Martin will take over the kick return duties for the Houston beginning Week 6 against Green Bay, the Houston Chronicle reports.

Analysis: The Texans are sitting last in the NFL at 17.6 yards per kick return and 16th in punt returns (9.2), and head coach Gary Kubiak finally tired of season the return game's impact on field position. Martin has experience returning kicks from his days with the Spartans of Michigan State.

Martin did not have a catch and was targeted once in Sunday's win over Miami.

Analysis: Martin emerged during the preseason, picking up the offense quickly and entering the wideout rotation as the third receiver, but there wasn't much for him to do in Sunday's win. Texans head coach Gary Kubiak relied heavily on proven skill players -- Arian Foster, Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels.

Martin and Lestar Jean will both be part of the wideout rotation that head coach Gary Kubiak uses in Sunday's season opener against the Dolphins, the Texans' official site reports.

Analysis: Martin emerged early in training camp as the third wide receiver. He'll get on the field earlier than Jean, who came on in the final weeks of preseason to earn regular-season reps.

Martin, who had two catches and a touchdown Saturday night, also fumbled twice in Houston's preseason loss to New Orleans.

Analysis: Nothing gets a coach's attention like a rookie turning over the ball. And in this case, it's multiple turnovers. Martin had been the surprise of training camp and has been playing often with the first-team offense in three-wideout sets. We'll have to see how he responds to his first taste of adversity.

Martin had two catches for 12 yards and a touchdown during Saturday's exhibition game against the Saints.

Analysis: Martin is in a battle with Lestar Jean for the third wideout spot but seems to have caught Matt Schaub's eye, in this case, in the red zone. The battle will continue through the next preseason game but Martin looks like he could have the most upside this season.

Martin had three catches (four targets) for 36 yards in Houston's preseason win over San Francisco on Saturday.

Analysis: Martin and Lestar Jean are locked in a tight battle to become the Texans third wideout, the position held by Jacoby Jones last season. Martin had an early edge, but Jean (four catches, 42 yards, TD on Saturday) has come on of late.

Martin had two catches for 24 yards and carried the ball once for 12 yards during Houston's preseason win over Carolina on Saturday.

Analysis: The rookie fourth-round draft pick was filling in for Andre Johnson (groin) in the preseason opener and showed off his versatility. At Michigan State, Martin scored a touchdown in five different ways: receiving, rushing, throwing, punt return and kickoff return. Martin is the leader in the sweepstakes to become Houston's third wideout.

Keshawn Martin: Starting For Andre Johnson (Groin)

Martin will start at wide receiver in place of Andre Johnson in Saturday's preseason opener against Carolina, the Houston Chronicle reports.

Analysis: Martin has taken advantage of increased reps when Johnson was unable to practice because of a groin injury. He used those increased reps to separate himself from other young wideouts, DeVier Posey and Lestar Jean. Though Houston's first team is expected to play just 12-15 plays Saturday, Martin will get more than that.

Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said Martin will "play a great deal" against Carolina on Saturday, the Texans' official site reports.

Analysis: Kubiak has been pleased with the rookie receiver's maturity, something that's elevated Martin to third on the wideout depth chart. Kubiak added that he wasn't sure how he was going to handle the punt and kick return duties Saturday, but he knows Martin can do that as well.

Martin is impressing so much in his initial weeks of training camp that he's establishing himself as the clear No. 3 receiver for the Texans, the Houston Chronicle reports.

Analysis: He would be playing behind injury risks in Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter, which makes Martin an interesting sleeper candidate, especially if he has a productive preseason.

For the third consecutive day, Martin got reps with the first-team offense Saturday, replacing the injured Andre Johnson (groin), the Houston Chronicle reports.

Analysis: Johnson is expected to return to the practice field Monday to prepare for Saturday's preseason opener against Carolina, but we suspect Martin will get a good look during the game. He's apparently moved ahead of Lestar Jean and DeVier Posey to become Houston's third wideout.

Martin continued to get reps with the first team Friday, the Texans' official site reports. For now, it appears he's moved ahead of Lestar Jean and DeVier Posey for Houston's third wideout spot.

Analysis: Martin's on the smaller side, but he's very quick and has good run-after-the-catch ability. While at Michigan State, he had 59 plays of 20-plus yards and 17 plays of 40-plus yards. "He's done a great job just picking things up. You don't see a lot of mental errors out of him," Texans quarterback Matt Schaub said. "He creates a lot of separation from corners to give you a chance to make a throw where he can catch it and make something happen. We like the potential he brings."

Martin was elevated to first-team duty during Wednesday's practice, the Texans' official site reports.

Analysis: It looks like Houston head coach Gary Kubiak is rotating some receivers in and out of the first-team spot while Andre Johnson recovers from his groin injury. Veteran Bryant Johnson also got some first-team reps behind Martin on Wednesday. Lestar Jean had been getting those reps the last few days, but he was working out on the second team Wednesday. We suspect DeVier Posey will get his opportunities with the first team as well. Posey, Martin and Jean are considered to be the lead candidates to win the third receiver spot once Andre Johnson is healthy.

Texans head coach Gary Kubiak referred to Martin as a "pleasant surprise" during Houston's recent organized team activities, the Texans' official site reports.

Analysis: The Texans drafted Martin with one eye toward their return game, which took a hit when they released Jacoby Jones, but Kubiak said he can see Martin helping out in the offense, too. Of course, those are the kinds of encouraging words we often hear from coaches in the offseason. The reality of it is that Martin appears to be, at best, a fifth wideout on the team. The fact that he's been a successful return man in college helps his chances of sticking with the roster when the regular season begins. His fantasy value is most likely to be in the return game.