Nico Collins injury update: Latest on Texans WR for Week 15 Fantasy Football

Nico Collins is having a breakout year during the 2023 fantasy football season serving as the Houston Texans' WR1 in a productive passing offense. He has ranked among the top 30 wide receivers eight times in 12 games this year, including in each of his past four full games. He also has four top-five weekly finishes in PPR leagues, demonstrating his massive upside.

Unfortunately for the Texans, as well as his fantasy managers, Collins exited his most recent game early with a calf injury. This puts his Week 15 availability in jeopardy at a terrible time with the 2023 fantasy football playoffs beginning this week in most leagues. The Texans are also in a race for the NFL Playoffs, so his status this week is extremely important.

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Nico Collins injury update

Nico Collins

During the Houston Texans' Week 14 game against the New York Jets, Nico Collins suffered a calf injury that ended his day earlier than expected. He suffered the injury in the first half of the game and was unable to return. The Texans declined to provide any additional information on the severity of the injury postgame and remained vague the day after as well.

According to Adam Wexler via his X account:

"No update on Nico Collins from DeMeco Ryans, said he'll have an update later in the week. Typically says the same about injuries on Monday."

The Texans are expected to hold their first official Week 15 practice on Wednesday. Collins' activity during that practice and his official injury designation should provide insight into his potential availability against the Tennessee Titans in an AFC South divisional rivalry game.

#Update: Nico Collins didn't practice on Sunday but is hoping to play on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. This is a huge game for the Texans, and Collins being back will certainly help Stroud. The Texans are 7-6 ahead of Week 15 and are just one game behind of division leaders, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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What happened to Nico Collins?

In the first half of the Texans' most recent game against the New York Jets, Collins suffered a calf injury after going down awkwardly following an offensive play. He was initially listed as questionable to return to the contest after being examined by the medical staff. An official update came at the conclusion of halftime when he was ruled out for the remainder of the game.

Making the injury even more concerning is the fact that the Texans recently lost rookie sensation Tank Dell to a season-ending injury. This could potentially put their wide receivers at a serious disadvantage for the final stretch of the season. CJ Stroud also suffered a head injury during the game, so Houston has several issues to address in its starting lineup.

It's unclear at this point how severe Collins' recent calf injury is, as the Texans have declined to provide an official update. They aren't required to do so until Wednesday when they hold their first official Week 15 practice. Collins' listing on the first injury report, as well as his practice activity, should provide some clarity on his potential availability.

If he is unable to play, Noah Brown and Robert Woods are likely to see more targets in the Texans' passing game. Brown is a player to keep an eye on for fantasy football as he has already recorded two top-10 finishes this season, despite limited opportunities at extended playing time.