Nico Collins: limited Wednesday in return from concussion
THE FACT. Houston receiver Nico Collins returned to practice Wednesday on a limited basis after sitting out Sunday's win over San Francisco while in concussion protocol, per NBC Sports' Pro Football Talk, which reported coach DeMeco Ryans is confident Collins will be available this week. NFL.com also listed him as limited Wednesday. Christian Kirk (hamstring) was limited in the same session after missing the previous two games.
THE VERDICT. Redraft: start Collins the moment he is cleared, without hesitation. A limited Wednesday in the week after a concussion absence is the expected first step, and Houston's passing game runs through him when he is on the field. Kirk's return matters less for Kirk's own line than for the attention it pulls off Collins. Hold whatever handcuff you grabbed last week through Friday, then cut it. DFS: Collins is in play once cleared, and the pricing may not catch up before kickoff. Dynasty: no change.
Health isn't the part that worries me here. Collins has drawn five targets in each of his last two games and finished outside the WR36 three weeks running, and that was before Houston folded Marvin Harrison Jr. into the room. Kirk back off the hamstring crowds it further - I don't buy that his return pulls coverage off Collins more than it pulls targets away from him. Been at this long enough to know a target tree that keeps adding mouths rarely feeds anybody well. I'm flexing him and hoping, not setting and forgetting.