If the boys “act together as a team, we will be fine.”

Stefon Diggs' season-ending knee injury and Nico Collins' continued absence due to a hamstring issue put the spotlight on the rest of the Houston Texans' wide receiver room.

Currently, Tank Dell is the crew's only remaining starter. Xavier Hutchinson, John Metchie III and veteran Robert Woods should all see their chances increase.

While a potential trade addition is possible before the Nov. 5 deadline, coach DeMeco Ryans is confident in the in-house team.

“One thing stands out: 'Hutch' (WR win over Indianapolis. “'Hutch' goes down there and makes a tough catch. Metchie finds a way to win at an unplanned moment in the game and makes a big catch. That's all we're asking is to win your one-on-ones and make the plays you're supposed to make, if the guys do that together as a team, we'll be fine.

Dell agrees it's a collaborative effort without Diggs.

“Once you lose one of your star players, everyone has to step up,” Dell said, according to KPRC’s Aaron Wilson. “Even if you're one of the star players, you still have to step up and do more and produce more. I know we are all more than capable of this. So we’re going to try to go out there and make it play.”

Dell expects its targets to increase while Collins is out.

“Tank just has to be tank. Tank was an explosive player in college. He was explosive, he was explosive for us, so Tank just has to be Tank. Happy birthday, Tank,” Ryans said of the receiver, who turned 25 on Tuesday.

Despite missing the last three games, Collins leads Houston with 567 receiving yards (which led the NFL through Week 5). Diggs currently has the Texans' most catches (47), has the most receiving touchdowns (3) and is second in receiving yards (496). Dell is the most productive remaining healthy receiver with 24 catches for 229 yards and two touchdowns.

The loss of Diggs ahead of Thursday's primetime matchup against the New York Jets marks the second straight season that Houston is facing wideout Gang Green after a serious injury. Dell suffered a broken fibula in Week 13 before the Week 14 game at New York – it was Stroud's worst game of the season, in which he threw for 91 yards on 10 of 23 passes.

With Collins reportedly on track to return in Week 10, Houston will have to get through Thursday's game trusting Hutchinson and Metchie to play bigger roles than ever before.

“I’m excited to see where our team is at,” Ryans said. “To be here now at 6-2 makes us happy with where we are. As you mentioned, we still have a lot of ball ahead of us, but we talked about starting fast and we started fast. Our team found a way to win. “In different ways, whether it be on offense, defense or special teams, different areas of our team have progressed and made plays that help us win games. That's why I'm excited about where we are and excited about where we're going and continuing to build on the right path.”