Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins is not expected to play Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals after missing Friday practice with a Grade 1 hamstring strain, according to reporting from KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson.
Collins injured the hamstring during Wednesday’s practice, when Houston initially listed him as limited. He then missed Thursday’s work and was not seen practicing Friday morning, a progression that has moved his Week 2 outlook from uncertain to unlikely.
That is a meaningful change from FSN’s earlier coverage. On Wednesday, Collins was limited and the Texans were still waiting to learn how serious the injury was. By Friday, the injury had been identified as a Grade 1 strain and reporting indicated Houston was preparing for him to miss the Bengals game.
What changed for Nico Collins this week
The initial concern began when Collins left Wednesday practice with a hamstring issue. At that point, Houston’s official report only established that he was limited, and the team did not have a public game designation attached to him.
Testing then produced a more specific diagnosis. Multiple reports identified the injury as a Grade 1 hamstring strain, which is generally the least severe classification of hamstring strain but can still make a player unavailable in the short term.
Collins did not practice Thursday, and Friday brought another absence. Wilson reported Friday that Collins was not practicing and was not expected to play Sunday.
The distinction matters because the Texans have not simply been managing a veteran through a normal rest schedule. Collins has moved from limited to consecutive missed practices after a newly diagnosed soft-tissue injury.
Houston loses more than its leading Week 1 receiver if Collins sits
Collins was C.J. Stroud’s most productive receiver in Houston’s opener against Buffalo. He caught seven of 10 targets for 75 yards and a touchdown in the 36-31 loss.
His role is difficult to replace because it is tied to the shape of the passing game, not just the box score. Collins can win outside, work through contact and create intermediate and downfield opportunities that force defenses to account for him with more than a simple one-on-one matchup.
If he is unavailable, Cincinnati can structure coverage differently. The Bengals would have less reason to shade help toward Collins, which can make every other Houston receiver work against tighter individual attention.
The Texans can replace routes and snaps. Replacing the stress Collins puts on a secondary is the harder problem.
The receiving depth behind Collins will be tested
Houston will have to distribute Collins’ work among the available receivers rather than asking one player to become a direct substitute. Reports around the injury have pointed to Kayshon Boutte, Jaylin Noel and Xavier Hutchinson as receivers who could see larger roles if Collins is inactive.
The practical question is how the Texans divide different responsibilities. One receiver may absorb more outside snaps, another may see additional third-down work, and tight ends or running backs could become more important in the short passing game.
That could also affect how quickly Stroud needs to get the ball out. Without Collins available to win some of Houston’s higher-value isolation routes, the offense may have to rely more on spacing, timing and schemed access throws.
FSN’s broader look at why 2026 is such an important season for Stroud and the Texans centered on whether Houston can turn its offensive talent into more consistent production. Losing its top receiver for a conference game would make that challenge steeper.
Why a Grade 1 diagnosis is both encouraging and important
The Grade 1 diagnosis is better news than a more severe strain would have been, but it should not be confused with an all-clear.
Hamstring injuries are especially sensitive to acceleration and top-end speed. A receiver can feel functional in normal movement and still be unable to handle the explosive demands of an NFL route tree without increasing the risk of aggravation.
Collins has dealt with hamstring trouble before, which gives Houston another reason to be careful. Previous history does not determine the timeline for this injury, but it does make the Texans less likely to treat a short-term absence as something worth forcing through in September.
The current reporting indicates the injury is not considered serious in the long term. The immediate Week 2 outlook is still negative.
The Texans are trying to avoid an 0-2 start
Houston enters the Cincinnati game after a five-point loss to Buffalo. That makes Collins’ likely absence more significant than it would be in a low-leverage early-season matchup.
The Bengals bring their own injury questions into the game, but quarterback Joe Burrow has said he expects to play after dealing with back tightness. FSN previously covered Burrow’s Week 2 practice status and expectation to face Houston.
If Burrow is available and Collins is not, the Texans could find themselves in a game where their offense needs to create points without its most established wide receiver.
What to watch next
The Texans’ final game-status designation will be the next formal checkpoint. Even without that designation yet, the Friday practice absence and the report that Collins is not expected to play give Houston a clear reason to prepare alternatives.
The second thing to watch is whether the Texans elevate or activate another receiver for Sunday. Any roster move could provide a clue about how much depth they believe they need behind the current group.
The third is Collins’ participation when Week 3 practice begins. Because the strain is reported as Grade 1, Houston’s concern is less about a major long-term absence and more about whether the hamstring responds well enough to progress without a setback.
For Week 2, though, the direction has changed. Collins went from limited Wednesday to consecutive missed practices, and the Texans now appear likely to face Cincinnati without their top receiver.
Sources
- Houston Texans: Week 2 injury report vs. Cincinnati (September 16-18, 2026)
- NBC Sports/Rotoworld: Nico Collins not practicing Friday (September 18, 2026)
- Sports Illustrated: Collins not expected to play after Grade 1 hamstring strain, citing KPRC 2 (September 18, 2026)
- Reuters: Collins’ Week 2 status became uncertain after Wednesday injury (September 17, 2026)