There's good news and bad news for theHouston Texans' wide receiver room heading into Week 2's matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals and the rest of the regular season.
The good news? According to reports, following further testing, doctors believe that Texans Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins' hamstring strain isn't that serious and won't need to take ample time off to recover.
Houston's top weapon was at practice but was limited in drills during Wednesday's open session.
The bad news? His status for Week 2 remains in serious jeopardy entering Thursday's practice.
Collins, who finished with a team-leading seven catches for 75 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 36-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills, has been hindered by hamstring injuries in the past.
The three-time 1,000-yard playmaker missed five weeks in 2024 with a hamstring injury he suffered in a game against Buffalo that required a stint on the injured reserve.
As a player, Collins is a monster in the passing attack. Considered a top-10 weapon in the league, he’s been the Texans' most reliable target when he hasn’t been dealing with injuries throughout his six-year career.
Texans WR Nico Collins injured his hamstring at Wednesday’s practice, met with doctors after and they “don’t believe it’s serious,” per source. Yet Collins’ status for Sunday’s game vs. the Bengals is in jeopardy. pic.twitter.com/Quo1m4C56H
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 17, 2026
Right now, the Texans can't afford to lose Collins. They've already lost No. 2 target Jayden Higgins to a torn ACL for the season and other weapons are still getting acclimated to the offense under Nick Caley. Should he miss Sunday's game, Houston would need newcomer Kayshon Boutte to step up as the face of the offense.
In Sunday's loss, he had one catch for 21 yards.
“He knows how to get open," Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said on Wednesday. "I know we didn't connect on a couple of them, but we're still building that chemistry, but he knows how to get open and play fast.”
Should Boutte struggle, the Texans could turn to Jaylin Noel. The second-year product out of Iowa State was limited in his role on Sunday, catching two passes for 53 yards and averaging over 26 yards per catch.
“I thought he did great. I think he's growing; he's learning how to run routes and to be friendly to the quarterback," Stroud said of Noel's outing. "I think his speed, of course, but he's learning how to use his speed and when not to and his pace. I think he's doing a great job.”
Kickoff for Sunday is scheduled for Noon.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans WR Nico Collins hamstring injury 'not that serious' but could miss Week 2
