The Houston Texans are coming off of a tough loss on Sunday, and it appears that this week may get even tougher. Stroud's top weapon, wide receiver Nico Collins, is apparently injured, reports ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter. Collins was limited at practice on Wednesday "due to a hamstring injury," Schefter said on social media.
Having Collins be less effective — or, in a worst case, out of commission — could be devastating for the Texans. Collins was the team's leading receiver in Sunday's 36-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills. He had seven receptions on 10 target5s for 75 yards, including one of Stroud's two touchdown passes.
Collins has, however, battled multiple injuries in his NFL career, now in its seventh season. Per Draft Sharks, Collins has hurt his hamstring before in 2024 and missed five games as a result. He's also missed games with a concussion, calf strain, shoulder injury, groin pull and foot injuries.
Of course, the prospect of missing games remains a possibility and nothing more at this point. The severity of Collins' hamstring injury is the subject of tests, and more information is expected soon, reports Aaron Wilson, who covers the Texans for KPRC2. The good news for Texans fans is that they've got a renewed rushing attack this season, writes Ben Solak of ESPN.
"If Stroud can be the playmaker with his arm that he has been for much of his career in tandem with a more effective running game, the Texans should have the offense they've long needed to pair with their elite defense -- a balanced approach that gives them ability to hang in shootouts with the league's best offenses," Solak wrote. The bad news is that removing Stroud's top target from the equation likely hurts the passing game and, by extension, the running game too. Texans fans will surely be hoping against hope that Collins' hamstring injury is as minor as possible and the time he misses is limited as well.
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