Texans QB CJ Stroud's confident stance in WR room amid Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins injuries

   

CJ Stroud is confident in the Texans' depth wide receivers amid the rash of injuries

The Houston Texans' wide receiver depth was expected to be one of their biggest strong points this year, but after Nico Collins suffered a hamstring injury, and Stefon Diggs' season came to an end with an ACL injury, they are quickly relying on players like John Metchie III and Xavier Hutchinson to step up as weapons for CJ Stroud alongside Tank Dell.

“Metch and Hutch are two guys that, Match is considered in year three, but his rookie year was kind of last year with us,” CJ Stroud said, via James Palmer of Underdog Fantasy. “I believe he's playing really good ball. He made some big plays last game and is somebody who I just think needs his ops and he'll be able to do a lot. And I've been able to spend a bunch of time with him. One of my best friends on the team, as you guys know. And Hutch is the same way. Hutch is somebody who I came in with. I've been throwing routes on air with him for two years straight now. And I think our connection, you could see it last week, grow. And it'll continue to do better, so I'm excited to see those buys get the opportunities.”

Stroud and Tank Dell have an established connection with the Texans, as they were drafted in the same year and he thrived in his rookie season. John Metchie III was a second-round pick from 2022 for the Texans who is now getting his chance after struggling with injuries early in his career. Xavier Hutchinson was picked in the sixth round in 2023, the same class as Stroud and Dell, and he is getting a chance now as well while Collins works his way back from the hamstring injury.

Texans look to stay hot vs. reeling Jets team

Amid the injuries to the wide receiver position, the Texans still are 6-2 on the season as they await the return of Collins. They picked up a 23-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts to complete a sweep o the division rival, and will play a reeling 2-6 New York Jets team coming off of a brutal loss to the New England Patriots.

The Jets still have talent, but it has clearly not come together. The defense has regressed, so it will be interesting to see how that unit fares against a Texans team with a depleted wide receiver room. For the Texans, hopefully Stroud performs similar to how he did against the Colts last week, as opposed to when he threw for just 86 yards against the Green Bay Packers.