Nico Collins Out vs Bengals Week 2

Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins is officially out for Sunday's home game against the Cincinnati Bengals after a hamstring injury that kept him off the practice field the rest of the week. ESPN reported the Texans stamped Collins out on the final Week 2 injury report, and Adam Schefter's earlier note that the tweak was not believed to be serious still lines up with Grade 1 strain reporting that circulated Friday.

Collins was healthy to start Wednesday's practice, then tweaked the hamstring later in the session. Houston listed him as limited Wednesday and as a non-participant Thursday and Friday. For fantasy desks and Smacktok fans who rode his Week 1 volume, that is the hard stop: do not expect him in the active window Sunday.

What Houston loses

Collins opened 2026 with seven catches on 10 targets for 75 yards and a touchdown in the Texans' home loss, all team highs. He also battled a hamstring in 2024 that cost him five games on injured reserve, so Houston will stay careful even on a Grade 1 label.

With Collins out, the receiving room leans harder on the mix around C.J. Stroud. Dalton Schultz becomes a safer TE1 lean for volume, and the remaining perimeter options inherit the flex looks that Collins usually eats. Streaming names will bounce around all weekend, but the only hard fact on the Texans board is that their Week 1 target leader sits.

Houston already spent the offseason reshaping the wideout depth chart. Losing Collins for even one Sunday puts more pressure on the short and intermediate game and on whoever is asked to win outside against Cincinnati's secondary.

NRG on Sunday

Kickoff is 1 p.m. ET Sunday at NRG Stadium, Bengals at Texans. Cincinnati arrives 1-0 with Joe Burrow expected to play through his own back stamp. Houston sits 0-1 and now plans Week 2 without the receiver who led the team in catches, yards, and scores in the opener.

Collins out is the board. Grade 1 or not, Sunday belongs to whoever else Stroud feeds until the hamstring clears a real practice week.