Injuries are dominating the conversation surrounding the Cincinnati Bengals’ Week 2 matchup against the Houston Texans.

Joe Burrow’s “back tightness” is the primary talking point in Cincinnati, but a Wednesday practice injury to Texans wide receiver Nico Collins now becomes the more pertinent story to watch.

Collins, the Texans’ No. 1 wideout and a Pro Bowler of the last two years, suffered a hamstring injury during Wednesday’s practice. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, doctors who examined Collins following Wednesday’s practice do not believe the injury is serious, but his status for Sunday’s game “in jeopardy.” 

Nico Collins now dealing with hamstring injury

Collins missing Sunday’s game would be a huge blow for the Texans’ offense.

The 27-year-old became one of the highest-paid wideouts in the NFL this offseason for good reason. In Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills, he led Houston with seven receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown, accounting for 27.4% of the Texans’ passing yardage. He drew 10 targets from quarterback C.J. Stroud. Tight end Dalton Schultz was the closest behind him with eight targets, hauling in four receptions for 35 yards.

Houston would need to make incredible adjustments to its passing game to compensate for Collins’ absence, and the Bengals would have an advantage in their secondary.

DJ Turner II, Bengals secondary now under focus

Bengals cornerback DJ Turner II, who suffered a hamstring injury himself last week, is expected to draw Collins for the majority of Sunday’s game. A fully healthy Collins would surely get his wins in the matchup, but Cincinnati would expect Turner to hold his own throughout the game.

Should Collins be sidelined, or even limited, that would allow the Bengals to use Turner against the likes of Jared Wayne or Kayshon Boutte.

Needless to say, Cincinnati would have the clear upperhand in that scenario.

Multiple injury storylines to follow

Burrow confirmed to reporters that if he isn’t having surgery of any kind, he would be out there, and the notion of him resting this week out of precaution is ridiculous. There doesn’t seem to be any confusion about whether Cincinnati’s quarterback will play Sunday.

Collins’ hamstring injury now becomes the one to truly monitor in terms of how it will impact Sunday’s game between the Bengals and Texans.

Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart is also worth watching as well. The 2025 first-round pick was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, and could make his 2026 debut on Sunday.