Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (hamstring) was on pace to put up one of the best receiving seasons in NFL history. It seemed like he could have reached his ceiling in 2023 when he broke out hugely, but he exceeded even those expectations by being completely unstoppable to start 2024.
The fourth-year pro had 20 catches on 43 targets for 489 yards and two touchdowns through four games, putting him on pace for 85 catches for 2,078 yards and around eight touchdowns for the season. Those are monster numbers. Opposing defenses had no answer for the 6-foot-4 WR1.
Unfortunately, he was struck with one of the most frustrating of all injury bugs in football and was pulled from the game. He hasn't returned to play since. So when will Nico Collins come back?
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Nico Collins Injury Update for Fantasy Football
A hamstring injury sent Collins to the locker room after a huge touchdown catch in the Texans' Week 5 game against the Buffalo Bills. In a puzzling sequence of events, he was first declared as day-to-day, then week-to-week, and then placed on injured reserve. It was a frustrating situation for fantasy managers.
Nico Collins went from day-to-day to week-to-week to literally on injured reserve in 24 hours lmao
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) October 9, 2024
With that in the past, the guarantee now is that the former Michigan Wolverine will miss at least four games. That means he's not eligible to return to play until Week 10 when Houston takes on the Detroit Lions, and that's the best-case scenario. It's not uncommon for players with hamstring ailments to miss more than four games.
Some hamstring injuries can take up to six weeks or longer to heal, so fantasy managers who drafted Collins should be prepared to roll with their backup plans longer than three additional weeks in a worst-case scenario.
Nico Collins Fantasy Football Outlook
He may see a slight dip in production when he returns, but he'll be a locked-in WR1. He showed that he would've had a good shot of finishing as the WR1 overall in multiple formats. He was unstoppable when on the field and the clear favorite weapon of quarterback C.J. Stroud.
This is awesome. CJ Stroud to Nico Collins for the looooong TD... and just watch CJ's celebration. pic.twitter.com/OAUgyabxmU
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 6, 2024
He has the safety blanket of his high target volume and the massive upside of being able to make huge plays, as evidenced by the long touchdown above. He can be trusted to deliver a high production floor while providing a massive week-winning ceiling in every game he plays.
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