Houston Texans WR Nico Collins suffers hamstring injury; Week 2 status uncertain
Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins suffered a hamstring injury during Wednesday practice. While medical staff do not consider the injury serious, his availability for the September 21 Week 2 game against Cincinnati remains uncertain. Collins recorded seven catches for 75 yards and a touchdown in Houston's Week 1 loss to Buffalo.
Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins suffered a hamstring injury during Wednesday practice, and his availability for the Week 2 game against Cincinnati on September 22 is uncertain, according to CBS Sports. After meeting with doctors, medical staff determined the injury is not considered serious, though his status remains in jeopardy for the Bengals matchup.
Collins recorded seven catches for 75 yards and a touchdown in Houston's season-opening loss to Buffalo. He is coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl campaigns and three consecutive seasons of 1,000-plus receiving yards and six-plus touchdowns, per CBS Sports. Collins did not participate in Thursday practice following the Wednesday injury, according to CBS Sports Fantasy Football reporting.
Houston's receiving corps has been hit by injuries beyond Collins. The Texans lost presumptive No. 2 receiver Jayden Higgins for the season to a torn ACL suffered during preseason practice. Tank Dell, who suffered a devastating knee injury during the 2024 season, remains on injured reserve and was not ready to return as of Week 2, per CBS Sports.
If Collins is unavailable, the Texans would likely deploy Kayshon Boutte, Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel and Jared Wayne as their top four wide receivers, per CBS Sports. The team also has practice squad receivers Lewis Bond, Josh Kelly, Daniel Sobkowicz and Mitchell Tinsley available. Houston has five tight ends on the roster: Dalton Schultz, Foster Moreau, Marlin Klein, Cade Stover and Brevin Jordan, according to CBS Sports.
Houston managed 5.2 yards per play in Week 1 against Buffalo with an inconsistent run game in which David Montgomery scored three total touchdowns but averaged just three yards per carry, per CBS Sports. Cincinnati forced four turnovers in its Week 1 game against Tampa Bay and allowed 5.4 yards per play, which would have represented an above-average offensive performance by last season's standards, according to CBS Sports.
Nico Collins, the Texans' star receiver coming off a seven-catch, one-touchdown Week 1 performance, suffered a hamstring injury in Wednesday practice, and his Week 2 status against Cincinnati is uncertain despite medical staff not deeming the injury serious.
Collins' final injury designation for Week 2 will be released in Houston's official report by Friday, and his participation in the next two days of practice will be the primary signal for whether he can play Sunday; the Texans' pass-catching depth is thin enough that his unavailability would materially reshape the passing game.
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