Nico

Collins

Collins was unable to brace himself as he went to the ground on a catch attempt at the end of the third quarter, appearing to contact the frozen ground with the forehead area of his helmet. Clearly disoriented following the play, Collins had to be redirected towards the sideline after attempting to rejoin the huddle. He would then be seen hunched over on the sideline before even making it into the medical tent. Collins was eventually carted to the locker room with a towel over his head for further evaluation. It certainly appears as if his night is over after catching just 3-of-7 targets for 21 yards.

Collins will be rested for the playoffs with the Texans having already cemented a spot. Also inactive for the Texans are CB Kamari Lassiter, LB Jamal Hill, T Trent Brown, WR Braxton Berrios, RB Nick Chubb and QB Graham Mertz. Chubb’s healthy scratch means Jawhar Jordan will continue to see plenty of work behind Woody Marks.

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.

Collins had three major plays, one of which was a 24-yard sideline catch in double coverage to end the game at the two-minute warning. The other two were questionable DPI calls he drew, one to set the Texans up on first-and-goal, and another to bail them out of third-and-long early on the final drive. He lost a few catches to an inaccurate C.J. Stroud and the Texans only advanced to the red zone once to let him play bully ball. He’ll be on the low-end WR1 line against the Chargers in Week 17.

He kicked off Houston’s offense by housing a middle-of-the-field target for 57 yards on their second play from scrimmage, then added a late touchdown in the fourth quarter on a goal-to-go target over the middle. Letting Nico Collins feast over the middle of the field, as it turns out, a good idea. It’s his first two-score game since last year’s Week 15 win over the Dolphins. Collins will be a WR1 in Week 16 against the Raiders.

Collins broke free early for a 46-yard gain up the seam against Trent McDuffie coverage, the latter of whom would be injured on the play and miss the remainder of the game. The talented veteran added catches of 53 yards, 18 yards, and four yards before the break but would be blanked in the second half with the team nursing a lead throughout. Collins now has consecutive games of 98 yards or more through the air with C.J. Stroud under center, something he had not done against all opponents other than the Jaguars this season. The Texans now prepare for one of the worst defenses in the league in the Cardinals in Week 15.

He took an end around in the red zone for six points as the Colts overpursued. The Texans were able to get Collins involved on play-action, and he was only a hand’s width from a 40-yard shot play to take him over 100 yards. Still, considering how up-and-down the volume has been with C.J. Stroud under center, this was a promising week for Collins. He’ll find himself on the WR1/2 borderline against the Chiefs in Week 14.

Collins hauled in a 24-yard reception early in the second quarter to help kickstart a drive that ended with a Christian Kirk touchdown. It was a relatively disappointing outing for the Texans’ WR1, whose struggles can be partly blamed on the offense struggling to sustain drives and stay on the field. Collins doesn’t turn out weeks like this too often, and should profile as a fringe WR1/WR2 play in Week 13 against the Colts with C.J. Stroud (concussion) likely back under center.

He’ll more than likely be good to go for the Texans on Thursday night. Collins was limited on Monday. He’ll be on the WR1/WR2 borderline against the Bills after being the target on 36 Davis Mills passes over the last three weeks.

Although there don’t appear to be any reasons for concern regarding Collins’ status ahead of a Thursday Night Football showdown with the Bills, the same cannot be said of quarterback C.J. Stroud, who continued to be listed as a non-participant on Monday’s estimated practice report as he pushes to clear the league’s concussion protocol. Stroud has yet to see the practice field in any capacity, something he will need to rectify if he wants to make it back in time for Thursday. He will only have two chances to do so. Tight end Dalton Schultz was also listed as limited Monday but, like Collins, appears to be trending towards suiting up against the Bills. Fantasy managers will want to track the coming practice reports diligently.