After a terrific 2023 season, Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins could be heading for an even better season in 2024, with quarterback C.J. Stroud only expected to get better after his impressive rookie campaign.
But after the Texans went out and upgraded their offensive roster in the offseason, will Collins’ production take a hit with so many new weapons in the lineup?
Here’s the fantasy football outlook for Collins entering the 2024 season.
Nico Collins’ Fantasy Profile for the 2024 NFL Season
While Stroud’s success in his rookie season last year was a pleasant surprise, Collins’ season may have been even more unexpected.
After totaling 70 receptions and 927 receiving yards over his first two seasons combined, Collins had 80 catches and 1,297 receiving yards in 2023. He also finished with eight touchdowns after having three touchdown receptions combined over his first two seasons.
Naturally, Collins proved to be a valuable performer in fantasy. His 17.4 fantasy PPG ranked seventh among wide receivers, and Collins had five games with 20 or more fantasy points. In 24 games over his first two seasons, Collins didn’t have a single game in which he had at least 20 fantasy points.
Collins turned out to be one of the best deep-ball threats among wide receivers as well in 2023. His 16.2 yards per reception average ranked seventh in the NFL overall, but among 31 players who had at least 75 receptions last season, only one — Brandon Aiyuk — had a higher yards per reception average than Collins.
Is Collins a Good Fantasy Pick?
Despite his excellent season in 2023, Collins is only the WR16 in Pro Football Network’s Consensus Fantasy Football Rankings.
The most likely reason for Collins’ low ranking is that Houston made some significant offensive upgrades in the offseason. The biggest move was acquiring wide receiver Stefon Diggs from the Buffalo Bills. Additionally, the Texans picked up running back Joe Mixon.
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These moves, combined with the talent already on the roster, undoubtedly give the Texans potentially one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. At the very least, Houston appears to have perhaps the deepest core of quality wide receivers in the league.
Along with Collins, Tank Dell had over 700 receiving yards (709) and seven touchdown catches in 11 games, averaging 15.1 yards per reception. Noah Brown actually averaged more yards per reception (17.2) than Collins, albeit on far fewer catches.
From a fantasy standpoint, the question undoubtedly becomes, with so much talent at the skill positions, will managers suffer from taking Texans’ players? Minus Stroud, of course.
If everyone is healthy, there will be a lot of talent on the field most offensive possessions for the Texans. And with Diggs now in Houston, who’s the Texans’ No. 1 wide receiver? That’s a legitimate question.
The numbers suggest taking Collins in early rounds is a solid pick, fantasy-wise. But fantasy managers probably need to beware of just how much production Collins will have this season, with so much potential talent on the field.