Nico Collins' Latest Injury is Great News for Texans Sleepers vs. Patriots
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Nico Collins left the Houston Texans' 30-6 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers with a head injury on Monday night, and is now in the concussion protocol.
With the Texans set to head to New England to take on the Patriots in the Divisional Round, Collins will only have six days to clear the protocol before Sunday's game.
While we can't predict the future, whether Collins plays will have a significant impact on both the actual game and fantasy football lineups. Let's dig into the latest news on Collins, and examine the fantasy football ripple effects if he is unable to suit up on Sunday.
Latest Nico Collins injury update
Collins hit his head while diving for an incomplete pass during the second quarter of the Texans' win and had to be carted off the field. Collins had a towel over his head as he was carted off the field, so it goes without saying this doesn't look like a great situation for the Texans' star wide receiver.
Nico Collins has been carted off the field. He will be evaluated for a concussion.#NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/tA06gDDCnq
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 13, 2026
This obviously isn't great news for Collins and the Texans, and Collins' status becomes even more murky when combined with the fact that he suffered a concussion in Week 7 and missed Week 8. While concussion recoveries are impossible to predict, multiple concussions within a season can compound so Collins status for Sunday is very much up in the air.
What does this mean for fantasy football owners?
While the Texans hope they'll be able to get their top receiver back for Sunday afternoon's matchup against the Patriots, head coach DeMeco Ryans is preparing the team to move forward without him if he's unable to play.
'Whoever is open, baby.' #Texans coach DeMeco Ryans on players stepping up if Nico Collins is out with concussion 'We have a lot of capable guys. It hurts seeing a guy go down. Our guys are ready for the moment.' @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 13, 2026
If Collins is unable to suit up on Sunday (which is looking likely at this point), the Texans will have to lean on ancillary pass catchers like Christian Kirk, Dalton Schultz, Jayden Higgins, Xavier Hutchinson, and Jaylin Noel. They'd also likely shift some responsibility off the shoulders of C.J. Stroud and lean more heavily on their running game with Woody Marks and Nick Chubb.
C.J. Stroud still threw the ball 32 times despite Collins' injury, but that also represented his highest pass attempt total since Week 16. The Texans ran the ball 31 times on Monday night, with Marks getting 19 of those carries and 10 of those falling to Chubb. Marks made the most of his opportunities and put up 112 yards and one touchdown on the ground as his 5.9 yard-per-carry average was his best output of the season.
Collins still saw seven targets before leaving the game, so there will be some ripple effects if he's unable to clear concussion protocol before Sunday.
Kirk saw the biggest bump in usage after Collins went down, and he turned his nine targets into eight catches for 144 receiving yards and one touchdown. Jayden Higgins had the next-best output, but was much less productive with just three catches for 39 receiving yards.
While one game doesn't make a trend, Kirk would see the biggest fantasy football bump against the Patriots, but Jayden Higgins and Dalton Schultz would be the next most likely players to see more targets. While Hutchinson and Noel would see more usage, they'd morem likely be ancillary targets.
Make sure to check our news page throughout the week for the latest on Nico Collins' injury update!
Once a top-ranked fantasy gamer on ESPN, Nick Raducanu has been playing fantasy sports for over 25 years. His written fantasy coverage includes stops at Rotoworld, Rotowire, and The New York Times.