Nico Collins was injured in Sunday’s 23-20 win over the Bills. How did he get injured? In the most Nico Collins way possible: While hauling in a 67-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
Despite logging just nine offensive snaps in Week 5, Collins currently leads all wideouts in the NFL in receiving yards (566) and PPR fantasy points per snap played (0.44). Collins is also second to only Garrett Wilson in red zone targets (13). He’s currently considered “day-to-day” according to the Texans. Needless to say, it will be very difficult to replace Collins in your lineups if he’s unable to go in this weekend’s tilt with the Patriots.
Still, you’ve got to try. Here are some names to consider on the waiver wire.
In House: Xavier Hutchinson
Texans WR, 0% Rostered on Yahoo!
I think the correlation here is pretty self-explanatory, right? The sophomore receiver was thrust into the largest role of his brief NFL career in Week 5, logging a 70.9% snap share with the absence of Collins. All told, Hutchinson’s 48 offensive snaps were the second-most of any Texans’ WR and the Iowa State product ran a route on all 28 passing snaps he played. However, that equated out to just three targets and 31 receiving yards. Even if Collins is sidelined against New England, Hutchinson is still pretty clearly behind Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell and Dalton Schultz in Houston’s pecking order.
Shallow Format: Darnell Mooney
Falcons WR, 48% Rostered on Yahoo!
Mooney’s viability comes with the obvious caveat that Kirk Cousins isn’t going to pass for 500 yards every single week. Nor is Cousins going to drop back to throw 63 times each start. Still, Mooney is more than his 16-target performance in Week 5. In fact, since the beginning of Week 2, Mooney ranks top 10 among all wideouts in targets (36), receiving yards (316) and PPR fantasy points (72.6). It’s been the veteran WR, not Kyle Pitts, who has emerged as the Falcons’ No. 2 receiving option behind Drake London. There’s no reason Mooney should still be on the waiver wire in any format — especially with a matchup versus the Panthers coming up in Week 6. Carolina is surrendering 7.9 yards per opponent pass attempt. That’s the second-worst mark in the NFL.
Deep League Find: Jalen Tolbert
Cowboys WR, 7% Rostered on Yahoo!
A game-winning touchdown will likely make Tolbert a little more popular on the Week 6 waiver wire than he’d normally be, but that doesn’t change the fact that the wideout thrived in the absence of Brandin Cooks on Sunday Night Football. It wasn’t just that Tolbert finished with seven receptions for 87 yards and a score, it was that he registered a season-high 89.5% snap share and that three of his team-high 10 targets came inside the red zone. The former third-round pick’s stock is on the rise. Cooks’ initial injury timeline was at least a couple of weeks, yet even when the veteran returns, Tolbert should remain involved. Heck, it’s not like Cooks was looking all that spry when he was healthy the first couple games of the season, anyway.
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
