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Chicago Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery is "getting better" but might not play against the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football, according to ESPN.
Jeffery is coming back from a broken right hand he suffered against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5.
Bears coach Lovie Smith said Thursday that Jeffery is getting better but "he's not quite there yet."
Although there's a chance -- which looks slimmer by the day -- that Jeffery could return this week according to sources, the Bears plan to hold out the receiver against the Texans to minimize the risk of re-injury to his broken right hand, before bringing him back for a Nov. 19 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers.
Jeffery, a second-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, has caught 14 passes in five games this season. He has 184 yards and two touchdowns.
In three seasons at South Carolina, Jeffery became one of the best receivers in the SEC. As a sophomore in 2010, Jeffery caught 88 passes for 1,517 yards and nine touchdowns. As a junior -- his last year at South Carolina -- he had 49 catches for 762 yards and eight touchdowns.
Jeffery's 3,042 receiving yards in three seasons is the highest mark in the SEC since 2000.
Chicago (7-1) hosts Houston (7-1) at 8:20 p.m. ET on Sunday.