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Should I pickup Pickup Jaylin Noel or Jayden Higgins as fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 8 of 2025? Read our fantasy football waiver wire outlooks.
The Houston Texans are likely to distribute their passing volume a bit differently with their top wide receiver, Nico Collins (concussion) currently in concussion protocol. Typically, players miss at least one game when they suffer that kind of injury.
The Texans drafted two rookie wide receivers, Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins, in the first three rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft. To this point, we haven't seen much of them, but they could be in line for increased roles. Neither has been fantasy relevant so far.
It's been a bit odd to see how Houston has utilized their rookies. They seem more intent on getting WRs Christian Kirk (hamstring) and Xavier Hutchinson increase snaps while sidelining their rookies for the most part. But will that change soon, and does that mean you should snag Noel or Higgins on waivers?
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Jaylin Noel Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlook
Noel easily had the best performance of the Texans WRs on Monday -- he caught four passes for 77 yards, and had an impressive downfield grab that made the highlight reels for the week. Noel has been heavily underutilized so far with the Texans.
Sometimes it really seems like teams draft players and don't have a clue of the talent the player they scouted possesses. This is a subjective opinion of mine, but it feels like the case with Noel. He clearly has a lot of talent that could help the team win, and the current WR lineup has simply not been working.
4th & NOPE. 🙂↔️
📺: @ESPNNFL pic.twitter.com/yxiTDLMeWO
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 21, 2025
There's plenty of evidence to support Caley being an awful play-caller, but maybe Noel's big night will convince him to actually start using the receivers his team drafted more. Both Noel and Higgins had draft capital deserving of more playing time.
Stroud finds his rookie Jaylin Noel downfield to get in scoring position before the half
HOUvsSEA on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/UHtaceOlcb— NFL (@NFL) October 21, 2025
Unfortunately, if WR Christian Kirk (hamstring), the team's normal starting slot receiver, is able to play again, I'm sure they'll find a way to get him on the field and keep forcing the ball to him, to no avail. So Noel is more of a bench stash for now when Kirk plays -- that said, Kirk is not practicing and is not set to play Sunday.
Noel has starting value in deeper leagues.
Jayden Higgins Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlook
Higgins, unfortunately, didn't get any work at all in his team's loss last week. The Texans spent an early second-round pick on him, but he's been a non-factor so far this year. Through six games, he's logged only 13 targets, catching nine of them for 121 yards and a touchdown.
He hasn't been remotely fantasy relevant. His snap share jumped to 63 percent last game, the highest of the season, but he was targeted just three times and didn't make a catch. In the absence of Collins, he might play a full-time role in Week 8.
#Texans receiving corps getting work on Thursday without Nico Collins and Christian Kirk.
First two in line are rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. https://t.co/k2VyMnQz4p pic.twitter.com/vgmjsFAdtX
— Sam Warren (@samwarren_3) October 23, 2025
With both Kirk and Collins out, the knowledge we have now suggests that Higgins and Noel will get a lot of playing time, along with Hutchinson. How targets will be distributed is hard to say, and when Collins and Kirk return, we could see more of their ridiculous (bad) personnel usage.
That makes Higgins only worth starting in very deep leagues. It's hard to even say he's worth a speculative stash because Collins' return could relegate him to his previous (uninvolved role).
Should I Pickup Jaylin Noel or Jayden Higgins For Fantasy Football?
Noel is the player you should go with. But this offense is very frustrating. It's obvious from the film that Higgins has actually been playing pretty well. He's put some excellent routes on tape, but with how dysfunctional the offense is as a whole, it hasn't translated to production.
Jayden Higgins NEEDS a larger role in the Texans offense
Creates separation with ease and gives 110% as a run blocker pic.twitter.com/ijEvpKGMPB
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) September 30, 2025
With rookies, it's always difficult to predict how they'll perform, especially if there are two on the same team competing with each other for targets. They'll play at home, where Stroud generally performs better. I'd take Noel over Higgins, but I'd only start him in deep leagues.
And Higgins is probably only worth starting in very deep dynasty leagues with huge starting lineups and massive benches. That's not to say Higgins isn't talented. He is.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
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