The Houston Texans earned a key 23-20 victory over the Buffalo Bills in Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season, but it came at a cost. They lost their top receiver Nico Collins to a hamstring injury that knocked him out of the game after just one quarter.

Collins' injury occurred during his 67-yard touchdown reception at the end of the first quarter. He appeared to pull up slightly as he finished the run and eventually went to the locker room for medical evaluation. He did not return to the game.

Initially, the Texans seemed optimistic that Collins' injury may be a short-term one. However, the fourth-year wide-out will need to miss at least some time because of the malady.

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Here's what to know about Collins' hamstring and his timeline to return from the soft-tissue injury:

How long is Nico Collins out?

The Texans are expected to place Collins on IR on Wednesday, per multiple reports. That will knock him out for at least the next four games.

That said, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Collins is expected back "sooner rather than later." As such, the Texans may get their No. 1 wide-out back in Week 10 against the Detroit Lions, his earliest possible return date.

The Texans initially announced that Collins would be day-to-day with his hamstring injury. Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans changed his tune during a media availability on Monday, the day following Collins' injury.

Ryans said that Collins was "in good spirits" but implied it would be difficult for the team's star receiver to play in Week 6 against the New England Patriots.

"It takes a couple of weeks for a hamstring," Ryans said. "We’ll evaluate that on a week-to-week basis and see where we can get him."

That "week-to-week" timeline turned into what will be at least a four-week absence. Now, the Texans will have to rely on their other top wide-outs to replace Collins' impact.

Nico Collins stats

Collins is leading the NFL in receiving yards through five weeks with 567 yards. Below is a full look at his stats from the 2024 season:

• Targets: 45

• Catches: 32

• Yards: 567

• TDs: 3

• Yards per reception: 17.7

Collins has three games with at least 100 receiving yards and has recorded at least 78 yards in each of his five games to date.

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Texans WR depth chart

Houston figures to rely on Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell as its primary receivers as long as Collins is out of action.

Robert Woods and Xavier Hutchinson have alternated as the team's No. 4 receiver this season, but Hutchinson had a larger role than Woods after Collins' injury in Week 5. As such, he may be next in line to take on the snaps vacated by Collins.

Below is a full look at the Texans wide receiver depth chart behind Collins:

• Stefon Diggs

• Tank Dell

• Xavier Hutchinson

• Robert Woods

• John Metchie III

• Steven Sims

The team also has Johnny Johnson III available on the practice squad if it needs additional reinforcements.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nico Collins injury update: How long is Texans WR out?