The Houston Texans‘ passing offense exploded for 470 yards and five touchdowns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Sunday. A reason why WR Nico Collins didn’t account for very much of that production could be because he sustained a calf injury in that game.
Will his injured calf have a big fantasy football ripple effect for the Texans’ offense?
Editor’s note (Friday, Nov. 10, 4:15 p.m.): Collins has been ruled out of the Texans Week 10 game against the Bengals after not practicing on Thursday or Friday.
Latest Injury Update on Nico Collins
According to a recent report from Aaron Wilson, Collins was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice with the team. Another report from Wilson on Thursday afternoon detailed that Collins was not practicing. This was confirmed when the Texans released their practice report for Thursday.
Will Nico Collins Play This Week?
If Collins participated in a limited fashion but did not practice on Thursday, that is certainly not an encouraging sign for his playing status heading into their matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
We will gain a bit more clarity once the Texans release their injury report for Thursday, but Collins appears to be dealing with a severe enough injury that there’s a chance he could miss Sunday’s game. His participation in Friday’s practice session could be very telling on whether or not he will miss his first game of the season.
What Does This Mean for Tank Dell and Noah Brown’s Fantasy Ranking?
The Texans’ passing game has already been without the services of WR Robert Woods for the past two games while he’s dealing with a foot injury. However, the offense clearly wasn’t hurting too badly without Woods in the lineup after rookie QB C.J. Stroud went absolutely bonkers against the Bucs’ defense.
Stroud’s historic performance generated monster fantasy performances from WR Tank Dell, WR Noah Brown, and TE Dalton Schultz. Need proof? Just look at the numbers.
Texans Receiving Production in Week 9
Tank Dell: Six receptions for 114 yards and two TDs
Noah Brown: Six receptions for 153 yards and a TD
Dalton Schultz: 10 receptions for 130 yards and a TD
These numbers came with Collins in the lineup, but they will obviously be much harder to replicate when they’re playing tougher defenses. While the Bengals’ passing defense isn’t among the elite units in the league, they do have a gifted defensive coordinator in Lou Anarumo, who is capable of confusing opposing quarterbacks with exotic looks and coverage schemes.
MORE: PFN Consensus Rankings
Of course, the same could have been said about Bucs HC Todd Bowles prior to Stroud shredding Tampa Bay’s defense, but Cincinnati’s defense has managed to hold both the Buffalo Bills’ and San Francisco 49ers’ potent offensive units to a combined 35 points over the last two games.
If Collins can’t go on Sunday, Dell and Brown should both enter top-30 consideration at the WR position. Dell could possibly even be a top-20 play.
If Collins does play on Sunday, he’s still a low-end WR2 against the Bengals.
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