Houston Texans wide receiver Will Fuller will undergo surgery on his torn right ACL this week and is expected to miss six to nine months, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Under this timeline, Fuller, 24, is expected to be ready at some point during next summer’s training camp.
Fuller suffered the injury midway through the fourth quarter of Thursday’s win over the Miami Dolphins while attempting to catch a deep pass from Deshaun Watson in the end zone. Fuller was checked out on the field but was able to walk off under his own power.
He finished the game with five catches for 124 yards, including a career-long 73-yard touchdown.
“[Fuller has] been playing well,” coach Bill O’Brien said Friday. “But that’s the thing about this league. I think if you go through every team, everybody’s dealing with injuries. It’s such a cliché, but the coaching staff, the players, we all have to pitch in and figure it out and figure out how we’re going to construct the offense. And maybe some things will be the same, and maybe some things will be a little bit different.
“Most importantly right now, I’m very disappointed for Will because Will’s a great guy. He’s really been playing at a high level.”
The No. 21 overall pick in 2016, Fuller has missed nine games in his first three NFL seasons. He has dealt with hamstring injuries, including one this season that caused him to miss a game. He also missed the first three games of the 2017 season with a broken collarbone.
He is averaging 11.7 yards per target this season. According to ESPN Stats & Information, among players averaging six targets per game, that ranks second in the NFL.
Before tearing his ACL this season, Fuller had 32 catches for 503 yards and four touchdowns.