Texans rule Nico Collins out for second straight game against Colts

Houston will be without Nico Collins for a second straight game when it visits Indianapolis on Sunday. The receiver is listed out with a hamstring injury in the NFL's final Week 3 status roundup, after missing last week's loss to Cincinnati. He did not participate in practice Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, according to the Texans' injury table. This is a confirmed Sunday absence, not a late-game decision.

Collins led Houston with seven catches on 10 targets for 75 yards and a touchdown in its opener, according to NFL.com's Week 2 injury account and his official player record. That remains his entire 2026 regular-season receiving line through two weeks because he sat out Week 2. The numbers explain the size of the passing-game hole without claiming a replacement can match his role.

Houston's available receivers include Jaylin Noel, Xavier Hutchinson and Kayshon Boutte, whom NFL.com identified as options after Collins first missed time. Tight end Dalton Schultz is another established target in the offense. Their target totals against the Bengals should inform a game plan, but the club has not committed publicly to a fixed distribution for Sunday. For roster and fantasy purposes, the clear action is to remove Collins from this week's active options; choosing among the remaining pass catchers requires the eventual lineup and matchup information.

The matchup has unusual context for Collins. The Texans' Friday preview notes that he and Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner have shared only a handful of plays across earlier meetings because one or the other was unavailable. The team expected that pattern could continue this week, and the final out designation confirms Collins will not be part of the matchup. Indianapolis also lists wide receivers Ashton Dulin and Alec Pierce out, according to the NFL report, but those are separate personnel issues on the other sideline.

Both teams enter 0-2, and the game is scheduled for 1 p.m. Eastern in Indianapolis. Collins's absence is a second consecutive missed contest for a player who supplied Houston's leading opening-week receiving line. The final inactive list will name the remaining players who dress, while the first few offensive series will reveal how C.J. Stroud distributes passes without his top Week 1 target.