What Nico Collins' injury means in fantasy football: Hello, Tank Dell

It felt like the Houston Texans had too many wide receivers going into the 2024 season, at least for fantasy football purposes.

But we knew Nico Collins was their WR1 and was ACTUALLY playing like the top wideout in all of football … until his hamstring injury turned into an IR stint that will leave him out for four games. UGH.

So what does that mean for fantasy football purposes? Well, the crowded receiver room is suddenly a good thing for the Texans, and it’s something for fantasy football managers to explore.

Here’s a breakdown on how to handle all of this with a look at stock up and stock down:

Stock up: Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs

Diggs has been really good this year as the second receiver, with over eight targets in each of his last three games. The touchdowns will be there, and the work will increase.

Dell is mega talented, but the work hasn’t been there. Now? I’m thinking he could explode. If he’s on your waiver wire, go get him.

Stock down: C.J. Stroud

Stroud put up some serious yardage in the last couple of games but he’s not having big touchdown games with a balanced offense. This doesn’t help.

Stock up: Dalton Shultz

The tight end has seen some decent looks with Collins in the lineup, so maybe we get more red zone usage here and a tick up in targets. Excellent news for those of you desperate for a tight end.