Nico Collins, who suffered the injury during Wednesday’s practice, was always a long shot to suit up this weekend. KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson followed up with a report that Collins will likely miss two games.
If last week’s deployment is any guide, Xavier Hutchinson (69% snap share) and Kayshon Boutte (61% snap share) are positioned to lead the receiver room on Sunday, with second year receiver Jaylin Noel (28% snap share) mixed in. For fantasy football purposes, both Hutchinson and Noel operated predominantly out of the slot last week, logging 57% and 81% of their snaps there, respectively. Hutchinson offers the versatility to move back outside where he played the majority of his snaps in 2025, should the team opt to keep Noel in the slot. The offense will ramp up Boutte’s route participation while leaning on veteran tight end Dalton Schultz, who finished second on the team with eight targets in Week 1.
Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins is already out ...
The Houston Texans will have tests done on wide receiver ...
Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (hamstring) was ...
This is a situation that needs to be closely monitored as some reports have stated that WR Nico Collins did in fact go through individual drills during practice after sustaining the injury. But according to Aaron Wilson, it has been confirmed that the Houston Texans are to have tests done on Collins’ hamstring per league source. Adam Schefter followed up with a reported stating Collins met with doctors after Wednesday’s practice, and they “don’t believe it’s serious.”
Collins is PlayerProfiler’s WR6 in seasonal-redraft and is coming off a strong Week 1 performance of 7 catches on 10 targets for 75 yards and 1 TD against the Buffalo Bills, and his status for Week 2 vs. the Bengals remains in jeopardy. If Collins misses time, it would cripple the Texans passing attack and leave Houston’s newly-acquired Kayshon Boutte as the de facto WR1.
Beyond Boutte, Xavier Hutchinson (29 routes run in Week 1), WR Jaylin Noel (15 routes run in Week 1), and TE Dalton Schultz (32 routes run in Week 1) are all No. 2 receiving options for C.J. Stroud. Second-year WR Jaylin Noel is the most dynamic secondary option and would offer the most upside for fantasy football, if Collins misses time. ~Jason Diaz
While both sides made a run at completing an extension before the regular season begins, they couldn’t strike a deal and both sides now prefer to wait until after this season to work out a long-term deal. C.J. Stroud. Stroud has had an up-and-down past couple of years after a strong rookie season, culminating in a brutal Divisional Playoff loss last year to New England where he completed 20 of 47 passes along with 4-INTs. This has Stroud wanting to bet on himself to revert back to his rookie year form, where he finished as QB11, and the Texans not willing to financially commit to him at that level.
This should lead to a highly motivated Stroud this year. The arrival of David Montgomery at RB in the offseason, combined with Woody Marks, whose improvement this offseason has impressed the coaching staff, should force defenses to be more honest against Stroud and star WR Nico Collins. Stroud is PlayerProfiler’s No. 22 ranked QB in dynasty rankings and No. 21 ranked QB in Week 1 rankings.
Houston traded safety Jaylen Reed and a 2028 seventh-round pick for Kayshon Boutte, the 5-11, 195-pound former Patriot who posted 33 catches for 551 yards and six touchdowns at 16.7 yards per reception last season with a 105.7 Explosive Rating. They plan to use him immediately Sunday against Buffalo because offensive coordinator Nick Caley’s playbook carries over from New England.
Boutte has stayed after practice with C.J. Stroud to lock in timing after Jayden Higgins tore his ACL, giving the Texans another contested-catch option. Nico Collins stays the clear No. 1 while Boutte slots in as a complementary piece alongside Jaylin Noel, Xavier Hutchinson, and Dalton Schultz in fantasy football. He is currently ranked as PlayerProfiler’s WR61 for fantasy football redraft and WR70 for dynasty leagues and rising.
It was nice knowing you, Xavier Hutchinson. Kayshon Boutte heads to Houston on the final year of his rookie contract after New England added Romeo Doubs and A.J. Brown, stepping into immediate perimeter opportunity following a torn ACL for Jayden Higgins
Operating as a dedicated field-stretcher, Boutte generated 551 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 33 receptions last season while maintaining a 15.0 Yards Per Reception mark over his last two campaigns. Without expanded route diversity or earned target volume beyond deep-threat usage, his profile points to volatile spike weeks rather than dependable weekly fantasy production. Boutte is currently PlayerProfiler’s WR78 in best ball formats.
Losing Higgins guts Houston’s secondary downfield element after a rookie campaign of 525 yards and six touchdowns, leaving the offense concentrated around Nico Collins and his alpha Target Share. This perimeter vacancy creates route participation for Xavier Hutchinson while boosting snap rates and designed touches for both Tank Dell and Jaylin Noel.
Outside of Collins commanding high-end Air Yards Share and Target Share, Houston’s ancillary pass-catchers will struggle to produce viable Fantasy Points Per Game in this balanced scheme. Collins is now PlayerProfiler’s WR11 for fantasy football 2026.
