Nico Collins Injury Update Opens the Door for an Unexpected Top-5 Fantasy Football Tight End

· Yahoo Sports

Aug 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) catches a ball and warm-ups before the Houston Texans played the Las Vegas Raiders at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nico Collins was not present for Thursday's practice. Fantasy managers remain worried that Collins will not play in Week 3. It is time to plan not to have Collins and head to the waiver wire, if not the bench. Will he play, or will he not? Then I will get to the bottom of it. Then, in a few words.

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Fantasy Football Impact

Collins did not play in Week 2 against the Bengals. In turn, the Texans struggled. They scored a measly 6 total points. The following were the target and route shares that ensued.

PlayerTarget Share %Routes RunDalton Schultz28%47Xavier Hutchinson17%53Kayshon Boutte11%50Jared Wayne15%28Jaylin Noel9%40Woody Marks11%24David Montgomery4%28Foster Moreau4%11

As expected, Schultz led all Texans in Week 2 targets. He is expected to do the same in Week 3. Schultz is the TE4 this week, facing the Indianapolis Colts. He is a must-start given the volume alone.

Hutchinson led all Texans' pass-catchers in both targets and routes run. This was definitely a volatile offense without Collins. Boutte was traded away one month ago, and there was a lot of uncertainty about his true role in the offense. Noel then commanded hype, but how much it would show, we could not know.

At WR57 in Week 3 is Hutchinson. I would not start him at below a 20% target share, given how little skill he has as it is.

Boutte had only 3 fewer routes than Hutchinson in Week 2. While playing about the same amount, I project Boutte higher as the WR44. He is a better pass-catcher and a deep-ball threat. Still, do not start Boutte with a ton of boom-or-bust risk that favors the bust categorization.

What appeared unique was the usage of Jared Wayne. He had 28 routes but was targeted only 7 times. The volume is obviously an issue, as Wayne is this week's WR110.

Noel is at WR55, with a tad more upside in talent than Hutchinson. As well, Noel is not viable in fantasy football.

Woody Marks is a slight beneficiary. He had a much higher-than-expected target share, seeing the ball higher than expected 5 times through the air. It adds optimism that Marks is viable as a deeper-league start in a Flex spot or a backup RB2-to-start.

Nico Collins Injury Update

Collins was not seen at practice on Thursday. That is often the grim reaper for a Sunday status. Players who don't practice on Wednesday worry us. Players who don't practice on Thursday make it doubtful that they'll play. No Friday practice usually ends it all. Collins is not expected to be good for Week 3, and you ought to plan otherwise.

There are a ton of viable waiver wire additions. Do not focus on any Texans; cover the entire NFL. Click here to find a bunch of Week 3 streaming targets, not just wide receivers, but all Flex-worthy positions.

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