Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins is running away with his opportunity to start in 2022. With the Texans’ dire need for playmaking, will Collins produce enough to be on your fantasy football roster, and what is his current ADP in fantasy drafts?
Nico Collins ADP | Is he worth his current price in fantasy drafts?
Collins’ current ADP is around 200th overall and the 70th receiver selected. This means he’s being taken in the middle of the 17th round in 12-team leagues. Other players drafted in his range include Marvin Jones Jr., Joshua Palmer, Robbie Anderson, Sammy Watkins, and Jameson Williams.
All of those players are in tricky situations, where they could be the WR3 or worse this season. Based on that, Collins appears to be quite the value.
As the unrivaled WR2 on the Texans behind Brandin Cooks, Collins is in line for a bigger role in 2022. Fellow second-year starter Davis Mills and Collins showed improved chemistry as their rookie years unfolded. With Pep Hamilton promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator, it’s fair to expect these two to blossom more.
Getting a starting receiver who won’t lose a significant amount of valuable targets to his tight ends or running backs usually costs more draft capital than Collins. He doesn’t play in a high-volume passing game, but there’s more upside to his situation than some of his notable peers.
Nico Collins’ projected fantasy value in 2022
It’s not difficult to envision Collins ending the 2022 season as a solid return on investment. He caught 33 passes for 446 yards and one score in 14 games last year. Of those 14 games, he was targeted three times or fewer in five contests.
A slight increase in his role would put him on par with receivers drafted in several rounds earlier. He needs some touchdown regression to prove valuable, but Mills could do worse than targeting his 6’4″, 215-pound frame.
Collins is a solid bet to take a sophomore leap. He’s the obvious next man up if Cooks were to be traded or miss time with injury. That possibility enhances the upside that is unusual for a late-round flier.
In PFN’s consensus 2022 WR fantasy rankings, Collins is inside the top 60 wide receiver options and inside the top 150 overall in all formats. Therefore, we recommend stashing Collins at his current ADP.
