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The challenger versus the incumbent. The long-time star versus the breakout. Who is the top wide receiver in Houston?
Stefon Diggs joins a roster already loaded with talent in the wide receiver room. Nico Collins finished as a top-12 fantasy football wideout a year ago and Tank Dell was pacing as a high-end WR2 before his injury.
Will the target share become too diluted to trust any of the Houston receivers or is there value to be found in drafts? Let's dive in.
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Nico Collins 2024 Fantasy Football Outlook
Fresh off of an 80-catch, 1,297-yard, eight-touchdown season (in 15 games), Nico Collins is now a very rich man. The Texans rewarded their breakout receiver with an extension that pays him north of $24M annually.
It was the true definition of a third-year breakout. The 25-year-old had a combined 70 catches for 927 yards and three touchdowns in his two prior seasons. C.J. Stroud unlocked his potential after Collins endured 26 Davis Mills starts.
Collins helped Stroud, too. Via PlayerProfiler, Collins had the second-best quarterback rating when targeted (129.6). He also finished second in yards per route run (3.24) and third in yards per target (11.9).
Any offense vs. defense sequence where Houston finds Nico Collins 1-on-1 on an island is likely a favorable matchup.
Nico does Nico things, plays bully ball for fantastic yardage after the catch. Expect plenty of it this season #HTownMade pic.twitter.com/zPwBiS8VTu
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) August 18, 2024
They're paying him to be on the field all of the time. The targets may decline a touch with Diggs and Dell earning their share, but it's clear that Collins is the WR1 in Houston.
Stefon Diggs 2024 Fantasy Football Outlook
When older wide receivers show signs of decline, we should take note. Stefon Diggs is entering his age-31 season and faded in the second half for the second consecutive season. His five 100-yard games and five of his eight scores happened in the first six weeks.
He enters a Houston wide receiver room littered with talent. As noted, Collins finished just short of 1,300 yards in his breakout 2023 campaign. Tank Dell amassed 700 yards and seven touchdowns while essentially missing seven games (he played just a handful of snaps in Week 13 before suffering the leg injury that ended his season).
The good news is that Diggs appears to be in front of Dell on the depth chart. During the second game of the preseason, Diggs joined Collins on the field in two-receiver sets. From the small sample size, Dell was third in the pecking order.
CJ Stroud threading the needle to Stefon Diggs on the slant route 🪡 pic.twitter.com/DG005n3kfm
— Kendell Hollowell (@KHollowell_) August 21, 2024
Who Should I Draft in Fantasy Football?
Nico Collins saw the field the most during the preseason and is financially compensated as an alpha. The synergy that he and C.J. Stroud have is undeniable.
There will be weeks when Diggs is the highest-scoring Houston wideout. The same can be said for Dell. It's a beautiful problem for the Texans. For fantasy football managers, it's a nightmare.
Collins is being selected near the end of the third round, a perfect ADP for him. Diggs is going approximately a round later. Dell, drafted in the sixth round, is better value than his veteran counterpart.
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