Jan 11, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) celebrates during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers in an AFC wild card game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Houston Texans Star WR Lands Eye-Popping PPR Ranking

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI
By Nathan Beighle | Last updated May 11, 2025 10:12 AM ET

The Houston Texans are widely expected to win the AFC South, and wide receiver Nico Collins is a key reason why. One would be mistaken not to mention their defense, which is among the best in the league, and C.J. Stroud, the team's starting quarterback, for those reasons as well.

However, Collins has blossomed into one of the best young weapons in the NFL, and he should continue that upward trajectory with Tank Dell likely out for the entire 2025 season and Stefon Diggs in New England. While the Texans did select two receivers in the first three rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft, they should complement Collins and not dig into his target share.

ESPN's Mike Clay recently dropped his updated point-per-reception fantasy football rankings. PPR typically is led by running backs that couple as receivers i.e. Christian McCaffrey or Jahmyr Gibbs. Due to getting a point for every reception, high-volume receivers like Nico Collins are also ranked highly.

Collins is seen as one of the best fantasy football players, and in 12-team leagues, he should be a first-round pick. Clay has him ranked as the 7th-best wide receiver and the 12th-best player in the league. Obviously, he's the top-ranked Texans player. One could even argue Collins performed better than expected given the Texans' offensive line struggles last season.

We can see which receivers overperformed their environments by comparing a player's YPRR to the rest of their team.

> Nico Collins and Brian Thomas had efficient seasons despite bad surrounding passing games

> Jayden Reed was efficient, but so were other GB pass-catchers pic.twitter.com/iBdwg10P7h
— Fantasy Points Data (@FantasyPtsData) May 2, 2025

There are other notable names to keep an eye on for Houston as well. Joe Mixon is seen as the 13th-best fantasy back, coming in at No. 36. He's the only other top-50 player in Clay's rankings. C.J. Stroud is the 21st-best quarterback, just under Matthew Stafford and just over Trevor Lawrence. He should be able to exceed expectations this upcoming season with more receiving weapons as well.

As for Collins, the 26-year-old had his second straight 1,000-yard season in 2024, posting 1,006 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. The season prior, he had 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns and was the main weapon for Stroud, who exploded as a rookie.

There's no reason to think Collins shouldn't be able to replicate those 2023 numbers this upcoming season.

This article first appeared on Houston Texans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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