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 tight end Dalton Schultz was a featured ...
Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz is coming off one ...
Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz has a clearer path ...
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
McNair is doubling down on his support for C.J. Stroud, reaffirming that the Texans are “totally behind” him as their long-term leader. The team exercised Stroud’s fifth-year option through 2027, with plans for a formal contract extension expected next year.
Although Stroud’s individual stats have cooled since his rookie year, his consistent postseason success has the organization focused on upgrading his offensive weapons to alleviate pressure next season. Still just 24.5 years of age, Stroud is a relatively inexpensive, young building block asset for fantasy football superflex and 2 QB dynasty leagues.
The timing could not be more unfortunate for Cade Stover, the rookie has been slowly coming along the past few weeks. Stover had a season high 4 targets week 12 and just logged a season high 59% snap share week 13. Houston is heading into week 15 fresh off their bye, which often coincides with rookies earning bigger opportunities as teams get a chance to self scout during the break.
The Houston receiving core has been absolutely battered this year, the Tight End room alone is already missing Brevin Jordan and Dalton Keene, both out on IR. Stover’s absence should lead to a further consolidated target distribution in Houston, with more opportunities for Dalton Schultz. Schultz may not carry a lot of allure but he’s surprisingly young for a Tight End at only 28, (seems older right?), plays the majority of snaps, and just posted 5 catches on 7 targets for 60 yards and a TD in his last game. 👀
Lukasz Stec, @Lukasz_FF01
Dalton Schultz was originally drafted by the Dallas Cowboys back in 2018 in 4th round out of Stanford. After 5 successful seasons in Dallas, Schultz signed a 1-year $6.5 million deal with the Texans. Schultz became a great target for rookie phenom CJ Stroud. Despite suffering a concussion and missing most of the games in the second half of the season, Schultz averaged a career best 10.8 yards per catch.
Schultz signed a 3-year $36 million deal to continue his connection with Stroud. Schultz would have been highly targeted as a free agent. The Houston Texans have a ton of cap space, so it makes sense they would keep Schultz to keep CJ Stroud’s trajectory on an upward slope. Look for Schultz to continue being a great target for Stroud.
Dynasty owners of Schultz should be very happy with him signing back in Houston. Barring injuries Schultz will be one of the more reliable TE in the fantasy. Fantasy teams should target Schultz after the top TEs come off the board.
It’s now clear after missing an entire week of practice, and being declared out for week 13, that Dalton Schultz picked up a Hamstring injury in the Texans’ week 12 loss to the Jaguars. Week 12 marked the lowest snap share of the season for Schultz, who had been heating up in weeks prior and was clearly establishing himself as a safety blanket for rookie QB C.J. Stroud.
Hamstring injuries can be tricky and typically require a multi-week recovery process. Fantasy managers rostering Schultz should make replacement plans for the foreseeable future. Brevin Jordan is expected to be the next man up with Schultz out, but shouldn’t be on fantasy radars at this time. The Texans offense as whole will be negatively impacted by missing Schultz, who is top 20 in the AFC in first down receptions on third down.
