Andre Johnson Injury Update: Gary Kubiak, Johnson Differ On Optimism For Sunday

Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson has returned to the practice field this week, but shortly after head coach Gary Kubiak expressed optimism about Johnson taking a "huge step" forward, Johnson responded with less optimistic information. According to Johnson, he can make cuts and run his routes without trouble, but he feels some tugging on the hamstring when he tries to open up his stride.

Johnson has been sidelined since suffering the hamstring injury week four. The post-surgery diagnosis was a three week absence give or take. He has missed three games thus far, so a return this week would put him right on schedule. The Texans have done fairly well on offense without Johnson, but getting him back in the mix would make life a lot easier for Matt Schaub.

Fantasy-wise, it would naturally impact the receiving numbers of the rest of the offense. It would be interesting to see how the team continues to use goes like Joel Dreessen who have had some interesting performances during Johnson's absence. Running back Arian Foster has been the biggest beneficiary from this injury as he has become a complete all purpose threat for the Texans. He will likely continue in that role, but obviously lose some targets to Johnson.