Second-year pro Tank Dell will serve as the Houston Texans' No. 1 wide receiver with both Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs sidelined because of injuries when 6-2 Houston plays at the 2-6 New York Jets on Thursday night.
Diggs won't play again this season because of a torn ACL, and Dell acknowledged while speaking with reporters on Tuesday that he'll "have to step up" in order for the Texans to leave MetLife Stadium with a victory on Halloween.
"I’m not gonna make it seem like I don’t have to go out here and do what I need to do," Dell said, as shared by Sam Warren of the Houston Chronicle. "I know I have some shoes to fill. I have to get back to doing what I was doing last year."
Dell was enjoying a breakout rookie season when he went down with a fractured fibula last December. Houston subsequently acquired Diggs during the offseason, and Dell recorded just 20 receptions for 194 yards and a single touchdown during the ongoing campaign before he found the end zone in this past Sunday's 23-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
"I know the conversation that me and him had about what we wanted to achieve for ourselves and for the team," Dell said about the Texans losing Diggs. "For him to go out like that, I had went out like that last year. I know how it feels to go out and want something so bad and get it taken from me."
The good news for the Texans is that Collins could return from his hamstring injury to play in Houston's Week 10 game against the Detroit Lions (6-1) on Nov. 10. Per ESPN stats, Collins leads Houston with 567 receiving yards and three touchdown catches (tied with Diggs) on the season, while Diggs notched a team-high 47 receptions before his setback.
As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook somewhat surprisingly listed the Texans as 1.5-point underdogs for Thursday's matchup against a Jets side that's in the middle of a five-game losing streak. Perhaps Dell will see that line as an insult and help carry his team to a road victory.
