NicoCollins

Jared Koch·Oct 6

After weeks of much clamor for Noel to get more snaps and targets his way compared to the first three games of the year, this game against

Dallas really felt like the Texans were eager to involve Noel a bit more than they had before. And in the reps he got, he took advantage of them in a big way. Noel had the second most yards (85) and snaps (34/62% of the offense) within the receiver room behind only Nico Collins. And with the multiple explosives he generated, it gives the Texans more reason to get him involved moving forward.

Oct 5

Collins is clearly the Texans' top receiver when healthy. He was back in the lineup after missing back-to-back games with a hamstring injury. He was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday but practiced in full on Friday, suggesting he would play without limitations. In his absence, Houston used a four-receiver rotation with Xavier Hutchinson, Kayshon Boutte, Jared Wayne and Jaylin Noel. All four played between 40-65% of snaps over the first three weeks. Wayne has been the closest thing to an X receiver without Collins, while Noel has mostly played in 11 personnel in the slot. Collins was back this week, and while he was rotated out a little more frequently than usual, he led the Texans' wide receivers. Wayne mostly served as Collins' backup and was the clear fifth wide receiver on the depth chart in this game. The surprising factor was Hutchinson moving from the top wide receiver in snaps over the first three weeks to the fourth receiver. Boutte and Noel played twice as many snaps as Hutchinson. Noel played 86.5% of snaps in 11 personnel after averaging 59.3% of snaps over the first three weeks. This was the most faith the Texans have put in Noel in a game in his career. Boutte’s snap rate decreased a little bit, but not nearly as much as it could have given how much the Texans have used Hutchinson over the last two seasons. This means the Texans have a clear top three wide receivers for the first time in a while in Collins, Boutte and Noel. Noel caught three passes for 85 yards. In most leagues, I would still leave both of the latter players on the waiver wire because this was a one-game sample, but it’s possible either one could emerge as a fantasy option this season.