Jaylin

Noel

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.

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.

Noel managed just 11 offensive snaps, but still outgained Christian Kirk (39 snaps, minus-3 yards on two targets) in the box score. We don’t get it, and we haven’t all season. The Texans look happy with him as a kick returner but Noel has made no real in-roads to a starting job in the 2025 season.

The Texans could still win the AFC South with a win and a Jacksonville loss today, but the Jags face the lowly Titans. That all but guarantees them the AFC South crown, relegating Houston to a road playoff game. With little to play for, Collins will get the week off. As Slater notes, this will also give the Texans a better look at their rookie wideouts, Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins. Both players are now solid FLEX options for fantasy managers still setting lineups this week.

The Texans’ rookie slot receiver looked good in this one. Noel lined up in the slot on the right side of the field during the Texans’ second drive, shaking his coverage defender as he broke inward on a post route, around the safety, who was focused on Texans No. 1 WR Nico Collins underneath. Texans QB C.J. Stroud stood tall against pressure, hitting Noel in stride for a 43-yard score. The two nearly connected for a 26-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, but Stroud got hit as he was throwing and could not accurately lead Noel, who had just snuck past his coverage defender on a corner route. Noel is on the FLEX radar against the Colts next week,

He played 42-of-76 snaps, well ahead of Christian Kirk (37) and Jaylin Noel (18) for Houston WR3 duties. Hutchinson isn’t providing any fantasy value outside of super deep leagues. He hasn’t scored since Week 8 and hasn’t cracked 70 yards all season.

Berrios’ inactivity interestingly reduces the Texans’ slot receiver rotation to a two-player committee, including Christian Kirk and Jaylin Noel. Berrios was listed with a quad injury this week but practiced in full. Lane is worth stashing at this time. Stroud will now miss his third straight game since suffering a brain injury in Week 9 against the Broncos. He managed one limited session on Tuesday.

Hutchinson continues to outsnap Christian Kirk (36 snaps, 1/6 receiving) and Jaylin Noel (18 snaps, 1/12 receiving) as an ancillary option behind Jayden Higgins and Nico Collins. He’s a touchdown-or-bust WR5/WR6 at this point.

He played 25 offensive snaps to Christian Kirk’s 32, heavily outproducing the veteran. (Kirk, to his credit, did notch a game-changing pass interference along with a 1/3 line on three targets.) We’d love to see the Texans spam the Noel button, but until they do, he’s hard to recommend for fantasy purposes. Playing this much, though, he’s essentially cut Kirk out of any real non-touchdown value as well.

Wow, we can see why this guy needed to see the field over Jaylin Noel (11 snaps) — Kirk was the target on the last offensive play where the Texans actually looked decent, a Davis Mills post route that glanced off his hands. The target volume says he should be better, but we’re midway through the season and he has been under 30 yards in three of the four games he has been healthy. A desperation FLEX #RevengeGame against the Jaguars awaits in Week 10.