Packers TE Jermichael Finley (shoulder) is one of several key offensive players battling injuries that have hampered the unit's effectiveness. (US Presswire)

Glancing at the official Thursday injury reports for the Packers and Texans, you’d think Houston was the team in dire straits.

The Texans had 15 players listed in their release, including stars Arian Foster and Andre Johnson. But Foster and Johnson were among 10 of the 15 who were full participants at Thursday’s practice. Only one Texans player, S Quintin Demps , did not participate.

Compare that with the Packers' shorter, but significantly more severe report. Of the six players on the list, five did not participate and three of those are key starters -- WR Greg Jennings (groin), TE Jermichael Finley (shoulder) and DT B.J. Raji (ankle).

Throw in the fact that they just put starting RB Cedric Benson on the injured reserve/designated to return list, plus the new development that D.J. Williams, the Packers’ second-best receiving tight end behind Finley, sat out with a hamstring pull, and this team is downright depleted.

It’s especially problematic because most of the injuries are on the offensive side of the ball. The unit that once was Green Bay’s bread and butter has struggled so far this season with inconsistency, bordering on ineffectiveness.

On Wednesday, coach Mike McCarthy said none of the three starters – Jennings, Finley and Raji – would practice until at least Friday. McCarthy added that they could be game-time decisions, even if they don’t practice.

Finley said he suffered a slightly dislocated “AC” joint in his left shoulder in last week’s loss at Indianapolis. He said he can catch just fine but the injury hinders his ability to block. He’s planning to play Sunday against Houston.

"I've got all my range of motion," he said. "The swelling is gone and I feel pretty good about Sunday. If it's my call, I'm playing."

Finley, who is from Texas, wants to play in his home state. He said the game is also important for another reason.

"I think it's a must-win for us," he said. "Probably not a must-win for our record, but it's a must-win for us to get us on board."

As for Jennings, though he didn’t rule himself out for Sunday, it doesn’t sound like he’ll play. After re-aggravating a pesky groin injury in a Week 4 win over the Saints, he’s being careful and resting it to avoid more setbacks.

"I've kept things the same, making sure I don't rush it back like I did before," said Jennings, who hurt the groin in the season opener before it was fully healed. "I'm trying to make sure we do the things we need to do before we go out there and attack it physically when it comes to actually running on the field and different things like that so that we won't have a setback.

"That's been the game plan, not to do that too soon to allow a setback, a potential setback," Jennings added. "But again, only time will tell. It doesn't really matter when you do it. The only thing that really matters is after you've done it. Physically, I feel good. Physically, I felt good before. But only time will tell."

As for Williams, he shrugged off the hamstring pull, saying it was not a serious injury. He said he could practice Friday and should be able to play on Sunday.

"No big deal," he said. "It’s just, I’ve never dealt with a hamstring issue before, so it’s kind of hard to explain what’s good, what’s not, what’s bad, what it is. I feel good."

Follow Packers reporter James Carlton on Twitter @CBSPackers and @jimmycarlton88