When quarterback Drake Maye makes his NFL starting debut Sunday against the Houston Texans, he won’t see two of the team’s highest-drafted wide receivers in the huddle. The New England Patriots have decided to make both Tyquan Thornton and Javon Baker healthy scratches in Week 6.

Baker’s deactivation came as no surprise; The fourth-round rookie found himself at the bottom of the receiver depth charts for most of the season. Thornton’s departure isn’t a big surprise, but it still marks the latest low point in his career.

The 2022 second-round draft pick ultimately entered the regular season as the Patriots’ No. 1 perimeter receiver. However, he hasn’t been able to perform as desired – he has two catches for 27 yards this year – and has seen reduced playing time in recent games. In his place, Ja’Lynn Polk and Kayshon Boutte took on the role of primary outside hitters and will continue to play that role against Houston.

One also has to wonder what this means for Thornton’s future. He’s gone from starting option to healthy rookie over the last month, and with the trade deadline looming in early November, he could be cut from the roster entirely next month.

The rest of the Patriots’ inactive roster looks like this:

Patriots inactive

• WR Javon Baker
• LS Joe Cardona
• DT Eric Johnson
• QB Joe Milton III (emergency QB)
• OL Layden Robinson
• RB Rhamondre Stevenson
• WR Tyquan Thornton

The Patriots entered Sunday with two players already out due to injuries. Rhamondre Stevenson (foot) and Joe Cardona (calf) were demoted on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Joining them on the inactive list are the aforementioned Tyquan Thornton and Javon Baker, as well as Layden Robinson, Joe Milton and Eric Johnson.

While the latter two are also healthy scratches, Robinson entered the weekend as questionable due to ankle and wrist issues. However, he probably wouldn’t have started the game even if he had been at full strength; The Patriots appear to prefer Michael Onwenu and Demontrey Jacobs as a guard-tackle pairing on the right side.

As for the Patriots’ nine other questionable candidates, they’re good to go. The headliner of this group is safety Kyle Dugger, who returns after a week-long absence due to an ankle injury. He was given the green light along with wide receivers Kendrick Bourne (knee) and KJ Osborn (shoulder), center Nick Leverett (ankle), linebackers Anfernee Jennings (shoulder) and Sione Takitaki (knee) and cornerbacks Marcus Jones (groin). Marco Wilson (groin) and Isaiah Bolden (hamstring).

Texans inactive

• OL Nick Broeker
• CB Kamari Lassiter
• S Jimmie Ward
• ED Rashad Weaver
• WR Robert Woods

The biggest takeaway from the Texans’ inactive list is who isn’t on the list: running back Joe Mixon will play against New England. He was previously considered questionable due to an ankle injury.

Kickoff between the Patriots and Texans at Gillette Stadium is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET. According to the latest odds from FanDuel, New England enters the game as a 6.5-point home underdog.