One man’s loss is another man’s treasure and that is precisely how wide receiver Nico Collins’ injury impacts tight end Dalton Schultz’ fantasy value.
Collins has officially been ruled out for the Houston Texans’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals, leaving a hole in the Texans’ offensive plan.
This could be a problem for Houston throughout the game since Collins led Houston in targets with 10 in their opener against the Buffalo Bills. However, for fantasy purposes, this really helps Schultz who becomes the de facto top pass catcher headed into this game after his eight targets against Buffalo.
Schultz is coming off a decent year of his own in 2025 with 106 targets, 82 receptions and 777 receiving yards. His only major problem was touchdowns as he
only found the end zone three times last season, which marked the second year in a row his receiving touchdowns declined after having just two in 2024.
Players whose fantasy value has risen this week due to injuries … Carson Wentz, Aaron Jones Sr., Rashod Bateman, Quentin Johnston, Kayshon Boutte, Xavier Hutchinson, Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins, Mark Andrews, Dalton Schultz
— Michael Fabiano (@Michael_Fabiano) September 18, 2026
If you have Schultz on your fantasy roster, you probably did not draft a tight end until much later in the draft which means you should have a lot more talent at wide receiver and running back. Barring any injuries, that leaves you in good shape with Schultz at tight end. He probably does not need to do too much in your lineup anyway to have a good day. But with Collins out of the lineup, Schultz has a much higher floor than usual.
The matchup could also help. While the Bengals defense has improved greatly from last season, they were terrible against tight ends and it usually proved lucrative for fantasy owners with players going against them.
Cincinnati wasn't going up against an elite pass-catching tight end in their opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so it is unclear how well it'll defend tight ends this season. Still, this should be a solid fantasy day for Schultz given how important he is going to be for the Texans offense in this game.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: How does Nico Collins' injury impact Dalton Schultz's fantasy value?
