Jaylin Noel (finger) out a couple of weeks

Ryans used that phrase to describe Higgins and Woody Marks. Ryans also talked about needing a true No. 2 receiver outside of Nico Collins and said, “Jayden can be that guy.” Collins was banged up for some of 2025 and the team did not have Tank Dell at any point, so Higgins was asked to play more than most Day Two rookies. He popped for the occasional big play and scored six touchdowns but ultimately finished the year just six catches ahead of Xavier Hutchinson. It sounds like he is pulling away from Hutchinson this offseason, giving him a much higher floor heading into 2026.

We don’t have a good indication of what happened to Noel yet, only that it occurred outside of the facility. Texans GM Nick Caserio will speak to the press tomorrow and we presume this will be asked. It’s not an ideal start to camp for Noel, to put it mildly.

Noel has been “making waves” in organized team activities and mandatory minicamp and has “all the makings of a second-year breakout,” running as the first-team offense’s primary slot receiver. Koch believes WR Tank Dell (knee) could face a slow ramp-up process and will likely play on the outside most of the time, rather than in the slot. The Texans’ sixth-round rookie WR Lewis Bond is apparently Noel’s only real competition for the slot role, which is to say, he has almost none. If Noel can carry this momentum into training camp, he has a chance to return FLEX value, or more, this season.

Alexander notes that Noel was primarily used in the return game last season, but “figures to be a factor this year as Houston looks for more production from its receivers outside of Nico Collins.” It remains to be seen how big of a factor he can be, though. Alexander believes the Texans are going to increase their two-tight end-set use this season, which shrinks the number of routes available to the wide receiver position. Texans WR Jayden Higgins has had a good offseason, and could be in line for the WR2 role. Should the Texans rotate Noel, Xavier Hutchinson and Tank Dell (knee) behind Collins and Higgins, target volume could be a problem for Noel.

Per Wilson, the Texans view him as a versatile receiver and plan to deploy him at multiple spots this year. Per PFF, Higgins ran 79.2 percent of his routes from the perimeter and 20.4 percent from the slot. If Higgins can secure the WR2 role and gain frequent slot usage from 11 personnel, that would go a long way toward reliable fantasy productivity. In addition to improving his fitness, Higgins has focused on the game’s “intellectual” aspect as well this offseason. Wilson adds that Higgins has been a standout among the receivers thus far and has “shown upgraded timing and chemistry” with QB C.J. Stroud. He has a chance to return value as a WR3 or better this season, though there are a lot of potential mouths to feed in Houston with Tank Dell and David Montgomery joining on.

Regarding Higgins’ on-field development, Ryans is “really excited to see how he’s going to look this season.” Ryans covered all the bases here. It’s always nice to hear that a player worked hard to prepare for organized team activities, but physical improvements are only half the battle. Hopefully, positive reports on Higgins’ route running and film studies are soon to follow.

With the Texans in skill corps injury crisis as C.J. Stroud imploded vs. Mike Vrabel’s defense, Hutchinson somehow commanded 10-plus targets for the first time in his three-year corps. Bizarre, and not a harbinger of things to come. Although Christian Kirk is headed to free agency, Nico Collins isn’t going anywhere, while rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel both intrigued in 2025. Hutchinson will probably make the 53-man roster in the final year of his rookie deal, but that’s not locked in. He has 55 catches over 49 career contests. Admittedly, 35 of those came in 2025. This coaching staff probably likes Hutchinson enough to keep him around one more year.

Nico Collins (concussion) was sidelined and Dalton Schultz (calf) soon joined him, but third-rounder Noel commanded only one target as C.J. Stroud turned his 47 attempts into just 20 completions and an unfathomable four interceptions. Unlike fellow Iowa State rookie Jayden Higgins, fellow 23-year-old Noel never took on a bigger role in the Texans’ offense after popping up for some 4-5 catch performances in late October/early November. He caught six total passes after Thanksgiving, including zero in the playoffs. With fellow slot man Christian Kirk headed to free agency, there’s still plenty of reason to believe Noel could be more involved in 2026, but he is looking like an average at best hold in shallower dynasty leagues.

With Nico Collins (concussion) out and Dalton Schultz (calf) soon joining him, Higgins took over as the Texans’ No. 1 pass catcher after playing second fiddle to Christian Kirk in the Wild Card Round. Although it was a disastrous day for the Texans’ passing attack, Higgins was indeed a “rare bright spot.” Although he was much more involved in the second half of the season than the first, Higgins did have a quiet stretch run as the Texans rode their defense to the postseason. The No. 34 overall pick still showed more than enough for fantasy managers to maintain optimism heading into Year 2 in Houston. Collins spends an unfortunate amount of time on the shelf, while Schultz has no guaranteed money remaining on his contract. Kirk is an impending free agent. Already with a 41/525/6 slash to his name, Higgins could end up a “surprising” 2026 WR2 in fantasy.

Collins was unable to practice throughout the week. Texans slot WR Christian Kirk operated as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver last week, and is likely the best bet to do so again against the Patriots. It is an unfortunate development for Collins, who also missed his team’s Week 8 game against the 49ers due to concussion. Texans rookie WRs, Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, have a chance to rise to the occasion.