Christian Kirk

The Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan M. Alexander reports that rookie WRs Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel will have opportunities “to carve out roles early on behind Nico Collins and Christian Kirk.”

The report affirms Kirk’s position in the target pecking order, placing him ahead of Higgins and Noel, who were drafted in the second and third rounds, respectively, just two weeks ago. Kirk is scheduled to hit free agency in 2026, and while Higgins and Noel currently profile as the potential long-term Nos. 2 and 3 wide receivers, Texans coaches will not simply gift those roles to the intriguing Iowa State alums. Kirk’s status as a 2025 PPR scam option remains intact at this time. Higgins likely has the easier path to year one fantasy relevance than Noel, with Higgins profiling as a perimeter option for when Kirk kicks inside to the slot in three-wide receiver sets.