Texans WR Jaylin Noel is expected to miss "a few weeks" with a finger injury, GM Nick Caserio said Wednesday. Noel is battling Jayden Higgins, Tank Dell, and Xavier Hutchinson for snaps behind Nico Collins. Dell avoided the PUP list to open training camp, but Caserio said he still isn't ready for full-team work.
What They're Saying
Caserio on Noel: “Honestly happened 3 or 4 days ago. He's got a little bit of an issue with his finger. Was catching passes, must’ve caught it the wrong way. Short-term, not real concerned. Probably be a few weeks.”
Caserio on Dell: "You're not gonna see him practice. ... He still has some things he has to go through. ... He's got some ramp-up work that he's gonna do. ... He sustained a pretty significant injury. Hasn't played football in a really long time. There's been some ups and downs. ... It's a long road to come back."
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: WR Injuries Boost Jayden Higgins
We've had Noel projected as Houston's top slot receiver this season just third among the team's WRs in targets. That lands him just 73rd in our WR rankings.
There's room for Noel to carve out a bigger role, but this missed time obviously won't help. We'll see when the second-year WR is able to get back on the field.
Dell, meanwhile, is participating in walkthroughs and some individual drills but evidently isn't fully cleared yet. Caserio said Dell might be ready to practice with the team in "a week or so."
We remain skeptical that he'll be a major fantasy factor coming off his multi-ligament knee injury.
WR Jayden Higgins has been one of our favorite late-round WR targets all offseason. Today's news only boosts that interest.
For more on Higgins, check out 2026 Fantasy Football Sleepers.
