The Houston Texans have lost their top two wide receivers through the first eight weeks of the season: Nico Collins is on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, while Stefon Diggs suffered a season-ending torn ACL on Sunday. Collins is expected back at some point this season, but the loss off Diggs is a big one.
On Tuesday, Stroud told reporters that Diggs had a “huge” impact as a veteran in a young locker room and was having fun being a member of the Texans.
“It sucks. It’s not easy,” Stroud said, via Pro Football Talk. “It’s not something that I just can have a whole bunch of words for. I just hope and try to just wrap my mind around what happened, but it’s tough. You can’t really — you try to think positively about it, but it’s not a bunch of positive thoughts and I just really feel bad for him. He’s worked extremely hard. I think he was having one of the best times he’s ever had on a team, at least that’s what he told us.
“So, I just feel for him and praying for him and just hoping that he keeps his head up high and he’ll bounce back even stronger. So, it just sucks.”
In eight games played this year, Diggs caught 47 passes for 496 yards and three touchdowns. He was Houston’s leading receiver in three out of the past four games with Collins out. While Diggs wasn’t brought in to single-handedly lead the Texans’ offense, he was clearly capable of stepping up as a WR1 when needed.
With Diggs out for the year, the Texans are reportedly exploring the trade market. According to ESPN, a few names to watch include Darius Slayton, Kendrick Bourne and K.J. Osborn.
Even if the Texans don’t acquire outside help, the betting sites still believe in them. They currently have the fourth-best odds (+650) to win the AFC behind the Chiefs, Ravens and Bills, per FanDuel sportsbook. Check out the latest FanDuel promo to get in the game.
