Nico Collins fantasy outlook 2025: Is Texans WR a good pick?

Nico Collins was selected in the third round, No. 89 overall, by the Houston Texans in the 2021 NFL Draft. The wide receiver had 70 receptions for 927 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns over his first two seasons in the league. During that span, he finished as the WR86 and the WR77, and held little to no fantasy football relevance.

However, everything changed when the Texans drafted QB C.J. Stroud. From that moment, Collins has become one of the very best receivers and players in all of football. He has had back-to-back seasons with over 65 receptions, over 1,000 receiving yards, and seven or more touchdowns. Collins finished as the WR12 and the WR23 in PPR leagues during that time as well, becoming one of the most productive players at the position.

Heading into the 2025 season, Collins is being projected as a top WR1 option in fantasy football. Fantasy Pros ranks him as the WR7 and the No. 10 overall player available in PPR leagues. This projection has Collins being taken ahead of superstar players like Christian McCaffrey, Brian Thomas Jr. and De'Von Achane, and likely near the end of the first or the start of the second round of your draft this year.

However, considering he has not had a positional finish above the WR12 rank, is Collins currently overpriced at the WR7 rank heading into the new campaign?

Nico Collins fantasy outlook amid high price tag

There is no doubt that Collins is one of the most talented receivers in all of football. He is physical, a great route runner and succeeds in contested catch situations as well.

Although some fantasy managers may be hesitant to use their first-round pick on a player who has not finished above the WR12 position, 2025 may be the perfect time to buy high on Collins.

The Texans lost WR Stefon Diggs to the New England Patriots this offseason, and fellow WR Tank Dell is not expected to feature at all in 2025, given the severity of the injury he suffered last year. While the Texans did select WR Jayden Higgins in the second round and WR Jaylin Noel in the third round, neither is likely to surpass Collins on the depth chart or truly challenge him for targets this year.

Due to the situation and talent, Collins can be viewed as a solid WR1 heading into the new campaign.