Texans' Nico Collins: Held in check after halftime
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Collins brought in all three targets for 55 yards in the Texans' 23-19 win over the Bills on Thursday night.
Collins finished as the team leader in yardage on the night, but all of it came on his three first-half catches. The talented wideout was part of the collateral damage of a modest passing night on the part of Davis Mills, who completed only 53.3 percent of his passes for 153 yards and averaged 5.1 yards per attempt. Collins was coming off a two-game heater while working with Mills -- one where he posted a 16-128-1 line on 25 targets -- so Thursday's downturn was particularly noteworthy. Collins now is slated to return to working with C.J. Stroud when the Texans return to action in a Week 13 road divisional clash against the Colts on Sunday, Nov. 30, as the latter should be cleared from his concussion by that point.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Sees more time in slot
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Collins' enhanced production over the last two weeks is partially due to being deployed more often in the slot, Sam Warren of the Houston Chronicle reports. He's accumulated 16 catches on 25 targets for 228 yards and a touchdown during a two-game winning streak.
Collins has been a key factor in the Texans getting to .500 for the season. A coaching decision to scheme him to get more open appears to have worked. During the two-game streak, he's been targeted seven times from the slot, more than he had in his first seven games combined, and those targets have led to success. Collins caught a pivotal fourth-quarter pass for 22 yards in the Week 10 win over Jacksonville and had three catches for 31 yards from the slot, including a touchdown, in a Week 11 win over Tennessee. Collins and the Texans will be challenged to repeat that success this week in a Thursday night game against the Bills, who rank second in the NFL with 169.7 passing yards allowed per game.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Turns in full practice
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Collins (ankle) was a full participant in Tuesday's practice.
Houston estimated Collins as a limited participant for Monday's walk-through session, but the wideout has cleared up any concern about his availability for Thursday's game against the Bills. For the third straight week, Collins will be on the receiving end of throws from quarterback Davis Mills, who will make another start while C.J. Stroud remains in the concussion protocol.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Limited by ankle issue
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Collins was limited at Monday's walkthrough due to an ankle injury.
Collins previously dealt with a knee issue and a concussion this season, so this is a new concern for the fifth-year pro ahead of Thursday's game against the Bills. Meanwhile, C.J. Stroud (concussion) was a DNP on Monday, and Davis Mills seems poised for another start under center in Week 12. Working with Mills the past two contests, Collins put together a 16-228-1 line on 25 targets.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Paces pass catchers in win
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Collins brought in nine of 10 targets for 92 yards and a touchdown in the Texans' 16-13 win over the Titans on Sunday.
Collins flashed strong chemistry with Davis Mills, setting the pace for the Texans in receptions, receiving yards and targets. The talented wideout also was on the receiving end of Mills' only touchdown pass of the day, recording a three-yard grab just past the halfway point of the third quarter. C.J. Stroud (concussion) may have a difficult time clearing protocol in time for Thursday night's Week 12 matchup against the Bills, and that could potentially be a positive development for Collins considering he's posted a combined 16-228-1 line on 25 targets with Mills as the full-time starter in the last two games.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Full practice after clearing protocol
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Collins (concussion) practiced fully Thursday.
Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston previously relayed that Collins -- who didn't play Week 8 -- had cleared the NFL's concussion protocol, with the wideout himself noting Thursday that he's "feeling great" and is "ready to play" Sunday against the Broncos. In addition to Collins being poised to return to action, Christian Kirk (hamstring) also practiced fully Thursday, which paves the way for the Texans to have their top two WRs both available in the same game for the first time since Week 5.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Clears concussion protocol
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Collins, who has been cleared under mandatory concussion protocol, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston, said Thursday that he's "feeling great" and is "ready to play" Sunday against the Broncos.
Collins was inactive Week 8, and he was deemed a limited practice participant Wednesday, as was fellow WR Christian Kirk (hamstring). Thursday's injury report is slated to indicate whether, in addition to clearing concussion protocol, Collins was listed as a full practice participant.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Progressing toward being cleared
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Coach DeMeco Ryans noted that Collins, who practiced Wednesday, is technically still in concussion protocol but is expected to be cleared in the next few days, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
It remains to be seen if Collins will be listed as a limited or full participant in Wednesday's session, but the wideout is nonetheless trending toward a return to action Sunday against the Broncos. Also back at practice Wednesday for the Texans was fellow WR Christian Kirk (hamstring), who last saw game action in Week 5.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Returns to practice
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Collins (concussion) returned to practice Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Christian Kirk (hamstring) is also back at practice after he and Collins missed the Week 8 win over San Francisco. Wilson suggests that Collins is trending toward a return for Sunday's matchup with Denver.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Ruled out with concussion
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Collins was ruled out for the rest of Monday's game at Seattle due to a concussion.
Collins hit his head hard on the turf on a contested catch attempt early in the fourth quarter. He was evaluated in the medical tent before walking to the locker room for further evaluation. Collins now will face a short week to pass the league's protocols ahead of a Week 8 matchup against San Francisco.
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Texans' Nico Collins: Being evaluated for concussion
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Collins is questionable to return to Monday's game against Seattle due to a head injury.
Collins went up for a contested catch early in the fourth quarter and hit his head hard off the turf. He was briefly evaluated in the medical tent before being escorted to the locker room with trainers.
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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: 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: 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.
