Stefon

Diggs

He said that it was a place he’d be excited about staying, telling reporters “I don’t know what the future holds but I definitely got a home in Houston, and I love those guys over there. They’re good people.” Diggs’ market is uncertain after the 31-year-old tore his ACL in Week 8. It’s possible he comes back to Houston on a short-term contract, but he might be a better fit in a different offense in 2025, one where he’s not quite so obviously the WR2 to Nico Collins.

That is, unfortunately, what it looked like on Sunday after Diggs limped off the NRG Stadium turf. Diggs will be a free agent after the season and will probably be looked at as a reclamation project as a 31-year-old rehabbing a torn ACL. For the Texans currently, Tank Dell will push into a more featured role in the passing game and will likely remain a fantasy WR2/3 even when Nico Collins comes back from a hamstring injury that has him on injured reserve. Dalton Schultz has also pushed higher in the target pecking order even if the lines aren’t impressive and will become a borderline TE1 until Collins returns. Robert Woods will likely be the main wideout, but splitting snaps with Xavier Hutchinson and John Metchie III means you likely can’t trust a Houston WR2/3 until proven otherwise.

This comes as no surprise after Diggs suffered a non-contact knee injury in Sunday’s win over the Colts. He was set to undergo an MRI on Monday, but regardless of what the MRI reveals, it would be surprising if he suited up on Thursday night against the Jets on the short week.

DeMeco Ryans didn’t add anything helpful on Diggs status Monday, saying the team is “still evaluating” the injury. It’s highly implausible he’ll play against the Jets in Week 9 on Thursday night. It would be surprising if he wasn’t place on injured reserve based on how the injury looked. If Diggs is out, Robert Woods, John Metchie III, and Xavier Hutchinson would be in line for more work against the Jets on Thursday night. None of them deserve much fantasy attention given the state of the Houston passing game right now.

It was a non-contact injury. Diggs immediately left the game and went to the locker room, not even chancing the tent, after teammates surrounded him. It looked the part of a long-term injury. While Diggs is out, targets for Tank Dell and Dalton Schultz, as well as Houston’s cadre of other receivers like John Metchie and Xavier Hutchinson, should increase. Diggs had 81 yards with five catches on his nine targets before leaving.

He had three more targets than any other Texans receiver and looked just fine when the passing game was functional enough to get him involved. Unfortunately, that wasn’t often, and his one 17-yard catch on a dig made up almost all of his air yardage on the day. He’ll be a WR2 against the Colts in Week 8, and hopefully the Texans figure out how to block a stunt before Sunday.

After a fumble gave the Texans a short field to start the second half, Diggs ran a post over the middle for a score that gave the Texans a 21-7 lead. Diggs had another end zone target where he and Christian Gonzalez battled on a deep sideline route and the officials called it a draw as the ball fell harmlessly. It was a game the Texans never trailed in, but Diggs didn’t exactly run up huge target increases without Nico Collins. He’s probably more of a fantasy WR2 than a WR1 heading into Houston’s Week 7 game against the Packers.

Despite Nico Collins leaving early in the game, Diggs hardly dominated targets and didn’t deliver much more than a few one-on-one winners and holes in the zone. If Collins is unable to go next week, Diggs will probably be Houston’s leading wideout again. But that sure hasn’t accomplished as much as the inflated ADP this year would lead you to believe as the Houston offense has been stuck in neutral. Diggs is probably a WR2 at best against the Patriots in Week 6.

Diggs’ rushing touchdown was intended to be a pass, but he simply pulled the ball and ran back towards the middle of the field after the Jaguars overpursued him in the backfield. Diggs did not look terrific at the catch point, and bobbled a few balls while others went defensed over the middle. He remains on the WR3 line, possibly higher if Tank Dell is out again, in next week’s #RevengeGame against the Bills.

KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reported on Monday that Dell is “dealing with soreness” related to the rib and wrist injuries. It doesn’t sound like a major issue, but Dell’s status will be worth monitoring throughout the week. Stefon Diggs would be cemented as the clear No. 2 receiver in the offense if Dell misses time, boosting his stock to the top of the WR2 ranks. Regardless of Dell’s health, Nico Collins is the Texans’ top receiver and profiles as a mid-range WR1 for Houston’s upcoming matchup with the Jags.