Texans' Christian Kirk Injury Boosts Jayden Higgins’ Fantasy Football Value in Week 1

Christian Kirk’s hamstring injury opens the door for rookie Jayden Higgins, Nico Collins, and other Texans pass-catchers to step up in Week 1 fantasy football.

Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk (13) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk suffered a hamstring strain in practice and is not expected to suit up for Week 1. There is also a chance he misses additional time beyond this week, but we will have to wait until we have more information to confirm the potential length of his recovery time. His absence will open the door for other pass-catchers in Houston to see more opportunities in the opener and possibly beyond. 

Texans WR Christian Kirk has a strained hamstring that is expected to sideline him for at least Sunday’s opener vs. the Rams and possibly longer, per sources. One source estimated it to be a two-week injury for Kirk, but the Texans will be “cautious” with him. pic.twitter.com/2nkyFGUhI8

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 4, 2025

This injury could propel the team’s rookie receivers into fantasy relevancy much sooner than we all expected and open the door for Nico Collins to be a volume monster. Despite Kirk not being viewed as an overly relevant fantasy option, his injury could change a lot of things for not only Week 1 but potentially for the rest of the 2025 fantasy football season. 

Fantasy Football Impact of Christian Kirk Injury

WR Nico Collins

With no trusted veteran on the field with Collins this week, quarterback CJ Stroud could lean heavily on him and propel his already heavy volume up to the top of the league. He could now have a better shot at being the WR1 overall in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams. When you go against a Sean McVay offense, there is always a chance that you could end up in a track meet. 

Collins is currently the WR2 in our Week 1 PPR Rankings.

WR Jaylin Noel

Houston Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel (82) runs a route during the game against the Carolina Panthers at NRG Stadium. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The rookie wide receiver projects to be the direct replacement for Kirk in the slot. This could jump-start his rookie season much quicker than initially expected. There is a chance that he breaks out this week as an important cog in the Texans' offense, which, if he does, could drastically change both his and Kirk's rest of the season outlook.

Noel is currently the WR99 in our Week 1 PPR Rankings.

WR Jayden Higgins

Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins (81) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Noel isn't the only rookie wide receiver who could benefit from Kirk's absence this week. Taking Kirk out of the lineup could lead to an increase in targets for Higgins. He could now be bumped up to the clear-cut WR2 role in Houston. That was much more murky with Kirk running in the slot. 

Higgins is currently the WR58 in our Week 1 PPR Rankings.

TE Dalton Schultz

Kirk primarily operates in the middle of the field. With him sidelined for Week 1, Stroud could decide to lean more heavily on his veteran tight end when targeting that area of the field. This injury should boost Schultz from being out of fantasy consideration to potentially being considered as a desperation streamer or DFS dart throw on Sunday.   

Schultz is currently the TE24 in our Week 1 PPR Rankings.