O’Brien says Watt will play Sunday in Texans’ opener

FILE – In this January 9, 2016, file photo, Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) shouts before an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Houston. And, on Sunday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Watt is indeed expected to play in that game. Watt had five either partially or fully torn muscles in his torso, groin and upper legs that required surgery on both sides of his body.

The Texans activated Watt from the physically unable to perform list Saturday, making him eligible to play in Week 1.

If the Bears are forced to face a Texans’ team with Watt, they’ll need all hands on deck to protect Jay Cutler from the likely assault No. 99 will deliver.

The 6-foot-5, 289-pound defensive end led National Football League with 17.5 sacks last season, and has already recorded an insane 74.5 sacks and 15 forced fumbles through his first five seasons.

The Texans practiced in full pads on Monday. Last year, he sat out the preseason as a preventative measure.

Whether he’s 100 percent or not, J.J. Watt’s presence on the field is enough to alter a team’s gameplan.

Even with our models assuming Watt misses Week 1, we still project him for a whopping 75.55 tackles and 18.54 sacks from Week 2 onward.