Who Should I Start? Nico Collins or Rhamondre Stevenson

Tuesday, October 21, 1:34 AM

Updating a previous report, the Houston Texans announced that wide receiver Nico Collins (concussion) was downgraded to out in Monday night's Week 7 game against the Seattle Seahawks after suffering a concussion early in the fourth quarter. Collins' helmet hit the turf when he came down on a contested catch in Seattle, and he will now enter the league's concussion protocol. On a short week, it's possible that he will not be cleared in time for Sunday's Week 8 tilt against the San Francisco 49ers. Before leaving, Collins caught only four of his 10 targets for 27 yards. Tight end Dalton Schultz led Houston in receiving on Monday night, catching nine of 10 targets for 98 yards, and could be in for another big workload in Week 8 if Collins doesn't get the green light. In addition to Schultz, rookie wideouts Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins, and Xavier Hutchinson would be in line for more targets if Collins misses additional time. Noel was second in receiving on Monday night with four grabs for 77 yards on seven targets.

Monday, October 20, 12:25 PM

Despite his ball-security issues, the New England Patriots have stuck with running back Rhamondre Stevenson as their clear lead back, as evidenced by his 18 carries in the 31-13 blowout win on Sunday over the Tennessee Titans in Week 7. Meanwhile, rookie TreVeyon Henderson only had two carries for five yards. Stevenson averaged 4.9 yards per tote and had 88 rushing yards and a touchdown while also catching both of his targets for no gain. Stevenson's 75% snap share on Sunday was a season high, while Henderson's 14% snap share was a season low. Stevenson's 88 rushing yards were also a season high, while he scored on the ground for the third time this year and the third time in the last three weeks. He hasn't put the ball on the ground in the last two weeks, either, and appears to be separating himself from the struggling Henderson in terms of backfield workload. The Pats aren't just going to mothball Henderson, but the 27-year-old Stevenson has RB2 upside if he continues to be the clear RB1 in an improved Patriots offense.