Texans coach Gary Kubiak confirmed Monday that T.J. Yates (shoulder) is on track to start in the Wild Card round.

Kubiak said Yates "threw well" on Monday, a day after separating his left (non-throwing) shoulder. The Texans host the Bengals at 4:30ET on Saturday.

The Houston Chronicle reports that T.J. Yates "should" start against the Bengals in the Wild Card round despite dislocating his left (non-throwing) shoulder in Week 17.

Though the Texans are still calling it a "bruise," the Houston Chronicle reports that T.J. Yates' left shoulder is indeed separated.

Sports Radio in 610 seconds the Chronicle's report. Either way, the injury is not expected to be significant. Yates assured reporters after the game that he'll be "fine" for the first round of the playoffs. The coaching staff, however, may opt to hand the reins to Jake Delhomme. The decision will probably be made early this week. In the Wild Card round, the Texans are still waiting to learn their sixth-seeded opponent.

In his post-game press conference Sunday, Texans coach Gary Kubiak described T.J. Yates' left shoulder injury as a bruise.

The Texans will further evaluate Yates tonight, but Kubiak insisted he could've gone back in the game if needed. It appears a semi-report from Houston Sports Radio 610 claiming the shoulder was separated may have been a bit aggressive. Regardless, Jake Delhomme played well enough off the bench Sunday to make it a competitive situation. Yates figures to remain the starter if he's 100 percent, but the Texans may reconsider if he isn't.

According to John Lopez of Sports Radio 610 in Houston, there are "murmurs" around the Texans that T.J. Yates has a separated left shoulder.

If he does, his pain tolerance is quite strong. Yates was spotted after the injury walking freely around the sideline and sporting a ballcap. He returned to watch the game with his teammates after only briefly going into the locker room. It's worth noting that ESPN's John Clayton also tweeted Yates may have a shoulder injury. The good news is it's to his left (non-throwing) shoulder, but he won't be a lock to play in the Wild Card round.

T.J. Yates exited Sunday's Week 17 game in the first quarter after taking a blow to the head.

Yates left after Houston's opening possession. He was briefly taken to the locker room for testing, but returned to the sideline with a ballcap on and was moving around fine. We suspect he's no worse for the wear, but Jake Delhomme will finish out the game anyway. The Texans have nothing left to play for. Yates will finish the contest 4-of-4 for 47 yards. The Texans' official Twitter account later confirmed that Yates is "fine."

Coach Gary Kubiak gave QB T.J. Yates a vote of confidence on Friday.

Asked if Yates is absolutely the starter going forward, Kubiak replied, "Oh, yeah. Yeah. He's doing a lot of good things." Kubiak learned a lesson about playing too passively against the Colts Thursday night, but he doesn't have a better option on the bench. Yates' pocket presence has taken a step back the past two weeks, leaving the Texans with the look of a one-and-out playoff team.

T.J. Yates completed 13-of-16 passes for 132 yards against the Colts in Week 16.

Yates' 8.3 YPA and 101.0 passer rating couldn't be more misleading. The Texans have a serious playoff problem on their hands, showing no faith in Yates for the first time in four starts. Even against a Colts defense often putting nine in the box, the Texans' play-calling was extremely conservative and predictable on the way to a 16:31 pass-to-run ratio. Even with Andre Johnson due back, Yates isn't close to a fantasy option versus the Titans in Week 17.

T.J. Yates completed 12-of-25 passes for 188 yards and one touchdown against the Falcons in Week 13.

By halftime, Yates had the franchise record for passing yards in a player's first start. The Texans' game plan wasn't much different with Yates than it was with Matt Schaub. He took shots down the field off of play-action and could have had another 30 yards if not for a drop by Andre Johnson on a perfect pass. Yates showed impressive poise in the pocket, providing plenty of hope that the Texans can stay afloat with the rookie. He draws the Bengals' injury-depleted secondary in Week 14.

The Texans reiterated that T.J. Yates will start Sunday's game against the Falcons.

Jake Delhomme is well aware that he is coming in as insurance in case Yates get injured. We don't think Yates will faceplant. He started 44 games in a pro-style offense at North Carolina, has ideal size at 6'4/221 and was a favorite sleeper of draft analysts such as Mike Mayock, Evan Silva and Trent Dilfer. Andre Johnson remains a must-start in fantasy.

Coach Gary Kubiak said after Sunday's win that he expects the team to "rally around" rookie T.J. Yates as the Texans' starting quarterback going forward.

The Texans might claim Sage Rosenfels off waivers eventually, but his health is a question mark and he won't challenge Yates immediately. "He just plays the game fast," Kubiak said of Yates. "He's shown me all of the characteristics you want to see in this league. He can move; he has a good arm. But the bottom line this is the first reps the kid's gotten. He can only get better."

T.J. Yates completed 8-of-15 passes for 70 yards after coming off the bench to replace Matt Leinart (collarbone) in Week 12.

Yates wound up playing just over two quarters. While he showed better arm velocity and more aggressiveness throwing downfield than Leinart, the rookie was predictably inconsistent snap-by-snap after getting precious few reps to this point in the season. It will be interesting to see whether the Texans sign a veteran free agent quarterback to "compete" with Yates in practice going forward. We would not expect Leinart to play again this year.

T.J. Yates is now locked in as the Texans' backup quarterback.

This is a name to watch. Yates impressed in the preseason and coach Gary Kubiak even suggested back in August that he could leap Matt Leinart on the depth chart. If Leinart stumbles out of the block over the next few weeks, we wouldn't be stunned to see the Texans turn to their fifth-round rookie. "He's progressed a great deal," Kubiak said Monday. "I think he's going to be a player in this league."

Coach Gary Kubiak suggested Thursday that rookie T.J. Yates could supplant Matt Leinart as the Texans' No. 2 quarterback this season.

"He's got the ability, he's got the arm, he's got the brains, all those things," said Kubiak of Houston's fifth-round pick. "Just needs reps." Yates simply hasn't gotten enough practice snaps to overtake Leinart before the season, but this is confirmation that the Texans remain high on the former North Carolina Tar Heel. Yates has appeared in two preseason games, completing 6-of-12 passes for 97 yards. He's a deep Dynasty league sleeper.