Stefon Diggs’ season-ending knee injury and Nico Collins' continued absence due to a hamstring issue have thrust the rest of the Houston Texans' wide receiver room into the spotlight.
Currently, Tank Dell stands as the lone remaining starter of the crew. Xavier Hutchinson, John Metchie III and veteran Robert Woods should all see their opportunities increase.
While a potential trade addition is possible ahead of the Nov. 5 deadline, coach DeMeco Ryans is confident in the in-house crew.
"One thing that sticks out, Hutch, Metch, all those guys just from our last game just showing guys winning their one-on-one opportunities," Ryans said of Sunday’s win over Indianapolis. "Hutch going to the ground there making a tough catch. Metchie finding a way to win in an off-schedule moment there in the game and come up with a big catch. That’s all we ask is win your one-on-one and make the plays that you are supposed to make. If guys do that collectively as a team, we will be just fine."
Dell agrees that it's a collective effort sans Diggs.
“Once you lose one of your star players, everybody’s got to step up," Dell said, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC. “Even if you are one of the star players, you still have to step up and do more and produce more. I know all of us are more than capable of doing that. So, we are going to try to go out there and make plays.”
Dell figures to see an uptick of targets his way as long as Collins is out.
“Tank just has to be Tank. Tank has been an explosive player in college. He was explosive, he has been explosive for us, so Tank just has to be Tank. Happy birthday, Tank,” Ryans said of the receiver, who turned 25 on Tuesday.
Collins, despite missing the last three games, leads Houston with 567 receiving yards (which led the NFL through Week 5). Diggs currently has the most Texans catches (47), is tied for the most receiving touchdowns (3) and is second in receiving yards (496). Dell is the most productive healthy receiver remaining, with 24 catches for 229 yards and two touchdowns.
Losing Diggs ahead of Thursday’s prime-time matchup against the New York Jets marks the second consecutive season Houston will face Gang Green following a major wideout injury. Dell suffered a fractured fibula in Week 13 last year ahead of the Week 14 game at New York -- it was Stroud’s worst game of the season, in which he threw for 91 yards on 10-of-23 passing.
With Collins reportedly on pace to return in Week 10, Houston will have to get through Thursday’s game counting on Hutchinson and Metchie to play bigger roles than ever.
“I am excited about where our team is,” Ryans said. “To be sitting here right now 6-2, we are excited about where we are. As you mentioned, a lot of ball ahead of us but we talked about starting fast and we have started fast. Our team has found a way to win in different fashion, whether it is offense, defense, or special teams, different areas of our team have stepped up and made plays to help us win games so I am excited with where we are and excited with where we are going and continue to build the right way.”