Andre Johnson Injury: How Much Does Jacoby Jones Benefit From WR's Absence?

The Houston Texans still aren't sure what the diagnosis on star receiver Andre Johnson is despite a handful of MRIs. The team is seeking a second and possibly third opinion, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. 

Here's the full extent of what McClain reported on Monday regarding the injury, from Texans coach Gary Kubiak:

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"It's hard for me to give you an answer right now. He's going to miss some time. I don't know if that's three or four days. I don't know if that's a few weeks. We're dealing with a hamstring — we know that. We're still in an evaluation process. We're going to get a couple different opinions over the course of the next two days. Once we get a better evaluation and see how he progresses over the next two days, I can probably answer your question better."

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From that comment, it seems pretty clear that Johnson will miss at least the Texans' next game against the Oakland Raiders this Sunday. He used the words "few weeks," but the Texans obviously aren't 100 percent sure what the injury is. 

One thing we do know: backup receiver Jacoby Jones and his fantasy value just went up. 

Jones has just seven catches for 91 yards in 2011, but he'll likely start opposite Kevin Walter if Johnson is indeed ruled out for Sunday. 

That should mean plenty of targets for Jones, and he seems to have the confidence of both his head coach and quarterback.

Kubiak had this to say regarding Jones, again from the same McClain article:

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"I've got a lot of confidence in those guys. Jacoby's grown up a lot as a player. He went in (Sunday) and played well. He's much better in the run game than he has been in the past. He's very capable of making big plays."

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He flashed that big-play potential in the return game when he returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown against the Colts. Now, Jones needs to prove he can help alleviate the loss of Johnson. He'll never be able to match Johnson's stunning production, but there is fantasy value to be had from this situation.

Remember, Jones caught 10 passes for 185 yards in two games that Johnson missed in 2010. I'm not sure I'd expect those numbers, especially with the Texans running game getting back on track, but Jones is a guy I'd definitely look at adding the next few weeks.