The Facts:
McCown will start Sunday against the Houston Texans, HC Lane Kiffin announced Thursday. McCown started the first two games of the season before leaving at halftime of the Cleveland game with a broken toe. 

Diehards Line:
McCown replaces Duante Culpepper, who was the AFC's Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against Miami in his first start, rushing three touchdowns and passing for two more. After the bye, the Raiders offense fell on hard times, scoring only two touchdowns in three games.

The Facts:
HC Gary Kubiak announced after Thursday's practice that Matt Schaub will not start Sunday's game against Oakland after suffering a concussion from a helmet-to-helmet hit last week in San Diego. With Schaub out, the Texans will go with Rosenfels. 

Diehards Line:
It will be the third start of Rosenfels' career and his first since a 22-0 loss to Cleveland in 2005 when he was with Miami. Rosenfels has played most of the second half of each of the last two games with Schaub injured and has thrown five interceptions and five touchdowns. Craig Nall, who was signed on Tuesday, will be Houston's backup. Kubiak said Schaub could be used as Houston's emergency quarterback if necessary.

The Facts:
Thursday's updated NFL Injury/Practice Report has been posted to our FlashUpdate site. Click HERE to access. Find out complete practice info directly from the league office. 

Diehards Line:
Under new NFL rules, teams are only required to list if a player practiced or not until Friday of a normal game week. Then they must reveal the player's status for the game (out, doubtful, questionable, or probable). We will post that update shortly after it is released by the league office Friday afternoon.

The Facts:
Wednesday's intial NFL Injury/Practice Report has been posted to our FlashUpdate site. Click HERE to access. Find out complete practice info directly from the league office. 

Diehards Line:
Under new NFL rules, teams are only required to list if a player practiced or not until Friday of a normal game week. Then they must reveal the player's status for the game (out, doubtful, questionable, or probable). We will have a Thursday practice update before posting the final release Friday afternoon.

The Facts:
The FlashUpdate has gone live and the Week 9 Team Notes are among the first items up. Click HERE to access. 

Diehards Line:
Access pertinent, in-depth, Fantasy-specific news and notes of interest for all 32 teams from the desk of FootballDiehards.com senior editor Bob Harris. It's a great way to get a jump on the competition each week.

The Facts:
Vinny Testaverde missed practice Wednesday, leaving David Carr the front-runner to start on Sunday at Tennessee. 

Diehards Line:
The 43-year-old Testaverde aggravated a right Achilles' tendon injury in the first half of Carolina's loss to Indianapolis. He sat out the second half and has been receiving extensive treatment the past three days. Carr replaced Testaverde despite still recovering from compression fractures in his lower back. Saying he was only at 80 percent, Carr threw for 103 yards as the Panthers were outscored 21-0 in the second half of the 31-7 loss. It appears he'll get another shot this week.

The Facts:
Coles suffered a concussion in Sunday's loss to the Bills, HC Eric Mangini confirmed today. Coles didn't practice, and there are strong indications he will sit out the game. 

Diehards Line:
Coles is known for his toughness, but concussions are a hot-button issue in the NFL and the mere fact that Mangini admitted it was a concussion -- in a conference call with the Washington D.C. media -- should speak volumes. Without Coles, Kellen Clemens will be throwing to Jerricho Cotchery, Brad Smith and Justin McCareins, who has been in the doghouse since his two-drop disaster in Week 2 at Baltimore.

The Facts:
Johnson, who has missed three of the past four games with a hamstring injury, was back on the field practicing on a Wednesday for the first time since Sept. 19. Johnson is expected to play Sunday at Buffalo. Meanwhile, Kenny Watson, who has started the past four games, is not practicing because of the concussion he suffered at the end of the Steelers game Sunday. 

Diehards Line:
Johnson had played in the previous 64 games in a row prior to being inactive Oct. 1 against New England. He played briefly at Kansas City on Oct. 14 but missed the Jets and Steelers games the past two Sundays. Watson has played well in his absence, but the tables could turn this week. Of course, nothing is etched in stone on Wednesday, so you'll want to follow along closely in coming days before ruling either man in or out for your team.

The Facts:
Watson, who has missed the last two games with a left ankle injury, was present at the end of the media-access period in the locker room. Watson declined comment when asked if he'd be ready to suit up Sunday. 

Diehards Line:
Still, as Globe staffer Mike Reiss notes, the fact Watson was putting on his game pants as the team prepares for practice might be an indication that Watson is nearing a return. Watson has missed the last two weeks of practice. ... Stay tuned. We'll be following his progress in practice closely in coming days.

The Facts:
Echemandu's 62 rushing yards on 10 carries in his debut provided a lone ray of hope on an otherwise dreadful afternoon against the Chargers, but such is the Texans' luck of late that he may not be able to play against the Raiders Sunday because of a pulled hamstring. 

Diehards Line:
An MRI Monday, he said, "showed a deep contusion" in the muscle, which he apparently damaged the first time he ran the ball in San Diego. ... Stay tuned. We'll be following his progress in practice closely in coming days.