Nico Collins vs Brock Bowers

“At worst, Collins profiles as a reliable fantasy WR1/WR2 hybrid with one of the strongest WR efficiency profiles in the NFL.”

“Nico Collins continued his run as Houston's unquestioned WR1 in 2025, posting his third 1,000-yard season in the last four years while finishing as a top-10 fantasy receiver once again. Despite battling injuries, Collins remained highly efficient and continued to dominate targets and red-zone usage in the Texans offense.”

“The Texans have a lot of passing game weapons, but outside of Schultz and Nico Collins, none of them are very good at all.”

“On the flip side, what if you have Nico and got a value on Jacobs (as his ADP free-falls thanks to off-field issues)? Montgomery would make more sense there for the stack-and-run back correlation.”

“Nico Collins' ADP is essentially one round behind his ECR in a 12-team league, with a 66% gap between his ADP and ECR that trails only Ja'Marr Chase. Although he has been "just" a back-end fantasy WR1 over the last two years, the 27-year-old is a genuine top-tier talent at the position, ranking seventh, second and fifth among qualified receivers in Pro Football Focus receiving grade over the last three seasons.”

“Nico Collins was discussed as a receiver whose combination of physical traits and offensive role keeps him firmly in the upper fantasy conversation. The analysis focused heavily on his ability to command targets while also producing explosive plays. There was a sense throughout the discussion that Collins has moved beyond simply being a breakout candidate and now belongs in the tier of receivers fantasy managers can trust weekly.”

“Collins saw a career-high 120 targets in 2025. Furthermore, he had six receiving touchdowns after totaling 15 over the previous two years.”

“Top cap hit: Nico Collins, $14,939,529 (4.96 percent)”

“Houston will head into training camp later this month with back-to-back Pro Bowler Nico Collins continuing to lead its receiving corps. Stroud has formed a strong connection with Collins, a 1,000-yard receiver three years in a row.”

“Nico Collins has since received a raise as part of the Texans' changes to their wide receiver room.”

“Coming off a rough stretch to end the year, Texans WR Nico Collins outlined the different mindset from QB C.J. Stroud. "Different guy, different dude, man on a mission," Collins said. "Man, he's ready to hunt."”

“Collins, 27, was a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Michigan and signed a three-year, $72 million extension with the Texans. He was on pace for an incredible season before a hamstring injury landed him on injured reserve and caused him to miss five games in 2024.”

“Bowers has had to produce despite some of the worst quarterback play in the NFL during the first two seasons of his career. The Raiders appear to be in a much better position offensively this season, however. Whether it's veteran Kirk Cousins or Fernando Mendoza under center, the quarterback room projects to be an upgrade. On top of that, the hiring of Klint Kubiak as head coach should bring more volume to the superstar tight end.”

“Bowers came into the NFL as one of the most highly regarded TE prospects of all time and had 112 catches for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns on 153 targets as a rookie while playing with QBs Gardner Minshew, Aidan O'Connell and Desmond Ridder. Injuries kept Bowers from big things in 2025, but he should have a monster 2026 season as the top target earner in what should be an improved Raiders offense.”

“Brock Bowers lead the way as the top candidates to finish above 200 fantasy points (half-PPR). With the league shifting towards TE-heavy offensive sets, we could see snaps across the position skyrocket.”

“Managers consistently overpay for superstars early (the curse of Brock Bowers in 2025). A star player like Bowers is going to cost a lot early in the season, especially if you are playing with inexperienced or uninformed chopped players.”

“The passing game will also get a lift from a healthier Brock Bowers. The team's top pass-catching weapon suffered a PCL injury and a bone bruise in his knee in Week 1 and played through the injury for three weeks before shutting it down until Week 9.”

“Bowers, meanwhile, is onto his third quarterback in three years and will be hoping that Fernando Mendoza adjusts quickly to the NFL.”

“I've had the best results getting my starting RBs from this stage, a solid, back-end top 12 WR, and Brock Bowers if he's going for somewhere near the mid $30s.”

“Bowers was plagued by injuries last season. He played through a couple of lingering injuries at the start of the season, and ultimately ended his season after 12 games.”

“Everyone is expecting the Raiders' rookie QB to pepper Bowers as he gets his feet wet. Expect to pay a premium for the top-ranked TE, this year.”

“Bowers is worth a look in the back half of the second round or early in the third round of 12-team fantasy drafts.”

“Pat Fitzmaurice compared Bowers' potential fantasy edge to the advantage Travis Kelce provided during his peak seasons. Even as a rookie, Bowers posted elite receiving numbers and finished among the league leaders in targets, receptions, and receiving yards across all pass catchers.”

“Brock Bowers, Raiders (24) was the highest rated Tight End in the NFL Top 100 for 2025.”