Sunday’s opening NFL slate is chock-full of excellent matchups filled with high stakes and drama. The afternoon window includes an exciting inter-conference showdown between two playoff teams from last year: the Houston Texans and the Los Angeles Rams. And all eyes will be on Nico Collins.
Los Angeles is a -166 favorite on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The total is set at 43.5 points. Let’s dive into my favorite player prop for Nico Collins in this matchup in LA.
Best Nico Collins Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Last year was up-and-down for Nico Collins, to say the least. In the first four weeks of 2024, Collins averaged 7.5 catches for 122.3 yards, recording a whopping 11.4 yards per target. Then a hamstring injury bit him after only nine snaps in Week 5 against the Bills (after reeling in 78 yards and a TD on two catches), and Collins was forced to miss five weeks—an abrupt stop after such a dominant showing to open the year.
After returning from his injury, Collins wasn’t the same down the stretch, averaging 5.1 catches for 62.7 yards. Still great numbers, but not nearly the standard he set early in the year. The telling number was the targets. In four healthy pre-IR games, Collins had 8+ targets in all four. After returning, he had 8+ targets in three of seven games.
With Collins healthy and raring to go, expect his workload to look more like his early 2024 games. Add in the fact that Christian Kirk has been ruled out, there is more incentive for Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud to look Nico’s way. And with the Texans set as road underdogs, they’ll need to air it out to stay competitive with the Rams. All signs point to a productive day at the office for Houston’s star receiver.
