Much like the guy he's being called on to replace as the Houston Texans No. 1 wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins is finding himself producing at an incredibly high level without the benefit of solid quarterback play. 

Hopkins and his Texans team took on his former teammate and the franchise's all-time leading receiver Andre Johnson, who moved on to the Indianapolis Colts back in March. And while Johnson had some success against his former team (two touchdowns) in the win, Hopkins stat line was beyond ridiculous. He caught 11 of the 14 passes thrown in his direction for 169 yards in the 27-20 loss. 

This is Hopkins' third consecutive game with at least eight catches and 100-plus yards. And through five games, the former first-round pick has tallied an absurd 42 receptions for 578 yards and three scores. This puts him on pace for 134 receptions and nearly 1,900 yards — near record numbers in both categories. 

What makes Hopkins' performance this season so ridiculous is the fact that he's on pace to be targeted 240 times. Opposing defenses know what's coming, and they still can't stop it. 

Whether it's Brian Hoyer or Ryan Mallett under center moving forward this season, Hopkins will remain a top-end fantasy option. The numbers he is putting up are just too ridiculous to ignore. In reality, the receiver's fantasy value may now be up there with the Julio Jones and Antonio Browns of the world — an indication that he might even be worth a play over those those two depending on DFS costs.