Jayden Higgins tore his ACL in Tuesday’s practice and is out for the entire 2026 season, gutting Houston’s receiving corps overnight.
Higgins was Houston’s presumed No. 2 wideout and was reportedly having a strong training camp before the injury.
That gap doesn’t disappear. It gets redistributed, and three names stand to gain the most work in C.J. Stroud’s passing attack.
Higgins’ Season-Ending ACL Tear Is Confirmed
Jayden Higgins suffered the torn ACL during practice and is officially finished for 2026, per FantasyPros. There is no ambiguity here.
The injury reshapes Houston’s wide receiver room immediately, and it’s covered in full in our earlier breakdown of the Texans receiving corps changes following the news.
Stroud’s Offense Faces a Volume Problem
C.J. Stroud hasn’t matched his electric 2023 rookie season, when he threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns at 8.2 yards per attempt.
Over his last 31 starts, those numbers dropped to 218.3 passing yards per game and 7.1 yards per attempt.
Houston’s stout defense limits pass-heavy game scripts, and FantasyPros pegs Stroud as a low-end QB2 or high-end QB3 for 2026.
Noel and Dell Are the Real Fantasy Winners
Jaylin Noel ran 67.2% of his snaps from the slot last year, but Houston’s heavy 11-personnel usage (65.9%, fifth in the NFL) could push him toward a near-full-time role.
In a four-game sample with at least 33% snap share, Noel posted a 25% target-per-route rate and 2.46 yards per route run, according to Fantasy Points Data cited by FantasyPros.
Those numbers won’t hold over a full season, but they show real per-route juice when he’s actually on the field.
Tank Dell is likely to see increased work in Higgins’ absence.
Xavier Hutchinson remains more of a blocking receiver by trade, per FantasyPros, which caps his fantasy ceiling even with more playing time.
That distinction matters when drafting Houston’s depth pieces this summer, a trend worth tracking through our preseason receiver depth chart analysis.
Fantasy Outlook by Position Group
| Player | Role | Fantasy Tier |
| Jaylin Noel | Slot/near full-time | Late-round dart, WR5/6 |
| Tank Dell | Perimeter, 11-personnel | Sneaky value add |
| Xavier Hutchinson | Blocking-first receiver | Deep bench only |
| Dalton Schultz | Underneath safety valve | Midrange TE2 |
Schultz Quietly Becomes a Bigger Piece
Dalton Schultz caught 82 passes for 777 yards and three touchdowns in 2025, tying for third among tight ends in receptions.
His career-high 106 targets looked hard to repeat before Higgins went down.
With Houston’s No. 2 receiver now out, FantasyPros analyst Pat Fitzmaurice expects Schultz to remain a key cog, projecting him as a midrange TE2 for 2026.
What to Watch Before Week 1
Training camp reps over the next few weeks will decide who actually claims the vacated snaps.
Noel’s route share and any signs of him playing outside the slot deserve close attention, since that shift would meaningfully raise his weekly floor.
Dell’s availability also bears watching after he missed the 2025 season because of a serious leg injury.
For more preseason injury fallout and target-share tracking, see FantasyPros’ original breakdown at fantasypros.com.
