Texans' Nico Collins: Finds end zone in blowout win
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Collins recorded four receptions on five targets for 52 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 44-10 win over the Ravens.
It was a solid day for Collins, highlighted by long gains of 24 and 14 yards as well as a 10-yard touchdown. However, he finished third on the team in receiving yards and was out-targeted by Dalton Schultz. That was likely affected by game script -- C.J. Stroud attempted only 10 passes in the second half and was benched for most of the fourth quarter -- but Collins has now seen six or fewer targets and recorded under 55 receiving yards in three of five games this season. His three touchdowns have covered up some of that lack of volume, but Collins hasn't put up the big reception or target totals expected entering the season.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Churns out full practice
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Collins (knee) was a full participant in Thursday's practice.
Collins had his reps capped Wednesday to begin Week 5 prep due to the knee issue, but his ability to practice fully a day later erases any concern about his availability for Sunday's game at Baltimore. After being limited to three receptions in both of the Texans' first two contests, Collins has picked up the pace the past two weeks, putting together a 12-183-1 line on 17 targets. He'll have a good opportunity to continue his strong run Sunday while facing off against a 31st-ranked Baltimore pass defense (265.8 passing yards allowed per game) that is expected to be without multiple key contributors in the secondary.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Posts 79 yards against Titans
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Collins recorded four receptions on six targets for 79 yards in Sunday's 26-0 win over the Titans.
Collins didn't dominate targets in his typical fashion Sunday, as four pass catchers logged between four and six targets. He still easily paced the Texans in yardage thanks to long gains of 37 and 22 yards to account for the majority of his production. Even with an underachieving Houston offense, Collins has found a way to be productive early this season by scoring a touchdown or topping 75 receiving yards in each of his last three games.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Posts dud in Week 1
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Collins was held to three receptions (on five targets) for 25 yards in Sunday's 14-9 loss to the Rams.
Houston's entire aerial attack sputtered out of the gates, failing to produce any touchdowns or a receiver with more than 32 yards. Collins' receiving line marks the wideout's worst fantasy output since Week 14 of the 2023 season. This was not the kind of start fantasy managers were hoping for from the unquestioned No. 1 receiving option for the Texans. Perhaps the eventual return of Christian Kirk (hamstring) will help open things up for C.J. Stroud and the rest of the passing game following an abysmal Week 1 performance. Collins is too talented to be held down on a regular basis, so make sure to stick with your studs heading into next Monday's tilt against the Buccaneers.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Starters suiting up Saturday
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Collins will join quarterback C.J. Stroud and the majority of Houston's starters in suiting up for Saturday's preseason game against the Panthers, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Collins and Stroud both sat out the Texans' preseason opener against the Vikings last week, but key starters will get a chance to log some exhibition reps versus Carolina. Though he remains positioned as Houston's clear No. 1 wideout, Collins' surrounding context has changed substantially since last season, as Stefon Diggs (ACL) is now a member of the Patriots and Tank Dell (ACL) appears set to miss a good portion of the 2025 campaign. Replacing Diggs and Dell in three-wide sets alongside Collins is veteran slot specialist Christian Kirk, with rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel seemingly battling for opportunities in the No. 3 role.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Minor restructure opens cap space
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Collins agreed to terms Wednesday on a contract restructure that opens up $9.8 million in cap space for the Texans, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Collins' restructure comes in the form of his $13.5 million base salary being converted into a signing bonus. The move provides Houston some additional flexibility ahead of the official start of free agency next week. Collins dealt with injuries that forced him to miss five games in 2024, but he nonetheless managed to finish the campaign with an impressive 68-1,006-7 receiving line on 99 targets across 12 appearances during the regular season. With Stefon Diggs (knee) potentially moving on in free agency and with Tank Dell (knee) in danger of missing a substantial portion of the upcoming season, Collins looks locked in atop the depth chart as C.J. Stroud's clear No. 1 target.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Notches 122 receiving yards in win
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Collins recorded seven receptions on eight targets for 122 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 32-12 win over the Chargers.
The Texans offense was stalled early, though Collins made several big plays to serve as the key playmaker in the win. His biggest contributions came on the team's first touchdown drive late in the second quarter, when he delivered a 37-yard gain followed by a 13-yard touchdown catch three plays later. The performance marked Collins' highest yardage total in three career playoff games and marked his first 100-yard performance since Week 13.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Tops 1,000 yards on limited snaps
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Collins recorded five receptions on five targets for 38 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 23-14 win over the Titans.
Collins played for much of the first quarter but had his snap count limited with the Texans locked into the fourth seed of the AFC regardless of the outcome of Sunday's games. He drew four targets from C.J. Stroud on the team's opening possession, highlighted by long gains of 14 and 11 yards as well as a two-yard touchdown. That was enough to push him over 1,000 receiving yards for the season, which is particularly impressive considering he missed five games with a hamstring injury. Collins will enter the postseason as Stroud's top target in a matchup against either the Chargers or Steelers.
Collins caught seven of 10 targets for 60 yards in Saturday's 27-19 loss to the Chiefs.
Collins played second fiddle to Tank Dell, who had 98 receiving yards and a touchdown prior to exiting due to a serious knee injury, which Dell suffered while catching a 30-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Kansas City's talented secondary focused on Collins throughout the afternoon, limiting the star wideout to his third-lowest yardage total of the season. As the clear No. 1 target in Houston's passing game, Collins should find more room to operate on Christmas against a Ravens defense that has struggled to defend the pass.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Over 100-yard mark in Sunday's win
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Collins secured eight of 11 targets for 119 yards in the Texans' 23-20 win over the Jaguars on Sunday.
Collins found himself in the customary position of leading the Texans in receptions, receiving yards and targets on the afternoon, posting his best numbers in those categories since Week 4 in the process. Collins has been on an upward trajectory since returning from a five-game absence due to a hamstring injury, as he's now upped all three components of his receiving line over that of the previous game in three consecutive contests. Collins will look to make inroads against a talented Dolphins secondary in a Week 15 home matchup on Sunday, Dec. 15 following a Week 14 bye.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Big game against Tennessee
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Collins recorded five receptions on nine targets for 92 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 32-27 loss to the Titans.
Collins did the majority of his damage early in the game, first scoring from five yards away midway through the second quarter. He then caught a 56-yard pass to set up a field goal just before halftime. Collins also broke free for an apparent 33-yard yard score late in the fourth quarter, though it was nullified by a penalty-- the second consecutive week he's had a score called back. Despite that disappointment, Collins was more involved in the offense in his second game since returning from a hamstring injury, and he should be an elite fantasy option moving forward.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Snap share expected to grow Week 12
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Collins is expected to see increased usage Sunday against the Titans after playing only 47 percent of snaps in Monday's 34-10 win over the Cowboys, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Collins was eased back into action Monday in his return from a hamstring injury that had sidelined him since Week 5. He was leading the NFL with 567 receiving yards at the time of his injury and is averaging a robust 103.5 receiving yards per game, even when factoring in his pedestrian 54-yard performance in an abbreviated role against Dallas in Week 11. Collins will face a Titans defense that's playing without top cornerback L'Jarius Sneed (quadriceps) this weekend.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Four catches in return to action
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Collins (hamstring) brought in four of seven targets for 54 yards in the Texans' 34-10 win over the Cowboys on Monday night.
Collins and Tank Dell posted matching team-high receiving yardage totals while also tying for the lead in targets with Dalton Schultz. It was a solid return to action for Collins following a five-game absence due to a hamstring injury, and his numbers were serviceable within the context of a night where C.J. Stroud wasn't pressed to do an inordinate amount through the air. A similar scenario could actually be in store Week 12, however, as the reeling Titans pay a visit to Collins and the Texans.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Gets back to full Friday
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Collins (hamstring) practiced fully Friday.
The Texans designated Collins for return from injured reserve last Friday, and the wide receiver was limited in the ensuing session, listed as questionable and activated Saturday. He then was inactive this past Sunday against the Lions, setting up Week 11 as his first possible game action since injuring his right hamstring Sunday, Oct. 6 versus the Bills. Collins followed up Thursday's limited session with full participation one day later, putting him on such a path. He relayed to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston on Friday, "I feel like myself. It was hard on my mental." Collins also looked like normal self on the practice field, per Wilson, so he should be good for close to the workload of 10.8 targets per game from his four healthy appearances this season.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Poised to play in Week 11
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Collins (hamstring) will practice this week, and the expectation is that the receiver will play in Monday's game against the Cowboys, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports.
Last Friday, Collins was cleared for his first practice since Week 5, then was listed as questionable ahead of Sunday's game versus the Lions. Though he was activated from injured reserve Saturday, he was still considered a game-time decision, with the Texans ultimately making him inactive ahead of a 26-23 loss. According to Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle, coach DeMeco Ryans said that Collins didn't suffer a setback with his right hamstring injury in practice Friday. Instead, the Texans wanted him to get in some more reps before clearing him for a return to game action. Assuming Collins practices this week without issue, he shouldn't face any limitations against Dallas as Houston's No. 1 wideout. Collins led the NFL with 567 receiving yards through the first five weeks of the season before missing the last five games.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Still not practicing
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Collins (hamstring) wasn't spotted at practice Thursday, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports.
With Collins not yet designated to return from IR as of Thursday, the chances of him being available Sunday night against the Lions don't seem strong. If Collins remains sidelined Week 10, Tank Dell will continue to lead a Houston WR corps that also includes Xavier Hutchinson, Robert Woods and John Metchie.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Not practicing Wednesday
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Collins (hamstring) didn't practice Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Collins, who was placed on injured reserve Oct.9, has missed four straight games and is thus eligible to return to practice as soon as this week. Per Wilson, Collins hasn't experienced any setbacks with his hamstring injury, with the wideout having reportedly regained his speed and mobility in the process. However, Collins' continued absence from practice casts doubt on his avaiability for Sunday's game against the Lions.
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Texans' Nico Collins: On track with recovery
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Collins has experienced no setbacks with his recovery from the right hamstring injury he sustained Oct. 6, and the expectation remains that he'll be able to return from injured reserve when first eligible Nov. 10 against the Lions, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Collins was given a projected 3-to-4-week recovery timeline after suffering the injury, but the Texans opted to err on the side of caution by placing him on IR, which ensured that he would miss at least four games. With Collins' recovery thus far going swimmingly, he looks like he'll be able to step back in as the Texans' No. 1 wideout in a couple weeks, provided he's not slowed by the hamstring injury once he eventually returns to practice in Week 10.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Called week-to-week by coach
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Coach DeMeco Ryans called Collins (hamstring) week-to-week Monday, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports. "It takes a couple of weeks for a hamstring," Ryans said. "So we'll evaluate him on a week-to-week basis."
Collins' week-to-week status casts doubt on his availability for Sunday's game against the Patriots, though more clarity on his potential availability should surface when the Texans submit their first practice report Wednesday. Ryans originally labeled Collins day-to-day after the star receiver was injured in this past Sunday's 23-20 win over Buffalo, but the slightly less optimistic week-to-week assessment seems more realistic. Despite exiting in the first half against Buffalo, Collins leads the NFL with 567 receiving yards.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Viewed as day-to-day
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Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said after Sunday's 23-20 win over the Bills that Collins is day-to-day after exiting the game with a hamstring injury, Kristie Rieken of the Associated Press reports.
Collins played just nine snaps and produced a 2-78-1 line on his two targets before exiting the game early in the second quarter, when he tweaked his hamstring while legging out a 67-yard touchdown. Though the day-to-day label offers hope that Collins might be ready to return to action for Sunday's game against the Patriots, the receiver's history of soft-tissue injuries could prompt the Texans to exercise some caution. Collins missed two games last season due to a calf strain and a recurrence of the injury, and he had been listed on the Texans' injury report ahead of Week 4 with a hamstring issue before turning in a 12-catch, 151-yard effort in a win over the Jaguars.
