Fantasy Upside
Nico Collins is viewed as a player who could make an upward move in 2023. Now entering his third season, the former third-round draft choice out of Michigan has displayed signs that he's ready for a bigger role. He was close to having that happen last season, but he played in just 10 games, including missing the final five due to a foot injury. But after healing during the offseason, Collins should receive ample opportunities during the preseason to show he's ready for more responsibility. He will have to find the end zone more often to move up the Houston pecking order. He caught five or more passes three times last season but failed to average even 10 yards per reception in any of them. His best yardage day of 82 came on just three catches against the Los Angeles Chargers in early October. With the Texans using the No. 1 overall pick on quarterback C.J. Stroud, Collins can focus on building rapport with the new face of the franchise and perhaps someday be a bona fide No. 1 target.
Fantasy Downside
As CBSSports.com notes, Collins hauled in just 57.8 percent of his 64 targets and only scored twice while aligning as an outside wide receiver on more than 90 percent of his snaps last season. He finished as a WR2 or better in just one game before his season ended early due to injury in Week 13.
2023 Bottom Line
With an 11th round ADP, Collins is essentially a free square. While you shouldn't count on it, grabbing any team's WR1 at this kind of discount is worth considering.
