Commanders' Noah Brown: Could make team debut Sunday
Rotowire
Head coach Dan Quinn said Wednesday that Brown is "definitely trending in the right direction" to be active for Sunday's game against the Giants, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Brown was a healthy inactive for the Commanders in Week 1, but that decision seems to be mostly a result of the veteran wideout needing more time to get fully acclimated to a new offensive scheme, per Ben Standig of The Athletic. Behind No. 1 receiver Terry McLaurin, there's room for Brown to carve out a notable role on offense as rookie Luke McCaffrey and veterans Olamide Zaccheaus and Dyami Brown don't represent insurmountable competition for playing time. It may take a bit more time for Brown to work up to a full snap share, though, after he didn't sign with Washington until late August.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Noah Brown: Healthy scratch in Week 1
Rotowire
Brown (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's Week 1 game against the Buccaneers.
The veteran wideout is somewhat of a surprise healthy scratch, considering the Commanders' relative lack of proven receiver depth behind clear No. 1 target Terry McLaurin. Nevertheless, Brown's inactive status will further clear a path to additional opportunities for rookie third-round pick Luke McCaffrey and Dyami Brown behind McLaurin and No. 2 receiver Olamide Zaccheaus.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Noah Brown: Lands with Washington
Rotowire
Brown (shoulder) agreed to a contract with the Commanders on Wednesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Brown was among Houston's roster cuts Tuesday, but he now lands in a spot where he'll have a chance to be a more meaningful contributor. The 28-year-old is coming off consecutive seasons of over 550 receiving yards with the Cowboys in 2022 and Texans in 2023, and Washington has a real need for reliable wideouts behind Terry McLaurin, though rookie third-round pick Luke McCaffrey could also be an option to mix in. Brown missed time in training camp with a shoulder injury after undergoing offseason labrum surgery, but the Commanders expect him to be available Week 1 against Tampa Bay.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Noah Brown: Sits out of practice
Rotowire
Brown (shoulder) missed practice Thursday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
The wide receiver has been out since early August with the injury, including missing Houston's preseason game against the Steelers on Aug. 9. Brown recorded a career-high 567 receiving yards in 2023 and is competing for the fourth wide receiver spot behind Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell and Nico Collins.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Noah Brown: Ruled out of Saturday's game
Rotowire
Brown (shoulder) won't return to Saturday's wild-card game versus the Browns.
Brown was targeted once on a deep ball from quarterback C.J. Stroud on the Texans' first drive of the contest that he broke up to avoid an interception. In the process, Brown sustained a shoulder injury that won't allow any more game action Saturday. Stroud thus will turn to Nico Collins, Robert Woods, John Metchie and Xavier Hutchinson at wide receiver for the rest of the team's playoff opener.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Noah Brown: Still not practicing
Rotowire
Brown (back) wasn't spotted at practice Wednesday, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Brown, who was inactive for the Texans' playoff-clinching Week 18 win over the Colts, didn't practice Tuesday either, though Alexander noted that the receiver is improving as Saturday's wild-card round game against the Browns approaches. He now has one more chance to practice this week, but the wideout appears destined to head into the weekend with an injury designation.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Noah Brown: Absent from Tuesday's practice
Rotowire
Brown (back) isn't participating in Tuesday's practice, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports.
Brown and fellow wideout Robert Woods (hip) were both absent from the Texans' first practice of the week after the two were sidelined for this past Saturday's 23-19 win over the Colts. Both receivers will have two more opportunities to mix into drills ahead of Saturday's wild-card game against the Browns. While Brown and Woods were sidelined in Week 18, John Metchie (one catch for five yards on two targets) and Xavier Hutchison (one catch for six yards on four targets) settled into top-three roles at receiver, but neither came through with a useful fantasy line.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Noah Brown: Listed as DNP on practice estimate
Rotowire
Brown (back) was listed as a non-participant on Tuesday's estimated injury report.
After missing Weeks 11 and 12 due to a knee injury, Brown continued to be listed on Texans practice reports for the next five weeks but still suited up on each occasion. He made an early departure from this past Sunday's win against the Titans with a new concern however, leaving his status cloudy ahead of the team's must-win regular-season finale Saturday at Indianapolis.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Noah Brown: Won't return Sunday
Rotowire
Brown (hip) has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's game against the Titans.
Brown missed games in Weeks 11 and 12 with a knee sprain and had appeared on Texans injury reports over the last few weeks with the same issue, but it's a different health concern that forced him out early in Sunday's contest. He'll finish the game with one catch for eight yards on two targets. Following Brown's early exit, the Texans are left with Nico Collins, Robert Woods, Xavier Hutchinson and John Metchie as their available receivers.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Noah Brown: Exits Sunday's game
Rotowire
Brown exited Sunday's game against the Titans with a hip injury.
Before leaving the contest, Brown caught one of his two targets for eight yards. In his absence, Robert Woods, Xavier Hutchinson and John Metchie are available to handle added WR snaps behind Nico Collins.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Noah Brown: Limited in practice
Rotowire
Brown (knee) was a limited practice participant Wednesday.
Dealing with the same injury for more than a month now, Brown has played in four straight games since missing Weeks 11 and 12. His fantasy value for Week 17 against the Titans partially hinges on the health of quarterback C.J. Stroud (concussion), who was a limited practice participant Wednesday after missing the past two games.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Noah Brown: Seven targets in loss
Rotowire
Brown caught three of seven targets for 38 yards in Sunday's 36-22 loss to Cleveland in Week 16.
Brown had the second-most targets and yards on a day when Houston's offense missed its starting quarterback, C.J. Stroud (concussion). Between Stroud's absence and injuries at wideout, the passing attack has suffered, although the Texans welcomed back Nico Collins from a calf injury Sunday. Houston will not have Tank Dell (lower leg) for the rest of the season, which leaves Collins and Brown as the top two followed closely by Robert Woods.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Noah Brown: Good to go versus Browns
Rotowire
Brown (knee) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Browns after participating fully in Friday's practice.
Brown opened the week with a pair of limited practices, but he's good to go for Sunday's game. After missing two weeks with a knee injury, Brown was held without a catch in his first two games back before getting back on track with eight catches for 82 yards and a touchdown in last week's win over the Titans. That performance came with Case Keenum under center, and Keenum's expected to start at quarterback once again Sunday with C.J. Stroud (concussion) still sidelined.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Noah Brown: Sleepers (Start/Sit)
Rotowire
Nico Collins (calf) again missed practice Wednesday, so it looks like Brown could once again be the No. 1 receiver for the Texans in Week 16 against Cleveland. He just had eight catches for 82 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets against the Titans with Collins out, and Brown has done well when Collins has missed time. In three games where Collins was hurt (Week 9 against Tampa Bay, Week 10 at Cincinnati and Week 15), Brown has scored at least 22.2 PPR points in each outing. It stinks that C.J. Stroud (concussion) is likely out again in Week 16, but Brown connected well with Case Keenum in Week 15 and should do well against the Browns as well. He's worth using as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Noah Brown: Logs limited practice
Rotowire
Brown (knee) was listed as a limited practice participant Wednesday.
In this past Sunday's 19-16 overtime win over the Titans, Brown logged 66 of 77 snaps on offense and finished with eight catches for 82 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets. After missing games in Weeks 11 and 12 due to a knee injury, Brown has continued to make regular appearances on Houston injury reports, but the team hasn't offered any indication that he's dealing with a setback. Brown's listed limitations Wednesday were most likely maintenance-related, and the expectation remains that he'll be good to go for this Sunday's matchup with Cleveland.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Noah Brown: Cleared to play Sunday
Rotowire
Brown (knee) is active for Sunday's game against the Titans.
After sitting out Weeks 11 and 12 due to the knee issue, Brown returned to action for the Texans' last two contests, but he failed to record any receptions on seven targets in games against the Broncos and Jets despite playing ample snaps in both contests. Brown remained a limited participant in practice throughout Week 15 prep before taking a questionable tag into the weekend, but the Texans never had much concern about his availability for game day. With top wideout Nico Collins (calf) inactive Sunday, the Texans will likely be counting on Brown for more production coming off his pair of catchless outings. Case Keenum, who is starting at quarterback this week with C.J. Stroud (concussion) sidelined, will be relying on Brown, Robert Woods, Xavier Hutchinson and John Metchie as his top options at receiver.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Noah Brown: Questionable for Week 15
Rotowire
Brown (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Titans.
Brown played through the same injury the past two weeks, though he finished both games without any receptions (on seven total targets). Looking further back, he topped 150 yards in consecutive games Weeks 9 and 10, then missed Weeks 11 and 12 because of the knee issue. He should get plenty of snaps if he's healthy enough to play this Sunday -- especially if Nico Collins (calf) is inactive after three straight missed practices -- though it won't be surprising if Brown continues to struggle with efficiency while playing through his injury and likely catching passes from backup QB Davis Mills. C.J. Stroud (concussion) missed practice throughout the week, and unlike Collins he wasn't given a questionable designation, with the Texans instead listing their rookie QB as doubtful ahead of a 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Noah Brown: Still limited Thursday
Rotowire
Brown (knee) remained limited in Thursday's practice.
Brown missed Weeks 11 and 12 with the knee injury but has played the last two games and will be needed even more going forward with Tank Dell (ankle) done for the season and Nico Collins now battling a calf injury that has a chance to sideline him for Week 15. Brown, however, may also be without C.J. Stroud (concussion) this week against the Titans.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Noah Brown: Logs limited practice
Rotowire
Brown (knee) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.
Brown logged 37 of 56 snaps on offense in this past Sunday's 30-6 loss to the Jets, but he failed to haul in any of his five targets in the contest. The wideout put up excellent numbers in Weeks 9 (6-153-1 receiving line) and 10 (7-172-0 line), but his recent output (two straight zero-catch efforts) following his return from a two-game absence makes him a volatile fantasy option this weekend against Tennessee.
... See More... See Less
Texans' Noah Brown: Blanked by Jets as QB goes down
Rotowire
Brown (knee) failed to catch any of his five targets in Sunday's 30-6 loss to the Jets.
Houston's entire passing game was stifled by the stout Jets secondary, as C.J. Stroud (concussion) threw for only 91 yards before exiting in the fourth quarter. Brown has gone two games without a catch since returning from a two-game absence due to a knee injury. Nico Collins (calf) exited the game, and if Collins joins Tank Dell (lower leg) on the sidelines in Week 15 against the Titans, Brown could become the de facto No. 1 option among Houston's wide receivers, ahead of Robert Woods, John Metchie and Xavier Hutchinson. That distinction would be much more appealing if Stroud clears concussion protocol, as the entire Houston passing game would likely take a hit if backup Davis Mills starts under center.
