The Houston Texans' wide receiver room is set to look a bit different than initially expected this season without second-year wideout Jayden Higgins in the lineup- who will be out for the 2026 campaign due to a torn ACL suffered in practice last week.
Without Higgins, who was overwhelmingly expected to be the Texans' No. 2 wide receiver in the offense, how this position could pan out for the offense this season could change drastically.
Guys are going to trend up the depth chart, get more targets and opportunities on their hands because of it, and might have some of their best seasons ever on the horizon.
Not having Higgins certainly hurts this Texans passing offense as a whole. But for these three wideouts on Houston's roster, they'll be in store for a lot more work without him.
Aug 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson (19) runs with the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The receiver who feels immediately due to claim the snaps left up for grabs from Higgins is none other than Xavier Hutchinson: someone who's healthy, fits the physical mold the Texans would want lining up as their Z receiver, and comes off a career-best season in 2025 entering a contract year.
The makings of an even better season are there for Hutchinson , who had over 30 receptions and 400 yards in 2025. Last season, he was fourth in the Texans' wide receiver room for target share at a little more than 10%. But now, two of the names that were above him in Higgins and Christian Kirk are no longer in the way for 2026.
Seeing Hutchinson log over 600 receiving yards this season and take that target share jump up to around 13% or higher certainly wouldn't be the most shocking outcome. And it could be what leads him to a nice payday once this next offseason arrives.
Dec 27, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel (14) runs after the catch against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Second-year wide receiver Jaylin Noel got a slow start to training camp due to the minor finger and hamstring injury he suffered at the end of July.
But now, he's trending back to full health heading into the final week of preseason. And with a smooth recovery, he could be due for an even bigger jump in opportunities from how things were shaking up in Houston's offseason program in the summer.
Compared to last season, Noel has another year of experience under his belt, won't have to compete for targets with either Kirk and Higgins, and feels like the most likely candidate to claim a majority of the snaps as the Texans' slot receiver throughout the course of the season. That role alone means Noel is due for a big jump in numbers.
Noel had a tiny 6% target share in the Texans' offense last season. If that number weren't in double digits by the time this season ends, it'd be a pretty big surprise.
Aug 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) catches a pass before playing against the Las Vegas Raiders at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Some may argue Tank Dell is in store for a significant jump in targets after Higgins' injury. But he hasn't even participated in a preseason game since recovering from his injury. And until he's back to a true 100%, his absence puts a star like Nico Collins in position for even more work than he was already expected to get.
Collins is about as trusted and proven a wide receiver that the Texans could have in their unit. He's already coming off of three straight 1,000-yard seasons, but less depth without Higgins, and maybe Dell to start the season, means those targets get further consolidated into top options like Houston's WR1.
As long as the Texans don't make any major changes to the position , and Collins remains healthy throughout the year, seeing him post a career-best season might not be out of the range of realistic possibilities for 2026.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/texans/onsi as Three Texans WRs Poised for More Targets Without Jayden Higgins .
