The Houston Texans nabbed Iowa State WR Jayden Higgins in the 2nd round of the 2025 NFL draft. Let’s take a look at the fantasy football impact of the selection for both Higgins and the Texans’ wide receiver room as a whole.
For more fantasy football insights, subscribe and follow Blitz Fantasy Football on YouTube.
Jayden Higgins to Houston
After parting ways with WR Stefon Diggs this offseason, the Texans entered the 2025 NFL draft with a clear and pressing need at wide receiver. They acted early, taking Iowa State WR Jayden Higgins with their first selection at 34th overall. Higgins was highly productive with the Cyclones, setting an Iowa State school record with a TD reception in seven straight games.
A two-year starter in Ames, Higgins steadily improved in each of his collegiate seasons, capped off by an 87-catch, 1,183-yard, 9 TD senior campaign. The 22-year-old South Miami native profiles as an immediate starter on the outside opposite WR Nico Collins, and projects to be a key piece in QB CJ Stroud’s potential bounceback season.
Higgins has exceptional hands (only 3 drops on 210 targets and a sub-2.2% drop rate each of the past three seasons), and elite physical traits (6’4″, 215 lb, and 4.47 speed). He dominated in short and intermediate areas of the field in college and displayed exceptional ball-tracking skills with zero drops on 117 targets of 10+ yards. Strong at the point of catch, physical against press coverage, and effective in contested situations (55.6% career contested catch rate), Higgins will contribute immediately as a possession receiver in Houston’s offense.
While the Texans’ passing game regressed in 2024, I expect CJ Stroud to bounce back in 2025. Houston ranked 11th in the league in pass attempts per game (33.4), and that was with Nico Collins missing 5 games and losing Diggs in Week 8 to a torn ACL. Texans GM Nick Caserio ensured CJ Stroud wouldn’t be short on weapons this season, trading for WR Christian Kirk, alongside drafting Higgins and his fellow Iowa State WR Jaylin Noel in the third round.
The team’s aggressive approach to retooling the receiver corps signals their confidence in Stroud’s ability to return to form and take the next step in his development. With new OC Nick Caley encouraging Stroud to “take full ownership, [and] run the show” offensively this season, I’d expect the Texans to be just as active in the air (if not more) than they were in 2024.
Fantasy Outlook
I had Higgins ranked as one of my 3 Dynasty Rookie WRs You Need to Know during the pre-draft process, and with the marriage to the Texans, I’m just as high on the Iowa State prospect now, if not higher. While the Texans’ wide receiver room may look crowded on paper, Christian Kirk is projected to play mostly in the slot, with Jaylin Noel likely drafted as his successor. Nico Collins is the team’s undoubted WR1, but given Tank Dell’s projected absence for the 2025 season, Higgins has a clear path to be the team’s second or third receiving option.
Fantasy-wise, Higgins has a realistic WR4 floor in 2025 with an easy path to push into WR3 territory if he carves out a red-zone role like he had at Iowa State. While he may not offer explosive playmaking ability, he projects as a reliable chain-mover with touchdown upside.
Higgins’ unique combination of size, strong hands, durability (26 straight games played), and red-zone appeal makes him an intriguing late-first-round/early-second-round selection in rookie dynasty drafts and a fantastic late-round flier in redrafts.
