Packers-Texans Inactives: Dontayvion Wicks Up; Texans Down Four Starters

Dontayvion Wicks will play for the Packers, giving them a full-strength receiver corps for Sunday’s game against the injury-plagued Texans.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (13) celebrates after catching a touchdown pass against the Bears last season. / Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers receiver Dontayvion Wicks is active for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans.

With Wicks available, the Packers will have a full-strength receiver corps against a Houston defense that will line up without two starting linebackers and two starting defensive backs.

Wicks suffered a shoulder injury while picking up a first down during the first quarter of last week’s victory over the Cardinals. He was limited participation at practice all week and questionable on Friday’s injury report.

“If it’s up to me, I’m going,” Wicks said on Friday.

Coach Matt LaFleur thought Wicks dodged a bullet to even have a chance to play. Paired with rehab, Wicks put himself in position to get on the field.

“I’ve been doing treatment and recovery and just taking it day-by-day, seeing how it feels,” he said. “I’ve still got two more days until Sunday. So, I’m just trying to keep improving it.”

Wicks is second on the team with 32 targets but has not made enough of those opportunities. He’s tied for fourth on the team with 11 catches, fifth with 133 yards and tied with Jayden Reed for first with three touchdowns.

Of 87 receivers who’ve been targeted at least 18 times, Wicks is second-to-last in catch percentage (35.5) and last in drop percentage (four drops; 26.7 percent), according to Pro Football Focus.

On the other hand, Wicks is one of the NFL’s top route runners and one of the best creating separation. The Packers will be a better team once he gets into a groove.

Green Bay’s only injury-related inactive is defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt. The team’s leader in sacks, quarterback hits and tackles for losses will miss a third consecutive game with an ankle injury.

Fellow defensive tackle Colby Wooden, as expected, will play. He was questionable with a knee injury.

The healthy-scratch inactives: safety Kitan Oladapo, offensive linemen Jacob Monk and Travis Glover, tight end John FitzPatrick and defensive end Brenton Cox.

While the Packers are relatively healthy, the Texans are a beat-up bunch.

Inactive are their two leading tacklers, linebackers Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) and Henry To’oTo’o (concussion). Neville Hewitt and Jake Hansen, who are expected to start in their place, have combined to make nine tackles.

Also out are two starters in the secondary, cornerback Kamari Lassiter and safety Jimmie Ward. D’Angelo Ross, a 5-foot-9 cornerback who entered the NFL in 2019, will make his first career start in place of Lassiter. Rookie Calen Bullock, who has a team-high two interceptions, will start for Ward.

Receivers Robert Woods (foot) and Steven Sims (back) are out, too. They share return duties and further deplete a position group in which the star player, Nico Collins, is on injured reserve (hamstring).

Houston also will be without veteran defensive end Mario Edwards, who was suspended this week. However, Denico Autry will make his season debut following his own suspension. With the Titans last year, he had 11.5 sacks. He’s finished with at least 7.5 sacks in five of the past six seasons.

“He just offers some different pitches in terms of when he rushes inside, he rushes like an end inside, which is hard sometimes for guards,” Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. “A lot of times offensive lineman in the interior, there is not a lot of space. It’s close-quarter combat when you’re rushing inside. Sometimes there is not a lot of room for moves and you have to be more direct. Somehow, he is able to create some space and rush.”

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