Texans WR Collins (hamstring) expects to return vs. Cowboys

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins expects to play Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys after he missed five games with a hamstring injury.

“I feel like myself,” Collins said Friday. “I feel like that was the main part.”

Collins led the NFL with 567 yards receiving when he was injured on a 67-yard touchdown grab in an Oct. 6 win over the Buffalo Bills. He spent four weeks on injured reserve before being activated last Saturday.

But he wasn’t ready to return Sunday night and was inactive for Houston’s loss to Detroit, leaving him out for a fifth straight game to match the longest streak of consecutive games missed in his four-year career.

“You don’t want to miss no games, but that’s part of it,” he said. “But it’s a long season, it’s a marathon and you want to take care of your body. But missing time hurts. You want to be out there with your brothers, making plays.”

Houston lost Stefon Diggs to a season-ending knee injury Oct. 27 and the Texans' passing game has struggled without Collins. He remains the team’s leading receiver despite his extended absence.

Quarterback C.J. Stroud is thrilled to have Collins back.

“He has that personality where he wants the hard coverage guy, he wants the hard routes to run, he wants to make the hard plays,” Stroud said. “When he gets the ball, he is dangerous. He is able to turn good into great. He runs guys over. He does all these things. ... He gets everybody juiced up to play hard and I definitely feel like we have been missing that.”

Collins takes pride in hearing comments like that and believes it’s part of his job to help elevate everyone around him.

“I feel like you bring the energy, you bring the best out of everybody,” he said. “You bring the physicality. I’m showing my teammates that I’m bringing it. So, I need everybody to come in with me.”

Collins will try to help the AFC South-leading Texans get back on track after dropping their last two games and three of their last four. The Texans hope his return will help solve some of the problems they’ve had in the second half of games.

Houston has scored just 15 points after halftime in its last four games combined with no touchdowns. The Texans led by 16 at the break against the Lions before being shut out in the second half of the 26-23 loss.

“I want to change it,” he said. “Add another piece out there, another weapon. ... Every time I touch the ball I’m trying to score and just bringing that juice and just having another playmaker out there brings a lot to the offense. And I can’t wait to go out there and play.”

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