Week 9 at Denver Broncos
Deshaun Watson threw just 20 passes versus the Dolphins last Thursday, with seven going in the direction of DeAndre Hopkins. The star WR caught six for 82 yards and two more TDs – bringing his season total to six, with four of those coming in the past three weeks. Now that Will Fuller is out and Demaryius Thomas has only been with the team for a few days, Hopkins will be counted on even more in the Houston passing attack. He’ll be facing the No. 11 pass defense in the Broncos this week, but is a must-start regardless of the opponent.
Week 8 vs. Miami Dolphins
Although Deshaun Watson threw only 24 passes last Sunday in the win over the Jags, eight went in the direction of DeAndre Hopkins. He finished with season-lows of three grabs and 50 yards but scored his fourth TD of the year. While his yardage total has been down the past two weeks, Hopkins has still found the end zone in both contests. Watson may not need to pass much again on Thursday night versus a bad Miami run defense but Hopkins should remain inked in to your fantasy lineup.
Week 7 at Jacksonville Jaguars
Even though the Texans offense struggled in the home win over Buffalo last Sunday, DeAndre Hopkins didn’t let fantasy owners down, finishing with five receptions for 63 yards and his third TD of the season. Hopkins has been over the century mark three times and scored in every other game – which means he’s due to be held out of the end zone versus the No. 1 Jaguars pass defense. There is no way you’re leaving him on your bench, but a second consecutive sub-100-yard game is likely.
Week 6 vs. Buffalo Bills
What a couple impressive two weeks DeAndre Hopkins has had. In two overtime wins over the Colts and Cowboys, he’s totaled 19 receptions for 320 yards and a TD. He has been over the century mark in three of the past four games, with double-digit targets from Deshaun Watson in every contest of ’18. Hopkins should be inked in to any starting lineup.
Week 5 vs. Dallas Cowboys
With Deshaun Watson throwing for over 300 yards for the third consecutive game last week at Indianapolis, DeAndre Hopkins was targeted 12 times by his QB, leading to 10 receptions for 169 yards and his second TD of 2018. Even though the Cowboys are giving up just 208 passing yards per game, Hopkins will, without a doubt, be in your starting lineup.
Week 4 at Indianapolis Colts
As the Texans played catch up versus the Giants last Sunday, Deshaun Watson threw the ball 40 times for 385 yards. DeAndre Hopkins was targeted 10 times, resulting in six receptions for 86 yards, but his TD in the fourth quarter was called back due to a holding call. In the first three games, Hopkins has 20 catches for 274 yards. He should be locked into your starting lineup every week. He’ll be going up against a Colts secondary this week that is ranked 15th at stopping the pass.
Week 3 vs. New York Giants
With Deshaun Watson throwing for over 300 yards at Tennessee last Sunday, DeAndre Hopkins led the Texans with 11 targets, leading to six receptions for 110 yards and his first TD of the season. While the Giants have allowed only 164 passing yards a game, that stat is somewhat misleading due to them falling behind early in both of their contests and their opponents only passing a total of 58 times. There is no way Hopkins is not in your starting lineup this week.
Week 2 at Tennessee Titans
The Patriots did a good job of containing the Houston passing attack in Week 1, holding Deshaun Watson to only 176 yards through the air. Of Watson’s 17 completions, DeAndre Hopkins collected nearly half of them (8) for 78 yards. He was targeted a team-high 11 times and will continue to be Watson's favorite option. Kenny Stills torched the Titans defense for 106 receiving yards and two TDs in the opener, so Hopkins should be primed for a good outing.
Week 1 at New England Patriots
Deshaun Watson is back under center for Houston, which is great news for DeAndre Hopkins and the Texans' passing attack. Watson is able to extend plays with his legs, allowing Hopkins and company to break loose in the secondary. Versus the Patriots last year, Hopkins grabbed seven passes for 76 yards. He's a no-brainer must-start in Week 1.
Fantasy Upside
Hopkins is one of the best offensive players in the game. He was a first-team Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro last year, and he led the NFL with 13 touchdowns, catching 96 passes for 1,378 yards after signing an $81 million contract prior to the season. Much like Andre Johnson—his predecessor in Houston—Hopkins has produced at a high level despite dealing with subpar quarterback play for nearly his entire time in Houston. We say nearly, because the exception was last season's seven-game stretch with Deshaun Watson, who had an epic rookie campaign before he injured his knee.
While Hopkins has consistently played better than we all expected, there's reason to believe we haven't seen his ceiling. For the most part, Hopkins has relied on precise route-running, amazing hands and body control. He's also a physically tough and imposing player. As Bleacher Report put it, "He's the type of receiver that demands the ball even when he's covered." Think about his potential over a full season with Watson, who was on pace for 43 touchdown passes before he got hurt.
Fantasy Downside
The Texans' offensive line remains a bit suspect and one could certainly worry that Watson can't match his amazing rookie performances.
2018 Bottom Line
Yes. I was reaching a bit for that downside. Assuming the belief that Watson's rehab has him on track to open the season as the starter is correct, Hopkins is pushing into a tier created—and, up to this point, manned exclusively by—Antonio Brown. Hopkins is still the No. 2 behind Brown, but the gap is closing.
