Is Tank Dell playing tonight? Texans WR's status revealed for Week 9 TNF clash vs. Jets

The Houston Texans and New York Jets will play an AFC game on Thursday night to begin Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season.

With Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins now out due to injury, it will be intriguing to see how Houston's offense gets going. Will second-year wideout Tank Dell step up in the absence of the two superstar offensive weapons?

Will Tank Dell play against the Jets on Thursday night?

Tank Dell is expected to serve as the Houston Texans' No. 1 wide receiver when the team kicks off its Week 9 game on the road against the New York Jets on Thursday night.

Nico Collins has been placed on injured reserve since sustaining a hamstring injury in Week 5 and will not play on Thursday. Stefon Diggs' torn ACL will also keep him out of action for the rest of this season.

In an interview with reporters earlier this week, Dell said he will now need to perform better if the Texans are to win on Thursday.

"I’m not gonna make it seem like I don’t have to go out here and do what I need to do," Dell said. "I know I have some shoes to fill. I have to get back to doing what I was doing last year."

Tank Dell, who was selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft, was involved in 11 games last season and looked to have built chemistry with quarterback C.J. Stroud in Houston's offense. However, the wideout suffered a fractured fibula in November of last year, which ended his season prematurely.

Dell, who has only amassed 229 receiving yards in seven games since his injury recovery, has not been as productive this season as he was last year. He has also been pushed down the depth chart thus far this season, which may be because the team has recently upgraded its offense by adding Diggs and running back Joe Mixon.

Tank Dell will now get an opportunity to show last year's form when he takes over as the Texans' top wide receiver against the Jets.

How to watch Houston Texans vs. New York Jets on Thursday?

The Houston Texans, who are 6-2 and now in second place in the AFC, have been among the league's finest teams this season. On Thursday night, they will take on the New York Jets, a team that has lost five straight games and is at 2-6 following a shocking loss to the New England Patriots last weekend.

Top wide receivers Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs, who together have 79 receptions, 1,063 yards and seven scores this season, are out with injury, so the Texans will have to rely even more on Joe Mixon's rushing ability today.

Everything you need to know about how to watch and stream this Thursday Night Football game can be seen below:

Date and Time: Thursday, Oct. 31, at 8:15 p.m. ET

Location: MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey

TV: Exclusively available for streaming on Amazon Prime

Announcers: Al Michaels (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (color analyst), and Kaylee Hartung (sideline reporter)

Live streaming: NFL+, FuboTV