The Houston Texans‘ offense was functioning on all cylinders for a significant portion of the fantasy football season, as they were giving fantasy managers several startable fantasy weapons, from QB C.J. Stroud to RB Devin Singletary and your choice of WRs. Nico Collins quickly became the Texans’ WR1 and is currently the WR15 on the season with over 1,000 yards receiving and six TDs.
What’s the latest news on his status for Week 15 and should fantasy managers expect to see him out there?
Is Nico Collins Going To Play Week 15?
Editor’s note: Collins is inactive for Week 15 against the Titans.
It seems as though Collins is trending towards not playing with no practice under his belt for this week, but fantasy managers will not know for sure until closer to kickoff. On Friday, reports out of Houston were that Collins would miss Week 15. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reinforced that report late on Saturday evening.
Collins missed Week 10 due to injury and was extremely limited in Week 14 also due to injury. He only played 5% of snaps last week against the New York Jets, and managers who roster Collins are concerned about his ability to get back on the field this week.
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With rookie Tank Dell fracturing his fibula in Week 13 against Denver, we expected Collins to skyrocket with targets. Collins had already been having a great fantasy season, but without Dell, he could go nuclear.
Unfortunately, Collins is dealing with a calf injury he sustained in Week 14, and, in the first quarter against the Jets, Collins left the game after apparently tweaking his calf.
Collins has not practiced all week, but he is officially listed as questionable for this week.
Even if Collins is able to play in Week 15, it will be without his QB1 C.J. Stroud under center. Stroud suffered a concussion last week and could not clear the protocol in time to play this week. He did not travel with the team to Tennessee and is hoping to return to the field on Christmas Eve against the Cleveland Browns.
Without Stroud, it will be Case Keenum at QB, which would drop Collins slightly down the rankings even if he does suit up. Collins is currently listed as WR36 in PFN’s Consensus Rankings.
Additionally, on Saturday, the Texans elevated WR Steven Sims Jr. from the practice squad, which shows they are concerned that Collins might be unable to go this weekend.
Potential Fantasy Options If Collins Is Out Include Noah Brown and Dalton Schultz
With Dell out for the season, if Collins is unable to play, the Texans will have to dig a little deeper to find reinforcements against the Tennessee Titans. WR Noah Brown returned to the field in Week 13 after missing two games due to injury. He was not a fantasy-relevant option in Week 13 or Week 14, but if Collins joins Dell on the bench, that could push up Brown to the WR1 option.
It is a decent matchup for the Texans; the Titans give up the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing WRs. TE Dalton Schultz also looks to return to action on Sunday after missing two weeks with a hamstring injury, and he could see an uptick in targets if Collins misses the game.
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