I had a feeling it was bad news from the start for Andre Johnson after Gary Kubiak declared that he’d be a game-time decision on Wednesday. As a reminder, the last time that Andre was declared a game-time decision, he wound up sitting against the Oakland Raiders in Week 4.
Now it comes out today that the ankle is not the same situation that Johnson has been dealing with recently and it’s actually giving him quite a lot of pain: An MRI revealed that there was, indeed, further damage to his right ankle:
“I had the high-ankle sprain and I was working on the front part of my ankle, and I got caught when I was down on the ground and got tackled in the Baltimore game (Dec. 13),” he said. “My joint kind of got jammed up a little bit, and it’s affecting me in the back now, kind of like around the Achilles area. When I run now, I kind of feel more pain than I was feeling before. In the MRI, it just showed that.
“We didn’t think that it could get any worse, and it’s gotten worse. Like I said, I’m just trying to do everything I can to make sure I can play on Sunday.”
Fantasy football owners, who should have already been on alert after the game-time decision quote, now ought to be alarmed. The Texans have absolutely nothing to play for and there is little reason to start Andre Johnson against a 3-11 team on the road.
Furthermore, the Texans shouldn’t let Johnson play. This game means nothing to them in the long run, and while it’s admirable that he wants to continue playing, he shouldn’t be risking further damage for this sorry defense. Kubiak can gain a bit of goodwill from me, if not the fanbase, by sitting Andre for the last two games of the season. It’s just not worth it.