Latest news with #NicoCollins
NBC Sports
6 hours ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Texans' Collins a 'strong' 'Ride or Die' candidate
Matthew Berry details what makes Nico Collins a prime candidate to be his fantasy 'Ride or Die' this year, with ascending stars Brian Thomas Jr. and Drake London also looming as possible options.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
The trends to know to dominate your fantasy football drafts
In the first of a six-part fantasy football draft preview series, Fantasy Insanity discusses general draft strategy. Next week: tight ends. You know what's better than making a birdie? Making a bunch of birdies. Anything beat watching a couple of episodes of your favorite show? Binging a whole season. Certainly there is nothing better than drafting a handful of fantasy teams. Except drafting dozens of fantasy teams! More is often better. Maybe, perhaps, greed is good? Consider the Fantasy Madman a card-carrying, flag-waving member of Gang Greed, at least when it comes to fantasy football. Yes, we prefer to draft a bunch of teams, but more importantly, this season we expanded of database of fantasy stats to create an even better Draft Value Quotient (DVQ). And a deeper dive gave us clearer insights into some trends, be it coaching, age and beyond. Nico Collins during training camp. Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Movin' on up Whether it's coaching tendencies, depth chart uncertainty or age, three players are higher on our board than they are on most others. With Tank Dell expected to miss all of this season after his devastating knee injury last year, and Stefon Diggs now playing for the Patriots, top Texans WR Nico Collins gets a usage bump, and it shows in the rankings. Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. had a great rookie season, and our formula expects him to rise even higher under a new coach in Year 2. Same with the Chargers' Ladd McConkey. Our model prefers younger RBs, and Bucky Irving is one of the biggest beneficiaries, with expectations for him to take a larger share of the Buccaneers' backfield workload. Fantasy Football DVQ: The only draft rankings you need The latest incarnation of the Fantasy Madman's football rating system has arrived. The nuts and bolts have been tweaked and strengthened, the breadth of the database was expanded, some ingredients were added to the soup, and some that were souring the stew were removed. So we're leaner and more flavorful. Now allow us to serve you the latest helping of the Draft Value Quotient (DVQ). The DVQ is a system that rates players across the board, balancing value based on positional depth. A player's DVQ rating represents the point in the draft where projected production meets draft value. Each draft slot is assigned a value for expected production, which descends at a constant rate (same amount of expected points substracted from each descending pick). However, a player's real-world production forms an arc (steep fall at top, then flattening out), therefore there are gaps in the ratings. Example: The top player might have a 1.0 DVQ, but the second-ranked player might have a DVQ of 13.3. Deeper in the draft pool, instead of big gaps, players will only be separated by percentage points. So saddle up, study up, then queue up a draft, and take a ride with the DVQ. Pass the test Compared to seasons past, quarterbacks are higher — particularly running QBs. Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels and Jalen Hurts all rate in the top 40. For traditional pocket passers, only Joe Burrow does. Bear in mind, injuries/games played has higher impact than in the past, and a lot of the top running QBs haven't missed significant time of late, so we feel like there is a correction coming at some point, but our math loves these guys this season. Old & grumpy The trend for older, high-mileage or oft-injured RBs is exactly what you would expect, and the projections reflect that. Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey and Joe Mixon are projected to have falloffs. Jalen Hurts is ranked high in DVQ. AP Top story The first few picks of the draft are normally the easiest, and this season is no exception. Ja'Marr Chase should be No. 1. After that, you can't go wrong with Bijan Robinson, Justin Jefferson or Jahmyr Gibbs. But remember that thing about oft-injured RBs? Well, that is why Saquon Barkley is not in our top five.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Texans' Nico Collins lands in top 10 WRs by NFL coaches and executives
Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins proved to be more than a one-hit wonder from 2023 with his 1,000-yard campaign in 2024. He was on his way to leading the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns before a hamstring injury sidelined him for five games. That didn't stop executives and general managers from placing Collins among the top 10 playmaking pass-catchers entering 2025. ESPN polled talent evaluators from around the league on the top 10 wide receivers, having Collins take the spot at No. 8. Even with another setback because of injury, his potential outweighs the lack of reps. "The rare ability to be a legitimate No. 1," an NFL personnel director said. "Good balance, skill set, size, speed, agility for his size, very good hands, competes." Even after missing five games, Collins finished with 68 receptions, 1,006 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. He was on pace to total more than 1,400 yards, which would have finished third in the NFL. Since his hot start in 2023, Collins has been better than expected. Like Tampa Bay's Chris Godwin, the former third-round pick has blossomed into a legit No. 1 force in the passing attack and a security blanket for C.J. Stroud. His average of 85.3 receiving yards per game over the past two seasons has also been among the top five rankings in the NFL. "He was once a jump ball guy, but once he started taking quick throws for big gains with his size and athleticism, that changed his game," an NFL offensive coach said. The Texans return for the start of training camp next Wednesday at 9 a.m. This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans' Nico Collins lands in top 10 WRs by NFL coaches and executives
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Texans WR Nico Collins Lands on Exclusive List
Texans WR Nico Collins Lands on Exclusive List originally appeared on Athlon Sports. With NFL training camps around the corner, ESPN continued their rankings of the top NFL players at 11 different positions by unveiling the Top 10 wide receivers on Wednesday. Advertisement To help with the rankings, the Worldwide Leader surveyed league executives, coaches and scouts. After receiving honorable mention in last year's ranking, Houston Texans star Nico Collins was ranked as the No. 8 wideout heading into 2025. "Support for Collins has slowly built over the past few years, and he's proved undeniable after his first Pro Bowl campaign in 2024. Though he appeared on slightly below 50% of the ballots, half of his votes were in the top five." ESPN's Jermey Fowler wrote. Despite missing five games last season, Collins recorded his second-consecutive 1,000-yard season for the Texans. He finished the 2024 campaign with 68 receptions for 1,006 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) participates in a drill Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images According to the ESPN's synopsis of the Texans wideout, "Collins is one of three NFL receivers to produce at least three yards per route run in 2024 (minimum of 75 targets). And he averaged 85.3 receiving yards per game over the past two seasons, the fifth-best mark in the NFL." Advertisement The 6-foot-5, 222-pound wideouts' vast skillset even impressed one NFL executive enough to issue some very high praise. "The rare ability to be a legitimate No. 1," an NFL personnel director informed ESPN. "Good balance, skill set, size, speed, agility for his size, very good hands, competes." "He was once a jump-ball guy, but once he started taking quick throws for big gains with his size and athleticism, that changed his game," an NFL offensive coach said. The Cincinnati Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase was listed as the No. 1 wide receiver, followed by the Minnesota Vikings' Justin Jefferson and Miami Dolphins speedster Tyreek Hill rounding out the top three. Dallas Cowboys wideout CeeDee Lamb, Philadelphia Eagles' A.J. Brown, Detroit Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown, and New York Giants second-year star Malik Nabers were ranked No. 4-7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Mike Evans and the New York Jets Garrett Wilson rounded out the top 10. Advertisement Collins will enter the 2025 campaign as C.J. Stroud's No. 1 option for the third straight season. With Stefon Diggs gone, and Tank Dell's return doubtful, the Texans' second and third wide receiver spots are seemingly up for grabs. Collins and his teammates begin training camp on July 22nd. Related: Texans' C.J. Stroud Snubbed by NFL Coaches, Executives in QB Ranking Related: Texans Offensive Line Receives Alarming Ranking Ahead of Training Camp This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
06-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
PFSN ranks all 32 NFL offenses (including the Texans)
Pro Football Network recently released its preseason NFL power rankings for offenses going into the 2025 NFL season. To no surprise, the Detroit Lions landed at the No. 1 spot, while the Cleveland Browns, with qestions at quarterback, take last place. Where do the Houston Texans fall after trading away five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil and moving on from Bobby Slowik in favor of Nick Caley? Well, for now, it's near the bottom since the offensive line and questions at receiver, minus Nico Collins. Appearing at No. 27, PFSN's Kyle Soppe loves that C.J. Stroud will be getting a fresh start with the playbook, but there are too many questions surrounding the offensive line's status entering the year to warrant a higher selection. "In 2023, the Houston Texans were the hot offense to buy stock in," Soppe wrote. "Rookie C.J. Stroud led them to the 15th-best unit by our math, and the outlook for 2024 was nothing but rosy with Tank Dell projecting to take the next step and Stefon Diggs coming to town. "Houston graded out better than Arizona that season, yet they were 22 spots worse than the Cardinals just 12 months later. It would appear that a franchise QB is beneath the surface, and a healthy Nico Collins would go a long way toward him returning to that 'future of the position' conversation. "Christian Kirk was brought in from Jacksonville, and Jaylin Noel was taken No. 79 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. If you're going to buy low on Houston's offense, now is the time." A near-the-back-of-the-pack ranking seems fair going into the summer. Nothing has happened on the field to warrant a massive upside turnaround this offseason, but things could change by the end of training camp. Houston will look to improve on that ranking this fall, starting with a Week 1 showdown with the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Sept. 7. The Texans return for training camp in two weeks, starting on July 23.
