Update: Troy Brown and David Givens have both been held out of practice and both remain quesionable to play. In his press conference on Thursday, HC Bill Belichick was noncommittal about Brown's leg injury and would not confirm that it will get better any time soon. Givens also looks like he will miss this week.

The Patriots have also signed J.J. Stokes and Dedric Ward and either may see a little time but since they are new, I am not including them in the projections. I am leaving Brown and Givens as questionable.

Deion Branch missed practice on Friday due to a ankle sprain and is not questionable. He is still likely to play but the Patriots are more likely to be running even more than they already would have. I have adjusted numbers accordingly.

The Patriots come into the game after a hard fought win over the Cowboys and the Texans are riding high after their win over the Bills. This could be a trap game for the 8-2 Patriots who have only lost on the road this season - the opener and after a big home win over the Jets.

But the Patriot defense is playing very well unlike the Texans and with Banks subbing for Carr, Domanick Davis alone cannot win this game.

New England Notes

The Patriots rise to 8-2 and are on a six game winning streak.

Quarterbacks:: Tom Brady only completed 15 of 34 passes for 212 yards against the Cowboys and was continually harassed by blitzes. It was his lowest game in a month. It was the fifth time this season he has had no touchdowns and the fourth time he followed up a game in which he scored with a scoreless game the next week. He is due for a touchdown on that trend and against the Texans, he is almost guaranteed it.

Running Backs: Antowain Smith scored his second touchdown of the season last week but only gained 55 yards on 17 runs. Smith is remarkably consistent, gaining between 51 and 55 yards rushing in half of his healthy games. Kevin Faulk only gained 11 yards on 8 runs against Dallas and has yielded the lead rusher role back to Smith the past two weeks.

Receivers: Since David Patten was placed on injured reserve and Troy Brown was held out of the game, Brady had to work with Deion Branch (2-69) and David Givens (2-67) who both snagged long passes when Dallas got caught in a blitz.

Givens was forced to leave the game in the second quarter last week with a leg injury and he already is playing with a bruised chest. Troy Brown worked out before the game but was a last minute scratch when he felt he would not be able to play. He had played two weeks prior in Denver when listed doubtful.

At this time, I am assuming Brown and Givens are still out.

Match against the Defense: Tom Brady faces a defense that has allowed every opponent to score via the pass except for last week in Buffalo. This is the same team that gave 421 yards to McNair and 269 yards and three scores to Manning. Most teams would have passed more on Houston but were already successful rushing.

The receivers are in a state of flux for New England with the injuries to Givens and Brown and Brady has been regularly mixing in up to nine different ones each game, so no one position is favored. The Texans have allowed six different 100 yard receivers and oddly enough three of them had exactly 111 yards.

Antowain Smith and Kevin Faulk should combine for 100 yards since all teams do and Houston has allowed monster games to Rudi Johnson (182), Stephen Davis (153) and Travis Henry (149). Smith should be the primary runner since the beefier backs have more success.

The Texans are getting CB Marcus Coleman back in the lineup after missing last week due to one game suspensions by the team which should help but CB Aaron Glenn is still bothered by a groin injury anyway.

Houston Notes

The Texans rise to 4-6 in the AFC South with their win over Buffalo.

Quarterbacks:: David Carr sprained his right shoulder last week and an MRI confirmed it. He will likely be out at least this week and maybe more. Tony Banks will take his second start as a Texan.

Running Backs: Domanick Davis only gained 68 yards on 26 carries but added 33 more with three receptions. That sounds like a low day, but it was better than any that Stacey Mack provided other than the season opener. Davis never shared any carries in the game.

Receivers: Andre Johnson turned in the best game of his career with 122 yards receiving and one score on a 46 yard play when defenders were unable to knock him down near midfield. The game plan was supposed to include getting the ball to him more, but he still only had four catches. He has not had more than six balls thrown to him since week four. Corey Bradford followed up his 73 yard touchdown of week ten with a more normal one catch for seven yards.

This group will have to operate with Banks now, and do so against one of the better defenses in the league.

Match against the Defense: The Patriots secondary can be beaten, but it takes Kerry Collins or Steve McNair to do it. In the last three weeks, there has only been one passing score allowed and no opponent quarterback has gained over 210 yards. Banks will find this defense tough to throw against since the Texans receiving threats are few and, well, he is Tony Banks. In the entire season, no opponent wideout has exceeded 100 yards and only two have ever caught a touchdown.

Domanick Davis also faces a defense that has only allowed Clinton Portis to hit the century mark and on the road no runner has gained over 71 yards rushing against them.

* Fantasy point rankings calculated using standard Huddle fantasy points