Houston Texans need Keke Coutee to play on Sunday
There is a possibility the Houston Texans will be without a wide receiver that will be needed on Sunday at Mile High Stadium against the Denver Broncos.
Following the injury report on Thursday and into the weekend, the Houston Texans could be without one of their most-needed players in wide receiver Keke Coutee as he is battling a hamstring injury which has been an issue most of the season.
After losing No. 2 wide receiver Will Fuller to a season-ending ACL injury in Week 8, but gaining wide receiver Demaryius Thomas via trade, the Texans still need Coutee on the field against the Denver Broncos because of not just his athletic ability, but even more so his ability to take that athleticism and turn it into a big play or two for quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Coutee — who was limited in practice this week — has played in just half the games this season and in just four games played in 2018 the rookie from Texas Tech had caught 21 of 30 targets this season. In those 21 receptions, Coutee has collected 196 yards and one touchdown. His longest catch to date is 22 yards off a pass from Watson against the Buffalo Bills.
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His best game of the season was his NFL debut on Sept. 30 where he totaled 11 receptions (15 targets) for 109 yards receiving. His most recent game was against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7, where Coutee saw his hamstring injury return.
Even with the addition of Thomas, the Texans are still without Fuller, and in not having Fuller the Texans are without one of the best emerging young wide receivers in the NFL. With Thomas taking over that spot and the always-reliable DeAndre Hopkins gaining the most focus on defense, Coutee is in a perfect opportunity to make some noise on this offense as it is his time to make a name for himself.
As Thomas becomes accustomed to the offense in Houston, if Coutee is able to play on Sunday, this could be a big day for him. Most likely defending Coutee will either Bradley Roby or Chris Harris, so however the Broncos decide to defend Hopkins, look for the other to be defending Thomas or Coutee. Also, Denver has Darian Stewart at strong safety and Justin Simmons at free safety.
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The Broncos allow 237 passing yards per game, so even with them being ranked 11th in the NFL, if Watson and Coutee are able to connect like Watson did last Thursday with his receivers, this could be a big-time breakout game for the rookie wide receiver.