The NFL’s leading receiver is headed to injured reserve.
Nico Collins, the Houston Texans’ 567-yard man, will miss a minimum of four games after suffering a hamstring injury in the team’s Week 5 matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
Collins sustained his injury at the end of the first quarter in what would become Houston’s fourth win of the season.
On a first-and-10 from their own 33-yard line, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud heaved a pass over 50 yards downfield towards a streaking Collins.
The star wide-out caught the ball in stride and trotted into the end zone untouched for the score.
That would be the last time Collins touched the ball in Houston’s 23-20 victory.
As he was returning to the sideline, the receiver motioned to the Texans’ medical staff.
After spending just a few minutes in the blue tent, Collins left the field for the locker room.
Though no injury wasn’t apparent on the play, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters on Monday that the 25-year-old was in good spirits but might miss time.
“Of course … it takes a couple weeks for hamstrings, so we’ll evaluate that on a week-to-week basis to see when we can get him back,” Ryans said.
On Wednesday, Collins was officially placed on injured reserve, meaning the earliest he will be eligible to return to game action is in the Texans’ Week 10 matchup against the Lions on Nov. 10.
In a season filled with stellar performances, Collins was on track for yet another divine stat-line — fantasy and otherwise — against Buffalo.
He had caught both of the passes Stroud sent his way for a total of 78 yards— 67 of which came on the long touchdown pass when he sustained the hamstring injury.
On the season to date, Collins had amassed three touchdowns in addition to his 567 receiving yards on 32 receptions.
Per Yahoo Sports, the fourth-year wideout had already broken DeAndre Hopkins’ record for most receiving yards to begin a season in franchise history. Collins was well on his way towards smashing past the career-high 1,297 yards he amassed during last year’s campaign.
The Texans will have to make do without their best receiver, who they extended on a three-year, $72.5 million contract during the offseason.
The bulk of that work is likely to fall on a more than capable duo in Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell.