The Houston Texans came out of Week 5 with a win against the Buffalo Bills, but it may have cost them one of their wide receivers in the process. C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins connected on a 67-yard touchdown in the first quarter, but Collins suffered a hamstring injury during the play. Collins limped to the sidelines and went into the medical tent, then headed to the locker room where he was declared out for the rest of the game.
The next day, the Texans gave an initial update on Collins, saying that they consider him “day to day” with his hamstring injury.
However, Texans coach DeMeco Ryans later changed that designation to “week to week,” according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston. That puts Collins in real danger of missing Week 6 against the New England Patriots.
Collins has probably been one of the best receivers this season, as he entered Week 5 with league-high 567 receiving yards. Hamstring injuries are hard to call, and it's not good to rush back from them because there's a possibility of making it worse.
The Texans should take it slow with Collins, and luckily for them, they have a few reliable receivers already on the team that can pick up his workload if need be.
Nico Collins has become the Texans' WR1
There's no doubt that through five games, Nico Collins has emerged as the No. 1 wide receiver for the Texans. Before the season started, head coach DeMeco Ryans was asked who was the top receiver on the Texans, and he didn't give a clear answer, giving praise to the talent of all the guys.
“Who’s number one? Whoever gets the ball, that’s number one,” Ryans said. “When you have as many talented guys as we have, Tank, Nico, Stef, you have 3 of the top guys in the league at the position. So it’s just a matter of CJ just going through his process and hitting whoever is open, that’s number one.”
Last season, Nico Collins and Tank Dell had impressive stats with C.J. Stroud at quarterback, and this year they added another dynamic wide receiver in Stefon Diggs. If anything, Stroud should feel like he's playing with three No. 1 receivers, and they all bring something different to the table.
The Texans' offense has been clicking and if Collins has to miss any time, they shouldn't miss a beat with Dell and Diggs. They could also be getting back Joe Mixon soon from injury, which will improve the run game. Diggs has experience as the No. 1 option, so if Stroud needs someone to lean on when the game gets tight, he knows who to throw it to.