The Texans opened the 2026 season with a 36-31 loss vs. the Bills, but the offense was a positive, in part thanks to WR Nico Collins’ 75 receiving yards and 1 TD. However, Collins suffered a hamstring injury last week and missed Week 2, contributing to Houston’s deflating 20-6 loss vs. the Bengals.
Now, the Texans are 0-2 while their star WR battles an injury ahead of Week 3’s 1:00 p.m. ET battle with the Colts in a crucial AFC South clash. Is Collins set to return from injury in Week 3?
We’ll dive into that question in the latest Nico Collins injury update, followed by how his absence or return could impact fantasy football and picks for PrizePicks.
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Nico Collins Injury Update: Is Collins Playing in Week 3?
After Nico Collins dodging a major injury with a Grade 1 hamstring strain, missing two games was initially circled as a possibility. Ahead of Week 3, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reported Collins was tracking toward missing Week 3’s game vs. the Colts.
Texans’ official injury report had Collins limited at Wednesday’s practice and absent on Thursday and Friday last week. He was absent for a third consecutive practice on Wednesday, September 23 — an ominous sign for his chance to play in Week 3.
Without Collins in Week 2, the Texans managed to log 374 total yards and 314 passing yards. The air attack posted only 5.2 yards per passing attempt on 56 passes, though, and the run game was no help with 60 rushing yards on 18 carries (3.3 YPC).
That one-dimensional attack led to converting only 5 of 17 third-down attempts while failing to score a touchdown in all 4 red zone trips. Following the 20-6 loss, how could the Texans’ offense bounce back if Collins misses his second straight game?
Texans Fantasy Football Outlook If Nico Collins Is Out in Week 3
As the unit’s WR1, Collins made a huge impact in Week 1, racking up 7 catches for 75 receiving yards and 1 receiving TD on 10 targets. In the 2025 season, Collins also demanded a large workload with a 25.8% target rate (16th) and 36.2% air yards share (12th), per PlayerProfiler.
WR Tank Dell continues to recover from 2024’s devastating knee injury, and WR Jayden Higgins tore his ACL in the offseason. If Collins is absent, this is a very thin receiving room with the likes of WRs Kayshon Boutte, Xavier Hutchinson, and Jaylin Noel.
In Week 2, Hutchinson (56), Boutte (51), and Noel (41) led the way in pass snaps, with WR Jared Wayne (31) closely behind. Hutchinson (8) earned the most targets, followed by Wayne (7), Boutte (5), and Noel (4). No one stood out from the bunch, with Hutchinson and Boutte tying for 37 receiving yards.
TE Dalton Schultz is a clear target if Collins is out, as he racked up a team-high 13 targets, 12 receptions, and 140 receiving yards in the 20-6 loss vs. the Bengals. Schultz dominated short-yardage work with his 6.1 average depth of target (aDOT), generating 2.98 yards per route run in Week 2, per Pro Football Focus.
Hutchinson (15.3) and Boutte (14.4) featured lofty aDOTs last week, but they had 0.70 and 0.74 yards per route run. QB C.J. Stroud’s poor 68.6% on-target rate (fourth-lowest) is contributing to low efficiency on downfield throws, via Pro Football Reference.
Week 3’s opponents, the Colts, have allowed 15.1 fantasy points per game to TEs (fifth-most), while surrendering 9.8 yards per passing attempt (32nd) and 0.276 EPA per dropback (26th), per RBSDM.
According to PrizePicks, Schultz is projected for 47.5 receiving yards and 4.5 receptions vs. the Colts in Week 3.
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Make Texans vs. Colts Picks on PrizePicks
With Nico Collins trending toward missing his second consecutive game due to a hamstring injury, Dalton Schultz could have another busy day ahead with the Texans taking on the Colts in Week 3.
Don’t wait until kickoff — make your Texans vs. Colts picks on PrizePIcks now! You can make picks on the winner, spread, and over/under on PrizePicks Team Picks, now available in 36 states. With PrizePicks, just pick players and predict More or Less on their stats!
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