Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins has been a go-to guy for quarterback C.J. Stroud while the two have played together. Collins, though, might not be available for the Texans’ AFC Divisional Round contest on Sunday against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass.
Should Collins not be able to go, Stroud and Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley will have to look at other options at the position.
What’s The Latest On Texans WR Nico Collins?
On Wednesday, when the Texans hit the practice field in Houston, Collins was not there. He suffered a concussion in Monday night’s 30-6 AFC Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cameras showed Collins being carted off the Texans’ sidelines after he went into the blue tent.
Collins also suffered a concussion earlier this season, which kept him out of a few games, too. When meeting with reporters after Wednesday’s practice, Stroud addressed Collins’ situation. SportsTalk 790 host Adam Wexler was there and posted Stroud’s comments on X.
“We’re hoping Nico can play, but if not, we’ve had this experience before, played a couple games this year without him, sadly,” Stroud said. “All our guys are talented, we have a lot of depth in that room. I have the most confidence in everybody in there to get the job done.”
#Texans C.J. Stroud on WR Nico Collins (concussion), “We’re hoping Nico can play, but if not, we’ve had this experience before, played a couple games this year without him, sadly. All our guys are talented, we have a lot of depth in that room. I have the most confidence in…
— Adam Wexler (@AdamJWexler) January 14, 2026
According to the PFSN NFL WR Impact metrics, which are gauged during the regular season, Collins had an impact score of 83.1 and graded out to a B. Other Texans wide receivers getting impact scores include Jaylin Noel, Xavier Hutchinson, Jayden Higgins, and Christian Kirk.
Kirk had a breakout performance against the Steelers, even becoming Stroud’s go-to receiver after Collins left the game. In the regular season, Collins had 71 catches for 1,117 yards and six touchdown receptions. Collins averaged 9.3 yards per catch in the regular season, too.
Against the Steelers, Collins had three catches for 21 yards, with his longest reception being a 13-yarder. Kirk had eight receptions for 144 yards and scored the Texans’ first touchdown on a pass from Stroud.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans still believes in Stroud despite his sometimes shaky performance as the starting quarterback.
The Texans’ defense continued playing strong, sacking Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers four times. Defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins picked up a fumble from Rodgers and ran it into the end zone for a touchdown. Calen Bullock added a pick-6 to the score, too.
All eyes will be on Collins, though, to see if he’ll be ready to play, if at all, against the Patriots.
