In his first two games of the 2017 season, Will Fuller V has already racked up four touchdown catches. The Texans second-year wide receiver returned in Week 4 after suffering a broken collarbone and undergoing surgery in August.
"He's worked very hard in the offseason, then he got hurt and he worked very hard to get back from the injury," head coach Bill O'Brien said Monday. "Worked very hard to get back. I mean he had a pretty significant injury there with the collarbone and I give him a lot of credit. He's a really good route-runner, he's worked hard in the weight room to be stronger, to improve his hands, and he's got great speed. We've just got to continue to try to move him around, do different things with him, but he's playing at a very high level."
Fuller caught two touchdown passes in the Texans Sunday night loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He scored on a nine-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Watson connected with Fuller on a deep 48-yard touchdown to move the Texans within one score of the Chiefs, who led 26-20.
"Will put the work in the offseason so it's no surprise to me that he's doing what he's doing now," DeAndre Hopkins said. "The way he worked, the way he rehabbed to come back. It's not easy to come back from a broken collarbone but that goes to show how much he wants to win and who he is as a person."
Hopkins is also reaping the benefits of Fuller's return to the lineup. In the past two weeks against Tennessee and Kansas City, the Texans Pro Bowl receiver has recorded 159 yards receiving on 14 catches and scored four of his five touchdowns this year. Hopkins currently is tied for second in the NFL with the most receiving touchdowns (Jordy Nelson, 6).
"It's helping everybody out," Hopkins said Sunday. "The things Will can do, you can't coach speed and he has that."
In his 2017 return, Fuller became the second player in franchise history to record two-or-more touchdown receptions in consecutive games (Andre Johnson, 2013).
