Texans’ Nico Collins says he’ll play against Cowboys

HOUSTON — Nico Collins says he’ll be again on the sector for the Houston Texans once they tackle the Dallas Cowboys on “Monday Evening Soccer.”

“Hell yeah, I am enjoying this week,” he instructed ESPN on Friday.

The star receiver missed the Texans’ previous 5 video games after he suffered a hamstring harm in a 23-20 win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 5. He got here off injured reserve and practiced final Friday forward of Houston’s matchup in opposition to the Detroit Lions however did not play.

He was restricted in apply Thursday after which upgraded to a full participant Friday this week.

“Simply going on the market, being with my brothers,” Collins instructed ESPN. “There is no higher feeling than that. Simply completely satisfied to be feeling good and completely satisfied to have the ability to have the chance to play this week and simply proceed to choose again up the place I left off.”

The return of Collins could not come at a greater time for the Texans.

By way of the primary 5 weeks, he led the NFL in receiving yards (567), and quarterback C.J. Stroud benefitted from his presence, rating third in passing yards (1,385), tied for tenth in touchdowns (seven) and tenth in QBR (66.2).

However since Collins’ harm, Stroud’s manufacturing has tailed off. He ranks seventeenth in yards (986), tied for nineteenth in touchdowns (5) and twenty fifth in QBR (41.3).

Stroud additionally misplaced his No. 2 goal in former All-Professional wideout Stefon Diggs, who suffered a season-ending knee harm in a 23-20 Week 8 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

With Collins again, one of many NFL’s most prolific duos can increase a struggling offense that’s averaging simply 8.1 factors within the second halves of video games this season (tied for twenty seventh in NFL). The Stroud-Collins connection produced a 133.3 passer ranking, which ranked sixth amongst duos with no less than 30 targets.

“It’s large. I’m very excited to have my man again,” Stroud stated. “I’m simply completely satisfied for him to be again with the group, be part of the locker room once more. They’re in solitude, when gamers are injured, they’re on their very own. So, I’m glad he’s simply capable of be across the guys once more and have the ability to do the game that he likes to play.”

The Texans’ passing assault faces a Cowboys protection that has allowed 210 passing yards per sport (seventeenth in NFL), 15 touchdowns (tenth) and a passer ranking of 105.1 (second highest).

With Collins again, coach DeMeco Ryans stated he’s excited to see what that does for an offense that averaged 24.4 factors (thirteenth) and 299 yards per sport (24) in his absence.

“Getting Nico again is all the time very nice for all of us,” Ryans stated. “Nico’s been certainly one of our greatest gamers when he was wholesome, so it is nice to have him again, nice to have his presence and the power that he brings and likewise the playmaking skill that he brings. Completely happy to have him again and actually happy with him for the work he is put in to get himself again.”