5 Best Wide Receivers in Houston Texans History

Only two wide receivers in Texans history have caught more touchdown passes than Will Fuller, whose 24 are tied with, incidentally, the next two players on this list.

A first-round pick by Houston in 2016, he never quite lived up to that billing, but he was a perfectly productive second wideout for five seasons.

His best was his last with the Texans, in 2020. Fuller recorded career highs in receptions (53), yards receiving (879) and touchdown catches (eight). He missed the last five games that season because of a positive performance-enhancing drug test and ultimately played just two more games, in Miami, the rest of his career.

4. Kevin Walter (2006-2012)

Walter was a bit of a throw-back considering the era in which he played. A pure possession receiver who managed 10 years in the NFL after being a seventh-round draft choice, he put together an impressive career given his circumstances.

Walter spent his first three years in Cincinnati, only really seeing time that third season. The Texans saw enough of him that year to offer him a restricted free agent tender and he jumped ship.

His first year in Houston saw him only catch 17 passes, but in the six years that followed, Walter averaged 52 catches and 654 yards a season.

3. Nico Collins (2021-Present)

If Collins continues one or two more years at the pace he’s set so far in Houston, he could challenge for the No. 1 spot in team history for this list. OK, well, No. 2, anyway.

He was simply OK in his first two years, 2021 and 2022, after being taken in the third round of the draft. But Collins broke out in 2023 with 80 catches for almost 1,300 yards and eight touchdowns as the Texans made the playoffs for the first time since 2019. They haven’t missed since and Collins has served as the team’s top target the whole time.

He’s made back-to-back Pro Bowls and put up 1,000-yard seasons in each, as well, and remains one of the biggest reasons Houston is considered a favorite in the AFC South again in 2026.

2. DeAndre Hopkins (2013-2019)

After teaming with Sammy Watkins at Clemson to provide the Tigers the most fearsome duo of wide receivers in college football in the early 2010s, Hopkins made an easy transition to the NFL. He caught 52 passes as a rookie in what was only the beginning.

Hopkins would spend his first seven years of a 13-year career with the Texans. He made the Pro Bowl four times in Houston, recording four 100-plus-catch seasons and five 1,000-plus-yard seasons.

Hopkins was a first-team All-Pro from 2017 to 2019 and finished third and fourth in Offensive Player of the Year voting in the first two of those three seasons.

He played for the Cardinals in 2020 and has since bounced through a few other teams, most recently with the Ravens in 2026. His time may now be done, but it was quite the run. 

1. Andre Johnson (2003-2014)

Johnson is, without a doubt, the greatest player in Houston Texans history. Not the best offensive player. The best player (sorry, J.J. Watt fans).

The Miami (FL) product was the second first-round pick in franchise history as the Texans took him No. 3 overall in 2003. That meant he had to play through some rough seasons in the early going as the team found its footing.

It took Houston 10 seasons to make the playoffs, but Johnson had picked up five Pro Bowl nods during that span and was twice named first-team All-Pro.

In 2012, Houston’s best season in team history, Johnson caught 112 passes for a career-high 1,598 yards in what would be his final All-Pro year.

He picked up 1,400 yards in 2013 and almost 1,000 in 2014 before playing for the Colts and Titans in his final two years, years that don’t seem real considering how associated Johnson is with the Texans.