The Houston Texans have ruled out wide receiver Nico Collins for Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts because of a hamstring injury, leaving both teams seeking their first win of the season. sports.yahoo.com reported the update, which was also posted by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Collins sustained a Grade 1 hamstring strain during practice last week. He missed Houston’s Week 2 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and did not practice during the week before the Colts matchup.
Houston is 0-2 after scoring six points in a 20-6 defeat against Cincinnati. Collins’ absence means quarterback C.J. Stroud will again be without one of the team’s primary receiving options. Kayshon Boutte, Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel and Jared Wayne are among the wide receivers available to the Texans.
Tight end Dalton Schultz could take on a larger role. With Collins out against Cincinnati, Schultz caught 12 of 14 passes thrown his way for 140 yards, including eight receptions in the fourth quarter. Through two games, he leads Houston with 16 catches for 175 yards.
The Texans could also use additional tight ends and seek more production from their running game. David Montgomery and Woody Marks combined for limited results against Cincinnati, while Houston’s running backs averaged 1.5 yards per carry in that game.
