Texans LB Brian Cushing left Sunday's loss to the Jaguars with a concussion. He'll need to pass through the league protocol before returning, but he shouldn't be on IDP rosters anyway. Missing further time would either push rookie Zach Cunningham or rookie Dylan Cole into the starting lineup.

Texans CB Johnathan Joseph (ribs) is inactive for today's game against the Colts. DE/OLB Jadeveon Clowney (elbow) and ILB Brian Cushing (back) are active after entering the day questionable. Neither makes for a strong IDP play, but both are available if you need them.

Texans ILB Brian Cushing (back) and S Andre Hal (illness) are active for today's game at Green Bay. Each entered the day questionable and makes for a week IDP option anyway.

Texans DE/OLB Jadeveon Clowney (elbow), ILB Brian Cushing (back) and S Andre Hal (illness) are all questionable for Sunday's game at Green Bay. Clowney and Cushing put in limited workouts all week and appear likely to play. Hal missed practice all week. None has proved to be a particularly strong IDP option this year, and Houston's a weak team-D option against the Packers.

Texans LB Brian Cushing is active for today's game against the Titans. It's not clear whether he'll play his full role right away after missing the past 2 games with a knee sprain, though. So we'd try to hold off on using Cushing in IDP leagues.

Texans ILB Brian Cushing is questionable for Sunday's game against the Titans after returning to practice this week. It's a quicker-than-expected recovery from his Week 1 MCL sprain. Cushing was non-committal on his game status this week, so we'll check on him Sunday morning. You should lean elsewhere for your IDP lineup.

Texans ILB Brian Cushing returned to practice Wednesday and said there's a "possibility" he'll play Sunday against the Titans, according to ESPN's Sarah Barshop. Cushing has been out since Week 1 with a knee sprain. HC Bill O'Brien said the team will evaluate Cushing every day after practice to determine if he's ready to play. You should be cautious with your IDP lineup even if Cushing returns to the field. He's not a "can't miss" fantasy starter even when fully healthy.

The Houston Chronicle reports that Texans ILB Brian Cushing is expected to miss 4-6 weeks after suffering an MCL sprain in Sunday's win over the Bears. Max Bullough stepped in for Cushing on Sunday and collected 5 solo tackles. He figures to continue in Cushing's place. But even Cushing hasn't posted big fantasy numbers when healthy recently. It's tough to care about Bullough in IDP leagues. Perhaps Benardrick McKinney -- who tied for the team lead by playing 98% of defensive snaps Sunday -- will tally a few more tackles with Cushing out. But we haven't been impressed with him as a player. The ILBs in Houston look like a group to just avoid in your IDP league.

Texans LB Brian Cushing left in the 1st half against the Bears with what initially looked like a worrisome knee injury. But the team has deemed him questionable to return. We'll keep an eye on his status.

Update: Mark Berman of FOX 26 in Houston reports that Cushing suffered a sprained ligament that will cost him "a few games."

Texans LB Brian Cushing followed a disappointing 2014 season by having knee, wrist and ankle surgeries. That would seem to set him up as a poor IDP bet for the coming season -- but not if you listen to Cushing. "I'm moving like my old self, I'm feeling like my old self," he told the Houston Chronicle on Monday. "I'm not worried about my knee or other injuries or needing any slack or anything really holding me back. It's awesome." At full strength, Cushing can put up top-15 fantasy numbers among LBs. We're not betting on him returning to that level this year, given the myriad recent injuries. But we're moving him up the IDP rankings for the last weekend of drafting before the season starts. If Cushing goes down again, most leagues present solid, readily available replacement options.

The National Football Post reports that Texans LB Brian Cushing recently had surgery to repair a broken right wrist. Cushing reportedly played through the injury for some portion of last season, not realizing it was broken for at least part of that time. Cushing will reportedly need 3 months to rehab the injury. That's no big concern with training camp more than 5 months away. Playing through the issue might help explain some of his 2014 struggles, but it's also yet another injury for a guy who has had multiple leg problems -- including a 2012 ACL tear and 2013 fibula fracture. At 28, Cushing should be in his prime, but treat him with caution as an IDP option going forward given the packed injury history.

Texans LB Brian Cushing will miss his 2nd straight game to rest his troublesome knee. The veteran did put in a limited workout Friday after missing the week's 1st 2 practices, but sitting out this game gives him nearly a month of rest between games. (Houston gets a Week 10 bye.) Let's hope that Cushing's knee feels better come Week 11.  LB Jadeveon Clowney (illness) is also inactive for today's game against the Eagles.

Texans LB Brian Cushing will sit out today's meeting with the Titans because of his troublesome left knee. ProFootballTalk had reported early in the week that Cushing would miss at least 1 game, but then HC Bill O'Brien disputed that. We'll see how Cushing's knee responds to a week off, but with just 1 more game before the team's bye, don't be surprised if he sits out Week 9, too. Cushing has required treatment and rest to stay active with the joint that underwent surgery each of the past 2 offseasons. There's no strong IDP play behind Cushing today at ILB for Houston.

Texans LB Brian Cushing missed practice again Friday and is questionable for Sunday's game against the Titans. Cushing told ESPN.com "we'll see how it goes" when asked whether his bothersome left knee would be ready for the game. “We’re going to make the best decision for myself (and) the team,” he added. “I think we all can agree the last couple weeks I haven’t really been myself. It’s been really hard on me." Cushing has had surgery on the same knee each of the past 2 offseasons and has reportedly had the joint drained multiple times this year while missing plenty of practice and playing fewer snaps in the games to manage it. Cushing will make for a risk/reward IDP option if he's active.

Someone told Texans HC Bill O'Brien about this week's report that LB Brian Cushing would miss at least a game because of knee trouble. Coach says don't buy it. “I wasn’t aware of that report. I was trying to figure out how to get a first down against the Tennessee Titans, because it was third-down night,” O’Brien said, per the Houston Chronicle. “And, secondly, there is no accuracy to that report.” O'Brien said that Cushing is "getting better every day" and traveling with the team to Tennessee. He said the LB missed practice time to "ease him back into the week" after the Monday night game at Pittsburgh. We'll keep an eye on Cushing's status for Sunday's game and have added him back into the Week 8 LB rankings.

Texans LB Brian Cushing will miss at least a week to rest his bothersome left knee, according to a report from Pro Football Talk. Cushing appeared on the injury report the past 3 weeks because of the knee, which he has reportedly had drained "a few times recently." It's the same knee in which he tore the ACL last season. Beyond Week 8, the Texans have just 1 more game before the bye. Don't be surprised if Cushing misses that one, too. Mike Mohamed is listed as Cushing's backup but started next to Cushing against Pittsburgh. Justin Tuggle has shared snaps lately and seems the most likely to step into the lineup. We'll see if either can turn into an IDP factor over the next week or 2, but neither is worth adding in most IDP leagues right now.

NFL Network's Albert Breer reports that Texans LB Brian Cushing is expected to miss the rest of the season after tearing his left LCL and breaking his leg in Sunday's loss to the Chiefs.  The relative good news is that the injuries don't appear as serious as the left ACL tear that ended Cushing's 2012 season.  LB Darryl Sharpton figures to see the most benefit in terms of playing time, but no LB gains IDP sleeper status in this case.  More tackles could make their way to rookie S D.J. Swearinger, who took over Sunday for injured starter Danieal Manning.  Swearinger's worth keeping an eye on.  You can go ahead and forget about Houston's team D for fantasy football purposes.

Texans LB Brian Cushing left today's game against Kansas City on a cart after taking an ugly hit to his left knee.  It's the same knee in which he suffered an ACL tear last year.  We'll wait to see what the team says after the game and what tests reveal, but it doesn't look good.  Along with taking away an IDP starter, a Cushing injury would render an already-disappointing fantasy defense nearly useless.