Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, has officially been ruled out of Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Collins suffered the injury in practice Wednesday, causing him to miss the remaining part of the week.
It is his second hamstring injury in the past three seasons. The one he suffered in 2024 kept him out for five games that year, where they went 2-3 in that stretch. In the three games Collins didn't play last season, the Texans went 2-1.
It doesn't appear Collins will head to the injured reserve, but it's possible he could miss more than one week.
Offensive coordinator Nick Caley said they were confident in being able to play without him.
"The good thing about the offense is we have a lot of guys that we have trust in," Caley said. "I would say this, that we go through our reads and the ball finds the open guys. C.J. (Stroud) does a good job distributing the football. I think you saw that last week. We have guys that have a lot of experience with them and have played a lot of football and we'll go through it like that."
Collins wasn't the only injury concern. Edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, who also missed practice this week with a knee injury, and starting right guard Ed Ingram, who suffered a groin injury this week, were also ruled out.
Veteran Wyatt Teller could start at right guard, while Dominique Robinson could see more snaps at edge rusher.
Collins' impact, though, is far greater. He is Houston's most explosive weapon. He had seven catches for 75 yards and a touchdown in last week's loss to the Bills.
Not only is he their best deep-play threat, but he's also good after the catch. Replacing him won't be easy.
The Texans are likely to use a wide receiver by committee approach, and use more 12 personnel (two tight ends, two receivers), and 13 personnel (one receiver, three tight ends) groupings.
In the nine games Stroud has played without his best weapon since 2023, he is 5-4, including the loss to the Patriots in last season's playoffs.
SubscribeThere’s more to Houston with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Nico Collins and two other key players ruled out for Houston Texans against Cincinnati.