Texans Lose Braden Smith, Ali Gaye to Carts in Joint Practice

Two Texans carted off in Panthers joint practice

Houston had a rough Wednesday. During a joint practice with the Panthers, the Texans called for carts more than once to help injured players off the field. Offensive tackle Braden Smith and defensive lineman Ali Gaye were both among those carted off.

As of now, that's what we know — two carts, two players down on both sides of the line of scrimmage. There's no confirmed diagnosis or timeline attached to either injury yet.

What it means for your survivor pick

Injuries on both the offensive and defensive line are exactly the kind of quiet risk survivor players tend to overlook, and a lineman carted off is never a good sign. Until Houston clarifies the severity and status of Braden Smith and Ali Gaye, treat the Texans as a wait-and-see team rather than a confident early pick. If you were eyeing Houston as a safe pick, hold off until the reports firm up — the difference between a bruise and a multi-week absence changes the calculus completely.

This is a good week to keep an eye on the injury updates before locking anything in. If you want to stay a step ahead of situations like this, keep reading our survivor analysis or start a free survivor pool and put the read to work.