Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Nico Collins
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.7 | 48.6 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 14.5 | 0.1 |
Rico Dowdle News
Thursday, July 30, 10:07 AM
DK Pittsburgh Sports reports that Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle got reps ahead of Jaylen Warren in training camp practice on Thursday, which was the opposite of Wednesday. However, both RBs took reps with the first-team offense. Warren lost considerable pass-catching work to Kenny Gainwell in 2025, but he still managed a career-high 958 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 211 carries while adding 40 receptions for 333 yards and another two TDs as a receiver in 16 regular-season games in his fourth year in the NFL. Gainwell is gone, with Dowdle taking his place in Pittsburgh's backfield alongside Warren. With Dowdle now in the picture, Warren's rushing workload will likely take a hit, but he could replace that volume with more work as a pass-catcher, and we all know how veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers loves to dump off the football late in his career. This could be a true even split between Warren and Dowdle in 2026, with RotoBaller ranking Dowdle as the No. 30 overall fantasy RB, and Warren at No. 31. Warren should have slightly more upside as an RB3/flex option in PPR formats.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13.9 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 4.7 | 69.7 | 0.3 |
Nico Collins News
Tuesday, July 21, 8:49 AM
Houston Texans Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins was limited in organized team activities this spring, but he explained that he wasn't dealing with any injuries, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Sports. "Not at all, not at all. They did that. I listened to the coaches, listened to the GMs, saying yes sir. And they told me to be ready for camp, yes sir," Collins said. The 27-year-old former third-rounder in 2021 out of the University of Michigan has been a Pro Bowler in each of the last two years and has three straight 1,000-yard seasons under his belt, but he has yet to play a full season in his five years in the NFL due to injuries. He missed time last year with head injuries, and he missed five games in 2024 with a hamstring issue. When healthy, he's Houston's clear WR1 for QB C.J. Stroud, and he had 71 catches on 120 targets for 1,117 yards and six touchdowns in 15 regular-season games in 2025. Collins should continue to see a large target volume, but there remain questions about the Texans' offense as a whole, and both second-year wideouts Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel should have bigger roles in 2026. Collins should still be considered a WR1 in fantasy, he's on the lower end in RotoBaller's rankings in Tier 3.
Rico Dowdle vs. Nico Collins
Still trying to decide between Dowdle and Collins? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Rico Dowdle is projected to score 10.7 points this week while Nico Collins is projected to score 13.9 points.
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