Texans' Jayden Higgins: More targets on tap

Higgins is in line for an elevated role in the Texans' passing game Sunday against the Rams after fellow WR Christian Kirk (hamstring) was ruled out for that contest.

Higgins isn't a candidate to take on Kirk's role in the slot, as fellow rookie Jaylin Noel should handle most of those duties, but targets have opened up a bit behind top option Nico Collins. In three appearances this preseason, Higgins recorded a modest 5-40-0 line on seven targets. However, the 2025 second-round pick is coming off a final season at Iowa State in which he averaged 13.6 yards per catch and 8.6 yards per target, so he could make a bigger impact if he's deployed on routes further down the field.