Nico Collins, the NFL’s top receiver, will be out for at least four games after the Houston Texans placed him on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury on Wednesday.
Collins left the Texans’ 23-20 win against the Bills on Sunday after catching a 67-yard touchdown pass late in the first quarter.
Coach DeMeco Ryans said on Monday that he viewed Collins as week to week with the injury before deciding to put him on injured reserve for a month on Wednesday.
“Unfortunate that we’ll not have Nico,” Ryans said Wednesday. “Great player, been a great player all year for us, the best receiver in the league. But he’ll take the time to get healthy. He’ll be back for us. So encouraged by that news, he’ll be back at some point this season.”
When asked if he expected Collins to return after the four games he has to miss, Ryans declined to comment.
Collins, now in his fourth NFL season, has made 32 catches for an NFL-leading 567 yards and three touchdowns. He and quarterback C.J. Stroud have been key to the offense while running back Joe Mixon has been out for the past three games due to an ankle injury.
With Collins unavailable, the 4-1 Texans will look to Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell to take on more responsibility as they start a stretch of two consecutive road games, beginning Sunday at New England.
However, Ryans stated he will be counting on several players to help fill the gap left by Collins.
“Everybody has to get going, everybody has to step up in their role,” he said. “So we’ll see who that will be for us on Sunday. We don’t know right now today who’s gonna make those plays. You never know and that’s what’s exciting about our game; any given Sunday, different guys can become playmakers and step up to make plays.”
