Fantasy Football Dynasty Startup Mock Draft: Nico Collins (Pick 1.12)

With the conclusion of my first round 2025 fantasy football PPR dynasty league mock draft, I want to remind fantasy managers what I consider to be one of the biggest keys to finding sustained success with a startup dynasty league.

Yes, targeting youth is important, but there's another more valuable component -- potential upside and likelihood for improvement. Managers should want to target players that are not only already great but who are going to keep getting better over the next few years.

I had that very much in mind while choosing the final player in the first round of this mock draft.

With the No. 12 selection of a 2025 PPR dynasty startup league draft, I would recommend selecting Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins.

Pick 1.12: WR Nico Collins, Houston Texans

There are significant questions about who will be the No. 2 fantasy option in the Houston passing attack this season. It could be one of several different players, and there are both veteran and rookie possibilities.

But it's clear Collins is the top Texans playmaker and the Houston receiver to roster in fantasy.

Collins posted his second consecutive 1,000-yard season in 2024 even though he had only 68 catches. The 26-year-old receiver registered those statistics despite playing in just 12 games.

Collins had a league-leading 567 receiving yards through the first five games, and that was despite leaving Week 5 with a hamstring injury. He then missed the next five contests because of the ailment.

The top Texans receiver wasn't as explosion upon return, but that likely had little to do with his injury. It was always going to be a tall order for Collins to maintain the 17.7 yards per catch average he posted in the first five games.

But Collins returned to register 36 catches, 439 receiving yards and four touchdowns in the final seven contests on 2024.

Over the past two seasons, Collins has averaged 17.3 fantasy points per game in PPR formats. Since the start of 2023, he's also averaged 15.6 yards per reception.

Collins isn't the household name like some of the other established elite fantasy receivers. At 26, he's not especially young either. Collins is already entering his fifth NFL season.

But regardless of his age, he has great potential to get better, especially in the immediately future. If Collins plays 15 games in 2025 as he did in 2023, then there's a possibility for him to reach all new career highs.

That's particularly true because of the question marks around the rest of Houston's passing attack. While there's plenty of workable pieces for quarterback C.J. Stroud, when in doubt, the signal-caller is going to target Collins because he's clearly the most trustworthy weapon on the unit.

That's not going to change even if the pair of Texans rookie receivers develop. Adding even further security for Collins, Stroud is one of the bright young quarterbacks in the league.

There's a lot to like about Collins in dynasty formats. His potential for improvement, though, wins me over at No. 12 overall.

No. 1: Cincinnati Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase
No. 2: Minnesota Vikings' Justin Jefferson
No. 3: Dallas Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb
No. 4: Atlanta Falcons' Bijan Robinson
No. 5: New York Giants' Malik Nabers
No. 6: Detroit Lions' Jahmyr Gibbs
No. 7: Detroit Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown
No. 8: Los Angeles Rams' Puka Nacua
No. 9: Jacksonville Jaguars' Brian Thomas
No. 10: Philadelphia Eagles' Saquon Barkley
No. 11: Atlanta Falcons' Drake London