12 Bruce Ellington WR

Ellington caught all three targets for 45 yards in a 20-17 loss to the Titans in Week 2.

Ellington was targeted eight times Week 1, but as expected, he had a lower profile Week 2 with the return of Will Fuller from a hamstring injury. He was dropped to third on the depth chart and in the pecking order for targets. The Texans threw the ball 32 times with 20 of those directed at top wideouts DeAndre Hopkins (11 targets) and Fuller (nine).

Ellington caught four of eight passes for 37 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 27-20 loss to New England.

Ellington finally gave Houston its first touchdown of the game during the final moments of the contest, cutting across the middle for a five-yard touchdown. Ellington came on late last season and had a nice outing in Week 2 of the preseason. Any judgment about how he'll play this season needs to wait, however, until Will Fuller (hamstring) takes the field.

Ellington is listed as the starting third receiver for Week 1 against the Patriots.

The Texans are expected to use a lot of three wide receiver sets, and Ellington gets the first crack in the slot ahead of rookie Keke Coutee, who did not see action during the preseason. The organization invested a fourth-round draft pick in Coutee and loves his speed, so Ellington may be challenged for the top slot spot in the coming weeks after Coutee gets some game action under his belt.

Ellington caught four of six targets for 50 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's preseason game against the 49ers.

With DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller both held out, Ellington and Braxton Miller were the starting wide receivers for Deshaun Watson, who led the team to a touchdown on his only drive. Ellington accounted for four of the five completions on the series, while Miller didn't catch any passes until the third quarter. Putting two and two together, Ellington probably has the No. 3 wideout job locked up, though his injury history means it won't be surprising if Miller and Keke Coutee (hamstring) eventually get an opportunity.

Ellington posted three receptions for 22 yards in the Texans' 17-10 preseason win over the Chiefs on Thursday.

Ellington is locked into a battle for the slot receiver role with Braxton Miller and Keke Coutee (hamstring), and he and Miller essentially battled to a draw Thursday. Both receivers notched three catches, with Ellington drawing the start and coming up on the receiving end of DeShaun Watson's only completion. Ellington totaled a career-high 29 receptions for 330 yards last season over 11 games before a hamstring injury curtailed his season, so he'll look to avoid the injury bug this year and benefit from the defensive attention that figures to come the way of starting wideouts DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller. Ellington will look to continue his bid for the third receiver job against the 49ers in the Texans' second exhibition game a week from Saturday.