The Houston Texans will face the Tennessee Titans in Week 18. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR Nico Collins.
Is Nico Collins Playing in Week 18?
Last Updated Sunday at 11:30 AM
Collins is active
The Texans gave Collins a light day at Wednesday’s practice. Collins is not injured and will be fine to play on Sunday, but he is almost certainly not going to play the entire game with the Texans locked into the No. 4 seed. Collins practiced in full on Thursday and was off the injury report entirely by Friday.
We’ll continue to monitor the Texans’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Nico Collins in Week 18?
If there is going to be a single receiver to create chaos in the AFC playoffs, Nico Collins would be my pick. It’s likely going to be a difficult road and require plenty of help, but what if things break just right?
What if the Steelers win the AFC North and the Texans get an, at times, iffy Ravens secondary in Round 1? What if they get the Bills in Round 2 and get caught up in a shootout? What if the Chargers shock the Chiefs, and their struggles with athletic receivers are all that separates the Texans with a date from the run-and-gun Lions in New Orleans?
Yes, I think Collins is worth what will be a depressed price in postseason drafts if Pittsburgh wins the North, and those pieces have a chance at falling into place. No, I don’t think we get enough run from him this weekend to play him with the utmost confidence.
Why would Houston play with fire? They’ve already lost two playmaking receivers, and this isn’t exactly a team that has multiple ways to succeed. They rely as heavily on a single RB and a single WR as anyone in the league – I’m projecting nothing more than a casual appearance from the starters in this game.
Collins has cleared 110 air yards in three of his past five games, a role that, if you couldn’t tell, I’m happy to roll the dice on during the postseason.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 18 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Nico Collins’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
As of Sunday, Collins is projected to score 15 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 4.9 receptions for 77.7 yards and 0.4 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Titans' Defense
Similar to the Bears, the Titans' defense looks like a talented unit that has finally begun to crack under the strain of supporting a non-functional offense.
The pass defense has really dropped off. The Titans ranked 10th in EPA per dropback from Weeks 1-9 but have fallen to 30th since Week 10. Only the Jets and Giants have worse pass defenses over that stretch.
Tennessee's defense hasn't been bad for most of the year, and it helped the team steal a couple of wins. Still, the overall results are below average, and the unit has plenty of room to improve next season.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Nico Collins’ Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 7:00 AM ET on Sunday, January 5. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Week 18 Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 18 WR PPR Rankings
1) Ja'Marr Chase | CIN (at PIT)
2) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (vs. MIN)
3) Justin Jefferson | MIN (at DET)
4) Mike Evans | TB (vs. NO)
5) Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX (at IND)
6) Drake London | ATL (vs. CAR)
7) Ladd McConkey | LAC (at LV)
8) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (at LAR)
9) Terry McLaurin | WAS (at DAL)
10) Malik Nabers | NYG (at PHI)
11) Tee Higgins | CIN (at PIT)
12) George Pickens | PIT (vs. CIN)
13) Davante Adams | NYJ (vs. MIA)
14) Courtland Sutton | DEN (vs. KC)
15) Jauan Jennings | SF (at ARI)
16) Jordan Addison | MIN (at DET)
17) DJ Moore | CHI (at GB)
18) Nico Collins | HOU (at TEN)
19) Zay Flowers | BAL (vs. CLE)
20) Tyreek Hill | MIA (at NYJ)
21) Jameson Williams | DET (vs. MIN)
22) Jalen McMillan | TB (vs. NO)
23) Calvin Ridley | TEN (vs. HOU)
24) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (vs. MIA)
25) DK Metcalf | SEA (at LAR)
26) Adam Thielen | CAR (at ATL)
27) Keenan Allen | CHI (at GB)
28) Jakobi Meyers | LV (vs. LAC)
29) Jayden Reed | GB (vs. CHI)
30) Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI (vs. SF)
31) Josh Downs | IND (vs. JAX)
32) Quentin Johnston | LAC (at LV)
33) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (at NYJ)
34) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND (vs. JAX)
35) Romeo Doubs | GB (vs. CHI)
36) Darnell Mooney | ATL (vs. CAR)
37) Jerry Jeudy | CLE (at BAL)
38) Khalil Shakir | BUF (at NE)
39) Rashod Bateman | BAL (vs. CLE)
40) Rome Odunze | CHI (at GB)
41) DeMario Douglas | NE (vs. BUF)
42) Wan'Dale Robinson | NYG (at PHI)
43) Jalen Coker | CAR (at ATL)
44) Dontayvion Wicks | GB (vs. CHI)
45) Xavier Worthy | KC (at DEN)
46) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (at DAL)
47) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (at DEN)
48) Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | TEN (vs. HOU)
49) Hollywood Brown | KC (at DEN)
50) Amari Cooper | BUF (at NE)
51) Brandin Cooks | DAL (vs. WAS)
52) Parker Washington | JAX (at IND)
53) Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN (vs. KC)
54) Tim Patrick | DET (vs. MIN)
55) Kayshon Boutte | NE (vs. BUF)
56) Ray-Ray McCloud III | ATL (vs. CAR)
57) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | BUF (at NE)
58) Devaughn Vele | DEN (vs. KC)
59) Andrei Iosivas | CIN (at PIT)
60) Calvin Austin III | PIT (vs. CIN)
61) Jalen Tolbert | DAL (vs. WAS)
62) Ricky Pearsall | SF (at ARI)
63) Michael Wilson | ARI (vs. SF)
64) Joshua Palmer | LAC (at LV)
65) Keon Coleman | BUF (at NE)
66) Tre Tucker | LV (vs. LAC)
67) Jalen Nailor | MIN (at DET)
68) Elijah Moore | CLE (at BAL)
69) Jamison Crowder | WAS (at DAL)
70) Xavier Legette | CAR (at ATL)
71) Kendrick Bourne | NE (vs. BUF)
72) KaVontae Turpin | DAL (vs. WAS)
73) David Moore | CAR (at ATL)
74) Adonai Mitchell | IND (vs. JAX)
75) Demarcus Robinson | LAR (vs. SEA)
76) Mike Williams | PIT (vs. CIN)
77) Malik Washington | MIA (at NYJ)
78) Alec Pierce | IND (vs. JAX)
79) Allen Lazard | NYJ (vs. MIA)
80) Tyler Lockett | SEA (at LAR)
81) John Metchie III | HOU (at TEN)
82) Robert Woods | HOU (at TEN)
83) Darius Slayton | NYG (at PHI)
84) Van Jefferson | PIT (vs. CIN)
85) Troy Franklin | DEN (vs. KC)
86) Mack Hollins | BUF (at NE)
87) Tutu Atwell | LAR (vs. SEA)
88) Kevin Austin Jr. | NO (at TB)
89) Dante Pettis | CHI (at GB)
90) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (at DAL)
91) Xavier Hutchinson | HOU (at TEN)
92) Ryan Miller | TB (vs. NO)
93) Greg Dortch | ARI (vs. SF)
94) Lil'Jordan Humphrey | DEN (vs. KC)
95) DJ Chark | LAC (at LV)
96) Michael Woods II | CLE (at BAL)
97) Cedrick Wilson Jr. | NO (at TB)
98) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (at DEN)
99) Devin Duvernay | JAX (at IND)
100) Justin Watson | KC (at DEN)
101) Tylan Wallace | BAL (vs. CLE)
102) Jahan Dotson | PHI (vs. NYG)
103) Josh Reynolds | DEN (vs. KC)
104) Ryan Flournoy | DAL (vs. WAS)
105) Trey Palmer | TB (vs. NO)
Texans at Titans Trends and Insights
Houston Texans
Team: The Texans are 4-6 over their past 10 games after winning 12 of 16 regular season games prior.
QB: C.J. Stroud threw 116 deep passes as a rookie, averaging 14.5 yards per attempt with nine touchdowns and zero interceptions in the process. This season, on 122 such passes, Stroud is averaging 11.0 yards per pass with five touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Offense: On Wednesday, the Texans averaged under 20 yards per drive for the fourth time this season – they did it once in 2023.
Defense: Week 17 was the fifth time this season that Houston failed to prevent a touchdown on a single red zone trip.
Fantasy: John Metchie III was the player who saw his stock rise the most in the first game following Tank Dell’s injury – he matched a season-high snap share (72.2%) and earned a 25.8% target share in the loss to the Ravens.
Betting: The Texans are 3-1 ATS against the AFC East this season and 3-8-1 ATS against the rest of the NFL.
Tennessee Titans
Team: Tennessee’s last home win in regulation was Week 18 last season (28-20 win over the Jaguars).
QB: Mason Rudolph has completed four passes against the blitz over the past three weeks – three have resulted in touchdowns.
Offense: The Titans are seven-of-20 on fourth downs this season (35%; they haven’t finished a season under 50% since 2019).
Defense: Tennessee fell to 0-7 on Sunday in weeks in which they did not force a turnover.
Fantasy: The on-field target share distribution with Mason Rudolph under center is about as split as it can be and that’s a pain for fantasy managers:
- Calvin Ridley: 23.6%
- Josh Whyle: 25%
- Chig Okonkwo: 23.4%
- Tyjae Spears: 23.4%
Betting: Tennessee is 0-7 ATS at home this season (failing to cover by an average of 6.2 points per game) and have covered just one of their past 11 in front of their fans.