Per coach Bill O'Brien, there is a better chance that Shorts (shoulder) will return to action next week than fellow wideout Nate Washington, the Houston Chronicle reports.

Shorts, who is bouncing back from a dislocated left shoulder that didn't require surgery, is out of the sling that he was sporting earlier this week, thus opening the door for a possible return to action as soon as Week 6 against the Jaguars.

Shorts (shoulder) will not play in Thursday's game against the Colts, ESPN's Adam Caplan reports.

Shorts dislocated his shoulder in Sunday's loss to the Falcons, and with the Texans playing on Thursday night in Week 5, he will not have enough time to recover and play. While Shorts will not be able to take the field Thursday, he has not been ruled out beyond this week, and will have a chance to return to action in Week 6 against the Jaguars.

Shorts (shoulder) will probably miss Thursday's game against the Colts.

Shorts suffered a dislocated shoulder during Sunday's loss to the Falcons, making him quite doubtful of returning in time for Thursday's upcoming game versus the Colts. With fellow wideout Nate Washington (hamstring) considered day-to-day, the Texans may need Keith Mumphery and Jaelen Strong to step up in their passing game this week.

Shorts suffered a dislocated left shoulder during Sunday's loss to the Falcons, ESPN's Adam Caplan reports.

Shorts was injured at the end of the game, after Nate Washington (hamstring) had already left. Shorts' injury initially appears to be the more serious of the two, and he had a sling on his arm after Sunday's game, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. With a game against the Colts coming up Thursday, the Texans may need the likes of Keith Mumphery and Jaelen Strong to step up as complementary options alongside target-monster DeAndre Hopkins.

Shorts caught 6-of-10 targets for 87 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's loss to the Falcons, but was forced to leave the game with a left arm injury.

Shorts showed good chemistry with quarterback Brian Hoyer after Hoyer replaced a struggling Ryan Mallett in the second half. Unfortunately, Shorts was seen with a sling on his left arm after the contest, putting his availability moving forward in doubt. It's hard to imagine the receiver will be anywhere near full health by Houston's Thursday tilt with the Colts.

Shorts had six catches on nine targets for 58 yards Sunday against the Bucs.

DeAndre Hopkins continues to get the biggest share of the targets from quarterback Ryan Mallett, but Shorts has been a reliable lower-tier option in PPR leagues. And while his fantasy upside is fairly limited given his lack of touchdowns, he does have a very solid Week 4 matchup against the Falcons.

Shorts caught six of 12 targets for 34 yards in Sunday's loss to the Panthers.

Shorts has been targeted a healthy 20 times in the first two weeks of the season as the Texans have thrown the ball much more than expected -- 71 percent of their offensive plays have been passes with 67 percent of those passing attempts targeted for wide receivers. At some point, the Texans are going to get their running game going and the targets may dry up for Shorts.

Shorts caught four of eight targets for 57 yards in Sunday's Week 1 loss to the Chiefs.

The preseason didn't give us a great indication as to how head coach Bill O'Brien plans to use Shorts and fellow veteran free agent Nate Washington. In the regular season opener, Washington started and got more targets, but the game got out of hand early, forcing the Texans to abandon their preferred game plan. We'll need a few weeks to properly assess Shorts' role within the offense.

Shorts started at slot receiver in preseason Week 2 against the Broncos, but was not targeted in the game.

The Texans opened up in a three wideout set, featuring DeAndre Hopkins and Nate Washington wide with Shorts in the slot. These will be Houston's top receivers this season.

Shorts started Saturday night's preseason opener against San Francisco and had a 58-yard touchdown catch on the first series of the game. Both Shorts and Nate Washington got on the field during that first drive, so we're not ready to anoint either as the starting wideout opposite DeAndre Hopkins.

Short's touchdown catch came when he lined up in the slot. Quarterback Brian Hoyer hit him in stride on a crossing route about 15 yards down field and Shorts piled on the YACs, stiff-arming one defender on the way to the end zone.

Shorts is listed as a starter, ahead of Nate Washington, on the Texans' initial depth chart, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Early reports from training camp said that Washington was getting most of the reps across from DeAndre Hopkins in two-wide formations, with Shorts typically joining the first-team offense for three-wide sets. Although it's unwise to read too much into the unofficial preseason depth charts, Shorts may have actually passed Washington in the pecking order. The Texans were expected to heavily lean on Hopkins and Arian Foster (groin) this season, but with the latter expected to miss at least the first few games, the team's secondary weapons could see some extra looks.

Shorts has been working with the first-team offense during training camp when Houston is using three receivers, CBS Houston reports.

Thus far in camp, it looks like Nate Washington is the leader to become the starting wideout opposite DeAndre Hopkins. That leaves Short to carve out a role for himself. Others in the mix at the slot include Damaris Johnson and Alan Bonner.

Shorts has signed a two-year deal with the Texans, ESPN.com reports.

As it stands now, Shorts -- who recorded 53 catches for 577 yards and one touchdown in 13 games with the Jags this past season -- figures to start opposite DeAndre Hopkins in 2015, with the Texans having parted ways with Andre Johnson. Shorts will be catching passes from either Ryan Mallett or Brian Hoyer this season, but whoever ends up as the Texans' QB, Shorts' fantasy upside is tied to his ability to stay on the field. The 27-year-old wideout has missed 14 games to date over his four-year NFL career.

Shorts is meeting with the Texans on Monday, the Houston Chronicle reports.

The 27-year-old Shorts, who has played for the Jaguars for the past four seasons, is coming off a campaign in which he recorded 53 catches for 557 yards and a TD in 13 games. The Texans' interest in the wide receiver makes perfect sense, given the team's lack of proven depth at the position in the wake of the release of Andre Johnson.

Shorts (shoulder) had five catches on a team-high 10 targets for 47 yards, while also throwing a 23-yard touchdown during Sunday's loss to the Texans.

Shorts has seen a steady decline in production since his 55-catch, 979-yard, seven-touchdown 2012 season, and he'll now head into free agency with his lowest receiving yards total (557 yards) since his rookie season. It's possible that the Jaguars bring him back, though with three rookie wideouts that have all shown signs of potential, Shorts is a long shot to make a major impact in Jacksonville next year.

Shorts (shoulder) is active for Sunday's game against the Texans.

Shorts has been very hit or miss lately, with one 76-yard game and three games under 40 yards, and the Texans' pass defense has played well against Andrew Luck and Joe Flacco in back-to-back weeks. The shoulder injury is not a concern, but there are plenty of other reasons to not have high expectations for Shorts this week.

Shorts (shoulder) is listed as probable for Sunday's game against the Texans, the Jaguars' official site reports.

Shorts continue to see his share of targets -- 28 over his last three games -- but his production has been hit-or-miss of late, making him a speculative play Sunday, on the heels of a two-catch, 15-yard effort in Week 16.

Shorts (shoulder) was limited at practice Wednesday, the Jaguars' official site reports.

That said, coach Gus Bradley indicated Wednesday that he "would fully expect" Shorts to play Sunday against the Texans. "I know in talking to him right now, he really wants this opportunity." Bradley noted of the wideout, who caught two passes for 15 yards in Week 16's win over the Titans.

Shorts caught 2-of-7 targets for 15 yards in Thursday's 21-13 win over the Titans.

Shorts, Marqise Lee and Allen Hurns are all getting a good number of targets, but Shorts has now fallen shy of 20 yards in three of his past five games. While he still figures to be involved for Week 17 against the Texans, Shorts hasn't made much of a case to be a key part of the 2015 Jaguars.

Shorts hauled in six catches for 76 yards in Sunday's loss to the Ravens.

Shorts rebounded from three straight disappointing performances to notch his first game of more than 35 receiving yards since Nov. 9. The 26-year-old led the team with 11 targets and now has 29 over his last three contests. Shorts has only reached the end zone once this season, however, as the play of Blake Bortles has significantly impeded his value.