Irish in the NFL: Will Fuller has record-setting day

Former Notre Dame wide receiver Will Fuller had a historic performance for the Houston Texans on Sunday.

If you’ve followed Notre Dame football at all recently, you remember Will Fuller. You remember the speed he possessed and the raw receiving skills that eventually led to him being an early NFL Draft pick.

We’ve waited a couple of years for Fuller to come into his own. It looks like that’s finally happening.

After having a handful of injuries set him back over the last couple of seasons, Will Fuller exploded onto the national scene and etched his name into the Houston Texan record books on Sunday.

Fuller was targeted a total of 16 times by Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson during Houston’s 53-32 win over the Atlanta Falcons. He ended up catching 14 of those passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns.

In doing so, Fuller joined Jerry Rice and Steve Largent as the only players to ever catch 14 passes for 200 yards and three scores in a single game. He also got his name in the Texans record books, tying Andre Johnson for most receptions in a single game.

It was a breakout day for Fuller and great day for his fantasy football owners. Most importantly, it was a great sign for the Houston Texans moving forward. They already have DeAndre Hopkins — widely regarded as the league’s best wide receiver — for teams to worry about. Now, with a healthy Will Fuller looking like he is finally meeting his full potential, Houston looks to have the best receiving duo in the NFL to go along with one of the league’s top up-and-coming quarterbacks.

That bodes well for the Texans over the next couple of seasons. With Watson, Hopkins and Fuller all in their prime, they have a shot to compete with New England and Kansas City for AFC supremacy in the immediate future.