Squaring off against veteran cornerback Johnathan Joseph, Texans wide receiver Will Fuller transformed a football matchup that began on equal footing into a one-sided track meet.

Fuller accelerated into a crisp fly pattern Saturday morning, bolting ahead so fast that he left Joseph trailing several yards behind him. The result was an easy touchdown pass from quarterback Deshaun Watson as Fuller loped into the end zone.

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The takeaway from this practice snapshot: Fuller has made a full recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered last year, and he remains one of the most dangerous deep threats in the game.

Fuller is on track to play in the Texans’ season-opener against the New Orleans Saints.

As many issues as Fuller has had with his durability since being drafted in the first round out of Notre Dame, he hasn’t lost his 4.28 speed in the 40-yard dash or his knack for creating separation behind cornerbacks.

“I’m always confident in that,” Fuller said. “I’m just going to continue to work on my craft and continue to get better.”

When Fuller is healthy, few wide receivers can approach his explosiveness.

In 11 career games played with Watson, he’s caught 11 touchdowns.

During his final game of last season, an October win over the Miami Dolphins, Fuller caught five passes for 124 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown.

“It’s great, he’s a threat every time he steps on the field,” Watson said of Fuller. “He’s a guy that can make big-time plays, stretch the field and it’s good to be able to have him active and back on the field with us.”

However, Fuller has never been able to play a full NFL season.

Fuller has been limited to 31 career games, 107 catches, 1,561 yards and 14 touchdowns.

He played in seven games last season, catching 32 passes for 503 yards and four touchdowns before being placed on injured reserve with the knee injury.

Two seasons ago, Fuller played in 10 games as he dealt with a broken collarbone and knee problems. As a rookie, Fuller played in a career-high 14 games with 13 starts and caught a career-high 47 passes for 635 yards with two touchdown catches and one punt return for a touchdown.

Fuller has worked diligently to get stronger and become a better all-around receiver, vastly upgrading his hands since his first season.

The Texans want to get a full season from Fuller because they know how productive he can be when healthy.

“Will’s an excellent player,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “He’s worked very hard to become a great route runner. He catches everything thrown his way, very smart player, hard-working player.

“The unfortunate part for Will is there’s been some injuries. I’ve always said if Will can have a healthy 16-game season, he’s going to help us win a lot of games and he’s going to be a very productive player.”

The same way that he has approached past injury setbacks, Fuller devoted himself to rehabilitating his knee.

Fuller spent the majority of the offseason in Houston strengthening his knee with trainers Geoff Kaplan and Roland Ramirez and regaining his speed. It took him nine months to get back on the practice field.

“It feels good to be back out there, running routes and dealing with the guys again on the field, communicating, the whole thing,” Fuller said. “In the beginning it was real tough. But just being with Roland and Kap and those guys, they did a good job. Just being up there, putting in consistent work got me feeling good now.”

Heading into Fuller’s fourth NFL season, the Texans have already picked up his $10.162 million fifth-year club option for 2020.

If Fuller can get on a healthy track, the Texans could look to sign him to a lucrative long-term contract extension working in tandem with All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

“I want to play a long time,” Fuller said. “I’m just trying to get back to my normal self.”

aaron.wilson@chron.com

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