Is Nico Collins Playing Today? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Bengals vs. Texans in NFL Week 2)

The Houston Texans are set to be without a major piece of their offense for their Week 2 clash with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Nico Collins (hamstring) has been ruled out for this matchup, leaving CJ Stroud without his top target on Sunday.

Nico Collins (hamstring) listed out for Week 2.
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) September 18, 2026

Collins was injured in Wednesday's practice, though ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the injury wasn't believed to be serious.

With Collins sidelined, the Texans are expected to lean on Xavier Hutchinson, Kayshon Boutte and Jaylin Noel as their top options at wide receiver. Tight end Dalton Schultz and running backs David Montgomery and Woody Marks should also see an uptick in usage in the passing game.

In Week 1, Stroud threw for 274 yards and had four pass catchers (Collins, Hutchinson, Noel and Schultz) with over 30 receiving yards. So, there's a chance this Houston offense is still able to move the ball through the air.

Still, Collins is a huge loss, as the two-time Pro Bowler has posted three consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards. Last season, he had 1,117 receiving yards and six scored in 15 games.

Can the Houston passing game survive without him? Here's a look at how the SI Betting team is targeting this matchup in the prop market.

Best Texans Prop Bet vs. Bengals

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

This week, SI Betting's Iain MacMillan shared his favorite prop bets for this game, and he's still buying the Houston passing game, even with Collins sidelined.

C.J. Stroud OVER 232.5 Passing Yards (-114)

The Bengals had one of the worst defenses in the NFL last season, and their Week 1 performance didn't change my opinion about them. The Bucs completed 23-of-28 passes in that game, and now they have to defend C.J. Stroud, who's coming off a solid first game against the Buffalo Bills.

I think Stroud is going to dive up the Cincinnati secondary on Sunday.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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