The Houston Texans might not have many stellar fantasy football options, which means someone is going to have to step up. Brandin Cooks aims to be the best fantasy player, while some are trying to decipher the Texans backfield. David Johnson could be a solid option, but Phillip Lindsay is in the backup role and has been a decent FLEX play throughout most of his career.
Deshaun Watson likely won’t play for the Texans this year. For that reason, Houston is shaping up to be the worst team in the league this year. Tyrod Taylor might be the starter, but the front office brought in multiple quarterbacks this offseason. It’ll be tough for the Texans this season, but since the team is likely to play from behind in most of their games, another receiver could emerge as a nice asset in fantasy football.
Fantasy Football: Texans Sleeper
Nico Collins
Coming out of Michigan, Nico Collins has the potential to be the steal of the 2021 NFL Draft. He has the size to dominate in the league and provide the Texans with a red zone threat right out of the gate. He was a solid pass target for the Wolverines, as he finished his collegiate career with 78 receptions, 1,388 yards, and 13 touchdowns.
According to NBC Sports, Nico Collins has been the Texans’ “most impressive rookie.” This is great news for a franchise with a depleted roster. However, this is even better news for anyone searching for a sleeper target in redraft this year. Rookies are typically hit or miss in fantasy football. However, due to the Texans’ lack of talent in the receiver room, we could see Collins on the field often this year.
For Collins’ 2021 projections for fantasy football, ESPN has the Texans’ rookie finishing with 71 targets, 43 receptions, 569 yards, and three touchdowns. That stat line would result in 119.72 fantasy points in PPR formats. That makes him the WR79 on ESPN’s rankings, which likely means Collins will go undrafted in your redraft leagues. Even so, Collins has the potential to be much more involved in the Texans’ offense. He’s in direct competition with Anthony Miller for the second spot on the depth chart. Collins doesn’t have the toughest competition, which could lead him to a more prominent role in his rookie year.
Expectations are low, as Collins doesn’t have to be the top pass option in Houston to start his career. Cooks will provide that for this team. The Texans will be playing from behind quite a bit, so Collins could receive a ton of garbage time production for fantasy football. It might not be an ideal situation for the Texans, but it could result in a big year in fantasy for Nico Collins.
Keep an eye on the reports coming out of Houston on their rookie receiver. He has the potential to be the biggest surprise in fantasy football this year. If that’s the case, Nico Collins could be one of those league-winning waiver wire additions in the middle of the season.
