Second-year wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson cemented himself as the Houston Texans third receiver with Nico Collins injured, and it's shown by his snap count in Week 7. Hutchinson was on the field for 41 snaps, third among receivers against the Green Bay Packers.
The former sixth-round pick has totaled four receptions for 45 yards on the season, and that should increase as he builds a connection with C.J. Stroud. Now the question remains, is he going to be prepared enough to have a “breakout” game this week against the Indianapolis Colts?
The Texans saw a good amount of production from Hutchinson throughout training camp and the preseason, and they’re hoping to get that same production out of him this week in a divisional game. With Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell getting a lot of attention, that will open up more opportunities for players like Hutchinson and Dalton Schultz.
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Hutchinson is the closest replacement to Collins in terms of body type, as he stands at 6-foot-2. With both Dell and Diggs giving Houston more in terms of speed, Stroud will need to rely on somebody as the new “jump ball” receiver. In comes Xavier Hutchinson. In college, Hutchinson saw plenty of success in three years at Iowa State. He totaled 2,929 yards and 15 touchdowns on 254 catches.
The Texans hope to get even a sliver of that production to keep the offensive momentum going this season. And with Dell receiving four targets and zero receptions on Sunday, teams may start keying on him specifically moving forward. If so the Texans will need others to step up, as Stefon Diggs won’t be able to make up for the losses at receiver himself.
The Texans had hoped to get production out of John Metchie III this year, however, he’s been active for just four games this year and has one reception for seven yards. Along with that, Xavier Hutchinson has kept him off of the field, and at times in street clothes. Houston clearly has a lot of confidence in Hutchinson, and they have a lot to like with him. It’s only a matter of time until it clicks, and against a struggling Colts defense that ranks 23rd against the pass, it could come sooner rather than later.
If Hutchinson performs as everyone hopes he can, that could make Metchie expendable as we draw closer to the trade deadline. Houston has a good problem on their hands right now, and it could become even better if Hutchinson performs as a true WR3. The wide receiver room could be even better than we thought it was leading up to the season, making it difficult for opposing defenses to gameplan.