The Houston Texans were hit with a huge blow when their top wide receiver, Nico Collins, suffered a hamstring injury during practice on Wednesday. He has now been ruled out for Houston’s Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Texans ruled out WR Nico Collins due to his hamstring injury. pic.twitter.com/H1JBfEfZQD
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 18, 2026
In Houston’s season opener against the Buffalo Bills, Collins was their leading receiver with 10 targets, seven receptions, 75 yards, and a touchdown. He is coming off his third straight season with over 1,000 receiving yards and a career-high in targets last season with 120 targets.
With Collins ruled out, tight end Dalton Schultz will see an increased role in the offense. He was targeted the second most in the opener with eight
targets, although he only had four receptions for 35 yards. Wide receivers Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel, and Kayshon Boutte could also see an increase in targets as Houston tries to avoid starting the season 0-2 for the second straight year.
Cincinnati is facing a potential injury challenge of their own, with starting quarterback Joe Burrow listed as questionable, although Burrow said he is going to play. However, their defense will be at 100 percent and could cause trouble for Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and the rest of the offense. Cincinnati’s defense forced four fumbles last week while Stroud had two fumbles. Especially with Collins now out, the Texans could be in serious trouble in this matchup even if Burrow is out.
This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Texans rule starting WR Nico Collins out for Week 2 matchup vs Bengals
