Texans Likely Without Nico Collins for Critical Week 3 Trip to Colts
The short version
- Texans wide receiver Nico Collins is doubtful for Week 3 at Indianapolis with a hamstring injury.
- Cheap Collins missed Week 2 against Cincinnati after hurting the hamstring in practice before that game.
- Doctors diagnosed a Grade 1 strain; the team is avoiding a rushed return.
- Collins signed a three-year, $72.75 million extension in May 2024 through the 2027 season.
- Both Houston and Indianapolis enter the game 0-2.
Houston's No. 1 wideout is doubtful with a hamstring strain as the winless Texans visit Indianapolis on Sunday.
The Houston Texans enter Week 3 at 0-2, and their visit to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday carries heavy weight in the AFC South. Both clubs are chasing a first win, so the winner walks away with early divisional leverage while the loser sinks deeper into an early-season hole. A loss would drop Houston to 0-3.
The Texans' chances took a hit Friday when wide receiver Nico Collins was formally listed as doubtful for the game. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, a hamstring problem that has lingered in recent weeks kept Collins off the practice field again, another Friday session he did not take part in.
The injury first surfaced just ahead of Houston's Week 2 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, a game Collins missed entirely. Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reported earlier, citing a source, that the organization expected all along that the receiver would skip the Indianapolis game.
Speaking to reporters, head coach DeMeco Ryans kept his remarks short regarding a potential return date, saying only that the team is still evaluating how Collins moves forward in his recovery. Doctors have diagnosed the problem as a Grade 1 strain. While the belief is the issue is not a long-term one, there is agreement that bringing him back too soon could trigger a more serious setback.
Collins agreed to a three-year extension worth $72.75 million with Houston in May 2024. The deal included $52 million in guarantees and averages $24.25 million per season, running through 2027. That contract made him the highest-paid receiver in franchise history on the heels of a 2023 season in which he posted 80 catches, 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns.
The 2026 campaign started brightly for Collins, who caught seven passes for 75 yards and a touchdown in the opener. The hamstring flared up during practice the following week and has kept him out since, depleting a receiver group that now must lean on Xavier Hutchinson, Kayshon Boutte and Jaylin Noel as the primary targets for quarterback C.J. Stroud.
With Houston's offense already searching for consistency across the first two weeks, being without its leading pass catcher for a second consecutive contest raises the degree of difficulty for Stroud and the entire aerial attack in a pivotal divisional showdown.
The Texans and Colts kick off Sunday, September 27 at 1:00 PM EDT at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, with the game airing on CBS.
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