Texans Nico Collins returns to practice as he enters next phase of concussion protocol. Christian Kirk back too

Related Players: Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel, Jayden Higgins

Well, the waiver wire thirst for Texans receivers seems like a lost cause as it stands, as all three of Week 8's receivers will go back to desperation dart-throw territory if both of the vets return this weekend. Plug Collins back in as a solid WR2, even in a tough matchup, if he suits up.

The Texans ruled out WRs Nico Collins and Christian Kirk for Sunday vs. San Francisco.

Related Players: Jaylin Noel, Jayden Higgins, Xavier Hutchinson, Braxton Berrios

It looks like Houston is going to have to feature their two rookie WRs, whether they like it or not. We don't have to like it in fantasy, though, and there are better WR rooms to attack in Week 8.

Texans WR Nico Collins (concussion protocol) & WR Christian Kirk (hamstring) are both NOT practicing.

Related Players: Jaylin Noel, Jayden Higgins, Xavier Hutchinson, Braxton Berrios

Nobody outside of the Texans' opponents wants to watch this offense without Nico Collins on the field, so let's hope he can log some practice time before the weekend. If both Collins and Kirk end up missing, either of the rookies (Noel/Higgins) would make for fine desperation WR4s.

Houston Texans wideout Nico Collins suffered a concussion during a 27-19 loss Monday to the Seattle Seahawks, according to coach DeMeco Ryans.

"We'll evaluate him as the week goes on," Ryans said.

Related players: Christian Kirk, Jayden Higgins, Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel

The trend has been for players to miss at least a week after a concussion, so Collins owners will want to be sure to follow his progress. The Texans host the 49ers in an earlier Sunday game and considering there are also six teams on byes this week, now is the time for a plan just in case Collins is out for Week 8.

Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. (wrist) is off the injury report and good to go Sunday.

Meanwhile, Texans WRs Christian Kirk (hamstring) and Braxton Berrios (hamstring) are both off the injury report and set to make their season debuts.

Related Players: Travis Hunter, Dyami Brown, Nico Collins, Xavier Hutchinson, Jayden Higgins

Brian Thomas should continue to be slotted in as a fringe WR1/2 play, with Christian Kirk is much further down the list as a WR4/5 as the ball continues to be spread around behind Collins.

The pecking order for Texans WRs as of right now.
Nico Collins and Christian Kirk got the two top spots.
Xavier Hutchinson appears to be the next guy up. But Jayden Higgins will rotate in there.
Same with Jaylin Noel.

The top-two names aren't really a surprise, but it gets interesting seeing Hutchinson's name mentioned as the team's WR3, a spot many assumed would go to Higgins. We reported a few weeks ago that Noel was a quality WR for the team, but there just wasn't a spot for him in the lineup, and that seems to remain the case. This could be a situation to keep an eye on, especially if Hutchinson continues to be mentioned as the WR3. It's hard to believe Higgins won't be among the team's top-three WRs at some point sooner than later.

Texans WR Nico Collins, who just returned to practice today after missing a month with a hamstring injury, is listed as questionable for Sunday night vs. the Lions.

Related Players: Tank Dell, Robert Woods, Xavier Hutchinson, Dalton Schultz

Collins has missed multiple weeks, but it would be pretty tough to keep him out of lineups if he suits up. Head into Sunday with the assumption that he should be considered a WR3.

With Nico Collins still not practicing today and not designated to return from IR, it makes him a long shot to play Sunday night vs. the Texans.

Related Players: Tank Dell, Xavier Hutchinson, Robert Woods, Dalton Schultz

Since the injury to Stefon Diggs, Dell has been the only reliable piece of this receiving corps, and it looks like that will continue for one more week. C.J. Stroud can be benched in place of a streamer for Week 10.

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs’s first season with the Texans is reportedly over.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans announced on Tuesday that Diggs has been diagnosed with a torn ACL. Diggs left Sunday’s win over the Colts with a knee injury and went for further tests over the last couple of days.

Related players: Nico Collins, Tank Dell, John Metchie, Xavier Hutchinson, Robert Woods, Steven Sims, Dalton Schultz

Diggs had been ruled out of Thursday's game with the Jets but the hope was he'd be able to come back after that. As for the Texans offense, the injury comes at a time when Collins is on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, so a once-deep Texans receiving corps has been thinned out considerably, the story pointed out. Dell, Metchie, Hutchinson, Woods and Sims are the remaining receivers on the 53-man roster until Collins can make his return. Schultz, the TE, should be move involved at least in the short term. The hope is Collins is back in Week 10 as reports say he's been trending in the right direction.

The Houston Texans offense was already shorthanded at wide receiver with Nico Collins on injured reserve, and now it seems like they'll be down another key outlet for C.J. Stroud. Wideout Stefon Diggs suffered a non-contact knee injury during Sunday's Week 8 win over the Indianapolis Colts and is not expected to play when the team travels to New York to play the Jets, according to NFL Media.

Related players: Tank Dell, Robert Woods, Xavier Hutchinson, John Metchie, Dalton Schultz, Joe Mixon

This is a tight turnaround for Diggs as the Texans open up Week 9 on Thursday night, which makes a possible return to the field difficult, even if the injury isn't as serious as it looked on the field, the story said. The team did not practice Monday, but the initial injury report of the week -- albeit a projection -- notes that Diggs would've been a nonparticipant, the story went on to say. With no Collins and Diggs, Dell looks like he could be the top WR target against the Jets. Schultz and Mixon could also get more involved in the passing game.