Texans’ receivers Nico Collins, Christian Kirk not practicing Friday, ruled out against 49ers

HOUSTON – Texans starting wide receivers Nico Collins and Christian Kirk didn’t practice Friday and are not slated to play Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.

They were officially ruled out Friday afternoon.

A Pro Bowl selection last season who leads the team in receiving yards, Collins remains under the NFL concussion protocol.

A veteran slot acquired in an offseason trade from the Jacksonville Jaguars, Kirk is dealing with his second hamstring injury of the season.

Both players are expected back as soon as next week for a home game against the Denver Broncos

In their absence heading into a home game against the 49ers, the Texans will lean heavily on veteran tight Dalton Schultz, rookie wide receivers Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins and Xavier Hutchinson, their fellow Iowa State football alum.

“I just want to see Higgins and Noel do what they’ve done, and that’s just be the guys they are,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “They don’t have to do anything extra. If their roles are increased, great. It means more opportunities for those guys to make plays, but they don’t have to go out and be someone else.

“They just need to be themselves and be the guys who we saw at Iowa State make play after play after play because they did it the right way. So, that’s what they have to go do.”

In particular, Noel has stepped up after his best performance of the season.

One game after catching his first NFL touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens and celebrating by imitating Ray Lewis’ trademark Squirrel dance, Noel caught a season-high four passes for 77 yards on seven targets against the Seahawks. He had a 29-yard reception and three first downs.

“My preparation stays the same, preparing like I’m the No. 1 guy mentally,” Noel said. “So just having full confidence in myself, full confidence in my teammates that we’ll be able to go out there and be successful. I would say it’s a big difference from Week One to now, just kinda settling in and understanding what my process is each week and then going into the game, knowing what to expect, the speed of the game.”

A former Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year, Noel is explosive and elusive after the catch. He showed that skill against the Seahawks in a losing cause.

“I feel like I made some some good plays, but, for me, I’m always looking what I can get better at and there was a few things on the tape I felt like I could get better at personally and just continuing to work on my route execution, hand combat, the line of scrimmage,” Noel said. “It’s always good to have good plays, but I’m always looking at what I can get better at.”

Noel ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds at the NFL scouting combine and had a 41 1/2 inch vertical leap. He was drafted in the third round, one round after the Texans selected Higgins, his college teammate and friend.

“Jaylin Noel, he was phenomenal,” Ryans said. “He showed up. He was probably our most explosive player when it came to pushing the ball downfield. Again, we have multiple guys who can make those plays. It’s just a matter of mixing it up, getting the ball to him.

“I thought he showed up big time for us in some real critical moments there at the end of the half and also on a big-time fourth down catch for us to extend the drive. Jaylin has that big play ability in him. So, I’m excited to see him continue to flourish in that role.”

Noel has caught nine passes for 99 yards and one touchdown on 14 targets.

Higgins has caught nine passes for 121 yards and one score on 13 targets.

Both have displayed potential. Now, they’re stepping into increased roles.

“Really, what they’ve been doing: continue to show up and run great routes,” Stroud said. “I think whatever they’re doing in practice, which has been really good, will get it done in the game. So, just taking the practice to the game, the meetings to the practice and I think that’ll be the key recipe for them to have success on Sunday. I’m in full faith with them. I think they’re ready and I’m excited to see them roll.”

After his first six games, Higgins has nine receptions for 121 yards and one score on 13 targets.

In his NFL regular-season debut against the Los Angeles Rams, Higgins caught two passes for 32 yards on three targets. The one he didn’t get was an interception by Stroud where he could have made a better effort to knock down the football.

The rookie wide receiver caught a season-high four passes for 32 yards on four targets in a dominant win over the Baltimore Ravens. That performance came on the heels of his first NFL touchdown on a 24-yard pass from Stroud against the Tennessee Titans.

Higgins, though, was shut out by Seattle with no catches on three targets.

“I always feel good,” Higgins said. “I always feel like I can go out there and make a play whenever my number is called. So, that’s where I stand.

“The biggest thing, it comes down to the little details, making sure we’re executing in the moment when the play comes and I know C.J. is gonna give me a good ball more times than not. For me, it’s just making sure I’m winning and going out there and making the play.”

The most reliable and productive healthy option for Stroud is Schultz.

Schultz leads the Texans with 30 catches, four more than Collins. He ranks second in receiving yards with 284 yards. He has been targeted 37 times. He caught nine passes for 98 yards on 10 targets against Seattle.

“He’s super reliable, not only just on the field, but off the field,” Stroud said. “He’s somebody that I talk to about a lot of different things and he’s been great.

“He’s been a brother to me and somebody that I’m very grateful to have a teammate like him and I think he had a great game on Monday, but he’s looking good every week and just got to keep finding ways to get him the ball. He’s been very helpful.”

Schultz is providing leadership on and off the field. The former Stanford standout, in the second year of a three-year, $36 million contract extension, is being counted on.

“Dude, every time every time you go out you’re trying to make plays for a quarterback, trying to make plays for a team,” Schultz said. “To answer your question, that’s exactly what we try to do.”

Nonetheless, though, the contributions didn’t lead to a win. The Texans fell short, 27-19, at Lumen Field.

“Dude, we didn’t do enough,” Schultz said. “We came up a score short. So whatever the performance is, I think it doesn’t matter.”

Schultz likes what he’s seen from Higgins and Noel in terms of their work ethic and ability.

"They’re workers," he said. “Biggest thing is make sure you’re ready whenever it’s your time. If that means more snaps, that means more balls, then so be it. I know their process and I know they’ve been going about it the right way. So, yeah, they gotta step up.”

The Texans listed cornerback Jaylin Smith as questionable. He was designated for return to practice this week from injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Defensive end Denico Autry was rested Friday due to a knee injury and is questionable.

Rookie corner Alijah Huzzie (knee) was rule out. He has been designated for return from the non-football injury list.

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and clck2houston.com