Texans, AFC’s leading receiver Nico Collins ‘absolutely’ ready for Jaguars game after minor hamstring injury

HOUSTON – Nico Collins dispelled any doubt about his status for Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars as the AFC’s leading wide receiver said he’s ready to go for the Texans’ AFC South divisional game at NRG Stadium.

Collins leads the Texans and the entire AFC with 338 receiving yards on 18 catches with one touchdown heading into the fourth game of the regular season.

Collins was limited in practice Thursday and added to the injury report with a hamstring injury. The fourth-year receiver is expected to play Sunday, barring any setbacks, per league sources. He has no designation on the injury report after being upgraded to full participation Friday.

“Oh, absolutely,” Collins said when asked if he’s going to play against Jacksonville. “I’m feeling great. No better feeling: division game in front of your home crowd, home field advantage Excited to go out there and spit it with the boys. An opportunity, new juice, let’s get our swag back. I’m happy for this matchup.”

Collins is averaging 18.8 yards per reception, and he has been targeted 28 times as he remains the go-to guy for Texans Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud.

He’s on pace for a career-high 102 catches for 1,915 yards and six touchdowns. He’s averaging 3.1 yards of separation, per Next Gen Stats, the same average as New York Giants rookie wide receiver and NFL yardage leader Malik Nabers.

The winless Jaguars, 0-3 heading into this matchup with talk about coach Doug Pederson’s job security already a topic of conversation, are utilizing man-to-man coverage concepts more than anyone else in the NFL with a 52.6 percent clip, per Next Gen Stats analytics. The Jaguars operate in press coverage with outside corners 36 percent of the time, per Next Gen Stats. At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds with 4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash, Collins excels against that coverage technique.

“You’ve got to take advantage of your opportunities and one-on-one opps and win your matchup,” Collins said. “At the end of the day, that’s the mindset. Have fun and make plays. Be you.”k

The trend around the NFL is a decrease in passing yardage with the increased popularity of two-high safety coverage schemes.

The Jaguars are a break from that trend.

“We’ve got to learn how to adjust during the game,” Collins said. “You never know what they’re going to throw at you and you never know what you’re going to walk into. You have to adjust. That’s the point of being a pro.

“I feel like just take advantage of opportunities and what the defense shows, not getting greedy and letting the game come to you. I feel like that’s the best we can do and continue to build.”

One of the most talented and imposing wide receivers in the NFL, Collins has been dominant through three weeks of the season. He caught eight passes for 135 yards and one score on 10 targets in a Sunday night win over the Chicago Bears.

Since his breakout season last year, Collins signed a three-year, $75 million contract extension. The former University of Michigan standout is more than justifying the hefty investment as a vital part of an ultra-talented receiving corps that includes Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs and speedy Tank Dell.

How Collins continues to stand out as a clutch contributor whose ability to tightrope the sideline to convert key first downs stamps him as one of the top all-around wide receivers in the game.

Collins is making high degree of difficulty plays appear routine. Well, at least they are for him.

“Nico, he’s been consistent,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “He’s been one of our most consistent guys since I first got here, watching Nico, watching the way he prepares throughout the week. He’s always been the same person. Nico never gets too high or too low.

“Nico was always even keel, always consistent, and he shows up in clutch moments. He doesn’t have to do anything different in a clutch moment. Nico was just being Nico, like he’s making the plays that he makes. He’s been lights out, again, this start of the year, he is having an outstanding year.”

For Collins, it’s about maximizing the moment. He caught a career-high 80 passes for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns in a breakthrough season last year.

“They believe in me, man,” Collins said. “It means a lot.”

And the off-script plays are becoming increasingly more commonplace in the potent passing connection between Collins and Stroud.

“We work on those every day as an offense,” Collins said. “Off-schedule, that’s how we start practice. Just ‘boom,’ scramble drill. Okay, ‘Boom, find the open space.’ I feel like it’s just what we do. We out here hoopin.’

“Extend a play like that, scrambling to the right, getting the ball and making a play. I feel like he’s special. It’s just two guys out there making plays. We have a drill that we do at practice, it does help those things. Trying to be two dynamic players.”

The chemistry between Collins and Stroud is on point.

“Me and Nico, we’ve always had a good relationship and always read each other well on the field,” Stroud said. “I think, even now, we’ll take the next steps. We’re trying to spread it around. We have so many dynamic players. It’s a good problem to have.”

Collins is ultra-reliable. There isn’t a play on the field he can’t make.

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“Nico Collins is all-world,” Diggs said.

Stroud’s 55-yard pass to Collins against the Colts had a completion probability of 16.6%, Stroud’s most improbable completion of his NFL career, according to NextGen Stats analytics.

“I feel like every ball in the air is mine,” Collins said. “That’s the mindset you have to have, regardless. Get my route, look up, ball in the air. Two people right there, it’s time to make a play.”

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Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 click2houston.com.