NFL’s leading receiver Nico Collins leaves Texans-Bills game with hamstring injury

Nico Collins left Sunday’s AFC showdown between the Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills with a hamstring injury.

The NFL’s leading receiver, Collins entered the sideline medical tent in the first half, then went to the locker room for further evaluation. The Texans initially listed him as questionable with a hamstring injury before ruling him out at halftime.

The Texans eventually won a thriller, 23-20, on a 59-yard Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal as time expired.

Collins entered Sunday’s game with an NFL-best 489 receiving yards on 30 catches amid a 3-1 start for the Texans. He added to his total with a 67-yard touchdown on a deep ball from C.J. Stroud late in the first quarter.

The touchdown was Collins’ third of the season and extended Houston’s lead to 14-3. Collins posted two catches for 78 yards and the score before leaving the game.

Collins was Houston’s leading receiver in 2023 as Stroud’s favorite target during the latter’s Rookie of the Year campaign. Collins finished last season with 80 catches for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns and has continued to break out this season as one of the best receivers in football.

His injury is a tough blow for Houston. But the Texans boast a deep stable of pass catchers including four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs and second-year receiver Tank Dell, who emerged as one of Stroud’s top targets as a rookie last season.