NFL leading receiver Nico Collins to miss at least 4 games after Texans place him on injured reserve

HOUSTON (AP) — Nico Collins, the NFL's leading receiver, will miss at least four games after the Houston Texans placed him on injured reserve with a hamstring injury Wednesday.

Collins left Houston's 23-20 victory over the Bills on Sunday after scoring on a 67-yard reception late in the first quarter.

Coach DeMeco Ryans said Monday that he considered Collins week to week with the injury before the Texans made the move to shut him down for a month Wednesday.

“Unfortunate that we’ll not have Nico,” Ryans said Wednesday. “Great player, been a great player all year for us, the best receiver in the league. But he’ll take the time to get healthy. He’ll be back for us. So encouraged by that news, he’ll be back at some point this season.”

Ryans refused to answer when asked if he expected Collins to return after the four games he's required to sit out after being placed on injured reserve.

“I'm not getting into that,” he said.

Collins, who is in his fourth NFL season, has 32 receptions for an NFL-best 567 yards with three touchdowns. He and quarterback C.J. Stroud have carried the offense with running back Joe Mixon out for the past three games with an ankle injury.

With Collins out, the 4-1 Texans will look to Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell to carry more of the load as they play the first of two straight road games Sunday at New England.

But Ryans said he'll be looking at many guys to help make up for the loss of Collins.

“Everybody has to get going, everybody has to step up on their role,” he said. “So we’ll see who that will be for us on Sunday. We don’t know right now today who’s gonna make those plays. You never know and that’s what’s exciting about our game, any given Sunday different guys being playmakers, stepping up and making plays.”

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Kristie Rieken, The Associated Press