Kayshon Boutte — Week 2: Five Targets With Collins Out
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 21
Boutte caught 3 of 5 targets for 37 yards, with a 21-yard catch deep left on second and four that set up Houston's second field goal. A sixth throw his way fell incomplete but drew a defensive holding flag for a first down. With Nico Collins inactive, his five targets trailed Xavier Hutchinson's nine and Jared Wayne's seven among the wide receivers, in a 20–6 loss to the Bengals.
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17 to three, Bengals, a minute 58 left in the third quarter, second and four at the Cincinnati 47. C.J. Stroud threw deep left to Kayshon Boutte for 21 yards to the Cincinnati 26. +1.6 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and 2.9 points of win probability, the chance of winning the game after the play against before it. Houston got as far as the 22 and kicked a 45-yard field goal, its last points of the day.
The line: five targets, three catches, 37 yards, one first down, +0.4 expected points on his targets, 66 air yards. The other two catches were 15 yards over the short middle on first and 20 in the first quarter, and one yard on first and 10 at the Cincinnati 27 in the second. The incompletions were third and 11 from the Houston 40 with eight 36 left in the fourth, deep left, before a punt, and first and 10 at the Cincinnati 12 with 51 seconds left, the first snap of a series that ended with two sacks. A sixth throw is not in his line: third and four at the Cincinnati 39 with a minute 53 left in the half, incomplete short right, with a defensive holding flag that gave Houston the first down anyway. Two targets before halftime, three after.
With Nico Collins on the inactive list, per the Texans' site, the wide receiver targets went nine to Xavier Hutchinson, seven to Jared Wayne, and five each to Boutte and Jaylin Noel. Boutte caught three of his five; Hutchinson three of nine, Wayne two of seven, Noel one of five. His 37 yards tied Hutchinson for second on the team, a long way behind Dalton Schultz's hundred 40.
Back in June the preview's read on Boutte was a 40-eighth-place receiver whose production came from efficiency on a small target count, and whose availability mattered more than what he did when on the field. Week 1 in Houston was two targets and one 21-yard catch. Sunday was five targets and another 21-yarder, in a game the top receiver missed and Stroud threw 55 times. His share went from two of 38 throws to five of 55. That is two games in a new offense, and the role is still being filled in. Houston is at the Colts on Sunday the 20-seventh.
_Data via nflverse._
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