Texans wide receiver Nico Collins injures hamstring on long touchdown catch, officially ruled out

HOUSTON – Nico Collins caught a deep touchdown against the Buffalo Bills, scorching their secondary for a 67-yard score. On his path to the end zone, though, the Texans’ star wide receiver and NFL yardage leader injured his hamstring. He was later ruled out for the game officially.

Collins went to the locker room for further examination after initially spending time in the blue medical tent.

Collins walked under his own power, but appeared to favor his leg as he went back to the bench area without his helmet.

Collins entered Sunday with a league-high 489 receiving yards on 30 catches, a season pace of 128 catches for 2,078 yards and nine touchdowns.

He caught two passes for 78 yards Sunday before getting hurt.

Texans veteran safety Jimmie Ward left the game with a groin injury and is questionable to return. Ward aggravated a preexisting injury that forced him to miss one game.

Ward was ruled out of the game along with rookie running back British Brooks with a knee injury.

As the Texans’ go-to guy, Collins has a high volume of targets and was coming off a 12-catch, 151-yard and one touchdown performance on 15 targets in a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

He ranks third in the NFL with 43 targets heading into Sunday, 10 more than Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs’ target total with five more catches overall.

• SEE ALSO: ‘True playmaker’ Nico Collins squares off against Colts after dominant performance in pivotal game last season

Collins’ gold standard is propelling him to new heights this year after his breakout season last year that earned him a three-year, $75 million maximum value contract this offseason. Collins is more than justifying the Texans’ hefty investment. He’s practically a bargain and qualifies as an extremely smart move by Texans’ general manager Nick Caserio as an early round of negotiations with Collins’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, locked up one of the NFL’s biggest and most talented and skilled wide receivers.,

“I feel like I’m trying to be my best version of myself,” Collins said this week. “Just being available for the team, you know, being healthy, taking one game at a time. I’m just having fun and letting the game come to me. is I feel like the mindset I’ve got to have is be the best one out there. The guy in front of you can’t stop me. So that’s the mindset you’ve got to have every time. I feel that’s my mindset right now and we can continue to grow.”

• SEE ALSO: Texans, AFC’s leading receiver Nico Collins ‘absolutely’ ready for Jaguars game after minor hamstring injury
• SEE ALSO: ‘It meant a lot,’ Texans’ Cam Akers visits cancer patients at Houston Methodist West Hospital as part of Crucial Catch

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

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