Xavier Hutchinson Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Texans WR Xavier Hutchinson tallied 3 receptions for 30 yards among five targets in Sunday's loss to the Broncos. That ranked just fourth among Houston players in targets and catches but positioned him ahead of rookie WR Jayden Higgins. The second-round pick caught his only target for 4 yards, losing playing time to the returning veterans at WR.

Houston played without WRs Nico Collins (concussion) and Christian Kirk (hamstring) in Sunday's win over the 49ers. Rookie WR Jayden Higgins took advantage, logging the most snaps of any Houston player at the position and leading the team in routes and targets. Higgins caught four of his eight chances for 34 yards and a TD, scoring from 12 yards out in the middle of the second quarter. Xavier Hutchinson followed Higgins closely in usage and led the team in receiving yards for the game. He posted a 5-69-1 receiving line on six targets, catching C.J. Stroud's other TD pass from 30 yards out.

Texans WRs Nico Collins (concussion) and Christian Kirk (hamstring) are out for Sunday’s game vs. the 49ers. Neither guy practiced all week. Collins should have a good chance to make it back for Week 9, but Kirk could miss more time. Their absences this week leave Houston with WRs Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel, Xavier Hutchinson, and Braxtos Berrios. Higgins and Noel land in WR4 territory in the Week 8 rankings.

Texans WR Nico Collins (concussion) did not practice on Wednesday. He was concussed just two days ago and remains a long shot to be cleared in time for Sunday's game vs. the 49ers. WR Christian Kirk (hamstring) was also sidelined on Wednesday and looks unlikely to play this weekend. That'll leave Houston with Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel, Xavier Hutchinson, and Braxton Berrios atop the WR depth chart. Rookies Higgins and Noel are worth stashing in fantasy leagues of 12+ teams but would be tough to trust in Week 8 lineups.

The Texans opened Monday night's game at Seattle without No. 2 WR Christian Kirk (hamstring injury). They lost WR Nico Collins to a fourth-quarter concussion. And they completed just six passes for the game to WRs not named Collins ... among 49 total pass attempts. TE Dalton Schultz took advantage of the situation, matching Collins' team lead in targets (10) and easily leading all Texans with 9 receptions and 98 yards in the loss.

Texans WR Nico Collins sustained a concussion in the fourth quarter of Monday night's game vs. the Seahawks. It's his first documented concussion. But with just six days to clear protocol, Collins is unlikely to play vs. the 49ers on Sunday. His absence would leave Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel, and Xavier Hutchinson as Houston's top three WRs, assuming Christian Kirk doesn't make it back from his latest hamstring injury. Higgins and Noel are worth speculative stashes, but they'd be tough to trust in Week 8 fantasy lineups with Houston's offense continuing to struggle.

Texans WR Christian Kirk (hamstring) is out for Monday night's game vs. the Seahawks. He seemingly injured his hamstring on Friday and did not practice on Saturday. This could very well turn into a multi-game absence. Kirk's absence will mean more snaps and target opportunities for WRs Xavier Hutchinson, Jayden Higgins, and Jaylin Noel.

Texans QB C.J. Stroud dominated the Ravens' injured defense, completing 23 of 27 passes for 244 yards and 4 TDs. Stroud also had a 30 yard run which provided another nice boost to his fantasy total. WR Nico Collins went 4-52-1 while Xavier Hutchinson caught two TDs.

Texans WR Christian Kirk (hamstring) did not practice on Thursday. That's not a good start for his chances of returning for Monday night's game vs. the Buccaneers. Houston deployed a rotation of Xavier Hutchinson, Justin Watson, Jayden Higgins, and Jaylin Noel behind Nico Collins with Kirk out last week.

Texans WR Christian Kirk (hamstring) is out for Sunday’s opener vs. the Rams. He didn’t practice all week, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter suggested on Thursday that Kirk could miss more games. His absence leaves Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel, and Xavier Hutchinson as Houston’s No. 2 through 4 WRs behind Nico Collins. Noel is the most natural replacement for Kirk in the slot, but it’s unclear exactly how snaps will be divvied. We’d try to avoid the situation in Week 1 fantasy lineups, but Higgins and Noel should be stashed in virtually all fantasy leagues.

Texans’ rookie WR Jayden Higgins has been rotating with Xavier Hutchinson for the third WR spot when Houston is in 11 personnel, according to DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.

The Jaguars are trading WR Christian Kirk to the Texans for a seventh-round pick in 2026, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. The compensation's obviously low because the Jags had already made it known they planned to release Kirk. By giving up a late pick in next year's draft, Houston gets the final year of Kirk's existing contract (at $16.5 million) instead of having to compete for him on the open market.

Texans WR Robert Woods (hip) is listed as questionable for Saturday's Divisional Round game vs. the Chiefs. He didn't practice all week. Woods played 51% of the offensive snaps for an injury-riddled Texans WR corps in the Wild Card win over the Chargers. His absence would force WR Xavier Hutchinson and potentially WR Jared Wayne into more snaps against Kansas City. WR Nico Collins, TE Dalton Schultz, and WR John Metchie project as the top three targets.

The Texans have claimed WR Diontae Johnson off waivers from the Ravens, according to multiple reports. That marks his fourth team since the end of last season.

Texans WR Tank Dell left Saturday's loss to the Chiefs after suffering a serious injury to his left knee. Dell caught a 30-yard TD pass early in the third quarter but landed in clear pain. He left the field in an ambulance with his entire leg being stabilized. HC DeMeco Ryans told reporters after the game that Dell will stay overnight in a Kansas City hospital.

Texans WR Stefon Diggs will miss the remainder of the season with a torn right ACL. His season ends with 47 catches, 496 yards, and 3 TDs in less than 8 full games.

The Texans placed WR Nico Collins on IR. That knocks him out for at least the next four games vs. the Patriots, Packers, Colts, and Jets. Collins will be eligible to return for Week 10's game against the Lions. "While hamstrings can be tricky, the belief is that Nico Collins will be back sooner, rather than later," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweets.

When addressing WR Nico Collins' injury on Monday, Texans HC Demeco Ryans said, "it takes a couple of weeks for a hamstring, so we'll evaluate that on a week-to-week basis." It's not exactly a concrete timetable for Collins' return, but it sounds like the Texans are bracing for a potential multi-game absence. We'll keep an eye on Collins this week, but fantasy owners should at least prepare to be without him for this Sunday's game vs. the Patriots. Collins' absence would leave behind a ton of opportunity for WRs Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell. Xavier Hutchinson stepped in as Houston's No. 3 WR in the second half of last week's game but would be a desperation fantasy play.

Texans WR Tank Dell (chest) has been ruled out for Sunday's game vs. the Jaguars. He's reportedly dealing with painful bruised ribs. We'll see if Dell can make it back for Week 5's game against the Bills. It's unclear how Dell's snaps will be divvied between WRs Xavier Hutchinson, Robert Woods, and John Metchie. None is a viable Week 4 fantasy play. WR Nico Collins, WR Stefon Diggs, and TE Dalton Schultz could pick up extra targets with Dell out.

Texans WR Tank Dell is "unlikely" to play vs. the Jaguars this weekend, according to insider Aaron Wilson. Dell is dealing with "painful bruised ribs" suffered near the end of last week's loss to the Vikings, Wilson adds. The injury is not considered long term.