Texans' receiving mix.

The Texans placed Higgins (knee) on injured reserve Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

It officially ends Higgins' 2026 season before it even got started after he suffered a torn ACL in practice earlier this week. It's a huge blow to the Houston offense, as Higgins was fully expected to handle WR2 duties opposite Nico Collins this season. The Texans will now turn to some combination of Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel (hamstring/finger) and Tank Dell (knee), though they've also checked in on available wideouts around the league, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston. Higgins will rehab throughout the season and should be ready well ahead of Week 1 of the 2027 campaign.

The Rams have expanded Ferguson's route tree this summer now that he's more comfortable with the playbook in his second season, Nate Atkins of The Athletic reports.

Ferguson has been one of the biggest playmakers at Rams camp, and with Puka Nacua dealing with a groin injury that has forced him to miss multiple practices, Ferguson is getting more reps and targets with Matthew Stafford. After being used as a part-time field-stretcher at tight end as a rookie, Ferguson has seen reps out wide, in the slot and attached to the line during training camp. With little experienced pass-catching depth behind Nacua and Davante Adams, the Rams are looking for a third piece in the passing offense, and Ferguson appears to be running with the opportunity. He's gaining steam in fantasy football as a late-round option.

Coach Mike Macdonald said Bobo sustained a "serious" knee injury in Friday's joint practice with the Titans, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Bobo will undergo an MRI to confirm the injury, but Macdonald said early indications are it's a long-term injury for the wide receiver. Bobo had just returned from a hamstring injury last week, and it now looks like his 2026 season is in jeopardy. Tory Horton (undisclosed) and sixth-round rookie Emmanuel Henderson will be next up for snaps at wideout behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed and Cooper Kupp.

Kolar and David Njoku both started Thursday's preseason game against San Francisco. Kolar finished with one catch for nine yards on eight snaps.

Njoku played just five snaps without seeing a target. Oronde Gadsden, meanwhile, wasn't spotted until the second quarter. Gadsden might be the team's best receiving threat at the position, but there's a real chance that the Week 1 snap counts reflect a preseason depth chart with Njoku and Kolar listed as co-starters. It doesn't look like an especially friendly situation for fantasy managers, with targets potentially split between three TEs in an offense that also uses a fullback at times. Kolar, in particular, isn't likely to see much playing time in clear passing situations, which makes mainstream fantasy relevance unlikely.

Njoku and Charlie Kolar both started Thursday's preseason game against San Francisco. Njoku finished with no targets on five snaps.

They're also listed as co-starters on the preseason depth chart, ahead of pass-catching specialist Oronde Gadsden. It's no secret that offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel puts a premium on TE blocking, and while Njoku has never been considered a standout in that regard, he's at least got a leg up on Gadsden. We'll still need to wait for the regular season to truly understand how McDaniel wants to deploy his tight ends (and FB Alec Ingold).

Harris (undisclosed) didn't play in Thursday's preseason game against San Francisco, but coach Jim Harbaugh said afterward that the wideout should practice this weekend, Kris Rhim of ESPN.com reports.

It sounds like Harris is dealing with a minor injury. Quentin Johnston (lower body) also missed Thursday's exhibition, leaving rookie Brenen Thompson to fill in as a starter opposite Ladd McConkey. Come Week 1, it'll likely be McConkey, Johnston and Harris as the top three.

Collins didn't play in Thursday's preseason game against the Raiders.

QB C.J. Stroud got the start, but Collins, David Montgomery and a few other key veteran were held out. With fellow wideout Jayden Higgins suffering an ACL tear this summer, Collins may see a dominant portion of Houston's downfield passes and red-zone targets. That might've been the case anyway, but target competition looks much weaker with the Texans potentially using a committee to replace their No. 2 receiver. Collins should be busy Week 1 against the Bills.