Putting Up Numbers· NFL

The Texans' carries with Nico Collins and without Nico Collins

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, the Texans were 0.6 carries under with Nico Collins and 6.7 carries under without Nico Collins in 2026, 5 games against 2. The plain averages are 25.6 and 19.5, a difference of 6.1. All 4 second-half games were with Nico Collins.

Nico Collins, receiver: 329 receiving yards, 24 receptions and 35 targets in 5 games this season, 2% of HOU’s carries in those games.

2 games without Nico Collins is still too small a sample for the statistics to say much, but maybe you can find something if you squint.

carries a game over expected

A +6.1 difference in carries over expected with Nico Collins vs without Nico Collins is about what you’d expect.

A +6.1 difference in carries with Nico Collins vs without Nico Collins is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Nico Collinswithout Nico Collins
Houston Texans’ games, 2026, each marked with Nico Collins or without Nico Collins
SideDateGameResultcarriesExpected
Sep 13, 2026vsBUFL3224.9
Sep 20, 2026vsCINL1826.0
Sep 27, 2026@INDL2126.5
Oct 4, 2026vsDALL1927.6
Oct 11, 2026@TENW2726.9
Oct 18, 2026vsJAX (neutral)W2525.1
Oct 25, 2026vsNYGL2526.6

Method

Read against .

  • Expected is an offense and a defense a team, fit over every 2026 game between two teams in the table with the game being read left out, plus 0.2 for the home team (the edge the fit finds once strength is in), nothing at a neutral site.
  • Each expected number is then fit to the season’s games: a game bears out about 21% of the difference the model predicts.
  • The shuffle keeps the season’s shape: the games are cut in two where one date leaves the least variance, each game is read against its stretch, and the sides are shuffled only inside each stretch.
  • Who played is read from the snap counts, which name every player who took a snap on offense, defense or special teams.