Is Nico Collins Playing Today? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Texans vs. Patriots)

The Houston Texans will be without a key piece of their offense on Sunday afternoon in their divisional round matchup with the New England Patriots.

Star wide receiver Nico Collins, who suffered a concussion on Monday night in the team's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, has been ruled out for this matchup after failing to practice. Collins was always facing an uphill battle to play since the Texans played on Monday in the wild card round.

This is the second time this season that the star receiver suffered a concussion, and he also missed a game earlier in the campaign due to the injury. The Texans will want to be cautious with their star receiver's health, even though they could be playing for a trip to the Super Bowl next weekend.

As of Sunday morning, Houston is a three-point road underdog against the Patriots after both teams turned in strong defensive showings in their wins on NFL Wild Card Weekend.

Collins, who appeared in 15 games during the regular season, was limited to just three receptions for 21 yards (on seven targets) in Houston's win over the Steelers last week. However, during the regular season, he was the clear No. 1 option for this passing offense, catching 71 of his 120 targets for 1,117 yards and six scores.

With Collins out, the Texans will rely on veteran Christian Kirk and youngsters like Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel to lead the way at receiver. Tight end Dalton Schultz should also play a big role in the passing game.

Here's a look at how I'm betting on the Houston offense in this matchup with Collins sidelined.

Best Texans Prop Bet vs. Patriots

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

In today's best picks and predictions for the Houston-New England matchup, I broke down why I'm trusting Kirk in the prop market after he turned in a massive game (eight catches for 144 yards and a score) in the wild card round:

Christian Kirk OVER 3.5 Receptions (-126)

Nico Collins is dealing with a concussion ahead of this matchup, which could set up a massive role for Christian Kirk on Sunday.

The veteran receiver only made 28 catches across 13 appearances in the regular season, but he was awesome against the Steelers in the divisional round.

Kirk caught eight passes for 144 yards and a score, receiving nine targets from C.J. Stroud despite playing just 55.9 percent of the Texans’ snaps.

While I’m not expecting another 100-yard day from Kirk, it’s clear that he’s a reliable target for Stroud that could end up as the No. 1 option in the passing game once again. Kirk has seven games this season (including the playoffs) with at least three catches, so I don’t think this number is too high for the former second-round pick on Sunday.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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