Nico Collins is sidelined for a minimum of four weeks after suffering a hamstring injury in the win over Buffalo. With the star wide receiver missing a crucial part of the season, what does it mean for other members of the Houston Texans in fantasy football?
Texans WR Nico Collins (hamstring) placed on injured reserve, out at least four games. pic.twitter.com/OKylxwvaqA
— NFL (@NFL) October 9, 2024
Houston Texans Fantasy Outlook Without Nico Collins
Stefon Diggs
Stefon Diggs is the biggest beneficiary of Collins missing time due to injury. Through five games with Collins active, he’s seen a 22.5% target share with at least six targets per game. Diggs has been the WR2 so far this season in Houston, and he’s made it show with an average of 63 yards per game.
#Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud on how Stefon Diggs @stefondiggs can be a 'leader' and at the 'forefront' of picking up the slack with Nico Collins on IR @KPRC2 #nfl pic.twitter.com/ZdEc7zzQSx
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 9, 2024
Diggs will take the bulk of the work in Collins’ absence, but he’s no stranger to being the top pass-catching option. This will allow Diggs to see even more targets, rack up yards and find the endzone more consistently. Even with Collins healthy, Diggs has averaged 81.7 yards per game in his last three games. Expect that number to go well over 100 now.
Tank Dell
Tank Dell hasn’t had much of a role in the Texans offense this season outside of the Week 3 loss against Minnesota. That was the only game of the season where he’s recorded more then 45 receiving yards. Dell’s fantasy relevance for this season is alive once again.
If Dell wants to prove himself to the Texans coaching staff and fantasy owners, now is the time to do it. While most of the passing game is expected to go through Diggs, not every ball can go his direction. Dell now becomes a low-end WR2 in most weeks as a result of seeing a bigger workload. Fantasy owners know he has the potential to stretch the field and make contested catches, and now he gets the chance to remind everyone he’s still a part of this offense.
C.J. Stroud
C.J. Stroud might be the one player in the offense who doesn’t see his numbers increase as a result of Collins’ injury. Through five games, Stroud is averaging just over 17 fantasy points per game. That tally has him sitting at QB6 among all quarterbacks in fantasy football.
The Texans wide receiver room is deep enough with talent, and Stroud should be able to maintain his performances even without his best pass catcher. However, that doesn’t guarantee he will throw for over 300 yards per game like he has the past two weeks. Losing Collins might cause yardage to dip slightly, but he’s still a must-start in fantasy.
Dalton Schultz
Dalton Schultz was nonexistent through the first three weeks just like Dell. Schultz, like most tight ends, have been a disappointment so far this season. With an uptick in catches and yards in Weeks 4-5, there’s some hope for Schultz owners.
With Nico Collins on IR, Stefon Diggs moves into the #1 spot, Tank Dell, the best #3 in the NFL, will get more looks obviously. And Dalton Schultz, who does everything right in the eyes of this team, will get more looks. He's been the player that has gotten the short end of the…
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) October 9, 2024
The timing couldn’t be better for Schultz as he now has three of his best matchups coming up. It starts with Sunday’s matchup against the New England Patriots before the Texans meet the Packers and Colts. These three matchups should help give Schultz some fantasy value. Schultz owners will be hoping this leads to more usage and isn’t just a temporary solution to make up for Collins.
Main Photo Courtesy of Troy Taormina – Imagn Images
