For the back to back AFC South division winners, one man has been synonymous with winning for a decade. The man who tied Jerry Rice’s record for consecutive seasons leading the league in receiving is back in 2013, but he has some help. For the first time in his 10 NFL seasons, Andre Johnson has somebody to lean on. With their first pick in the 2013 NFL draft, the Houston Texans selected DeAndre Hopkins of Clemson. On paper, the Texans have the best projected offense in their 11-year history. Arian Foster aside, the trio of Johnson, Hopkins, and tight end Owen Daniels are primed for a big year, and help the Texans repeat as AFC South champions.
Meet Houston Texans Fantasy Surprise: DeAndre Hopkins
From a fantasy perspective, Hopkins not only ups the value of Andre Johnson, he could emerge as a top target in a struggling vertical offense. It is important to note that the Texans’ second leading receiver from a season ago was the aforementioned Daniels. Third on the list was Kevin Walter who recorded 518 yards receiving on 41 receptions and only two touchdowns. While these pedestrian numbers don’t support my thesis that Hopkins will be a fantasy gold-mine, they do project a safety net for Hopkins to fall into. The guy couldn’t be any worse than Walter!
As a senior at Clemson, Hopkins recorded a whopping 18 touchdowns, and over 1,400 yards on 82 receptions. While those numbers would be on the verge of impossible to repeat at an NFL level, expect a heavy contribution from the former Tiger. Hopkins stands at 6’1” and weighed in at 205lbs at the NFL combine. Hopkins is also a solid run blocker, something that the Texans’ surely looked for in a receiver. No Michael Irvin’s here, the Texans play from whistle to whistle, which Hopkins will have no problem doing. As one of the most polished prospects in terms of technique, Hopkins showed off great hands and excellent burst speed at the combine. The Texans’ rookie is not blazing fast, but he possesses enough quickness in his first few steps to succeed in this league. Match that with his route running ability, and Hopkins could be primed to be a steal as a sleeper.
Starting across from one of the best wide receivers in the history of the game can’t hurt, but Andre Johnson is no spring chicken. Johnson has lost a step entering his 10th year with the team, but Hopkins should be able to pick up the slack. It would be remiss if the run-heavy nature of the Texans’ wasn’t noted. However, there are many questions regarding the health of premier running back Arian Foster who is recovering, albeit slowly, from a calf injury. If Foster enters the season on the physically unable to perform list, or even just a little dinged up, expect the Texans to shift into a more passing oriented attack. Matt Schaub has the most talented group of players around him he has ever had as a Texan.
Hopkins will only go as far as Schaub can take him; the 10-year veteran has thrown for 4,770 yards in a single season, and broke the 4,000 yard mark a season ago. Schaub’s downside comes in regards to lack of touchdown production. The Texan’s quarterback threw for only 22 touchdowns last year, though Schaub was able to limit himself in terms of interceptions, with only 12. Red zone targets are few and far between for the Texans wide outs, especially when Foster is healthy. Despite Houston’s rushing tendencies, DeAndre Hopkins should flourish across from one of the game’s greats.
DeAndre Hopkins Projected Stats: 50 rec, 850 yards, 6 TDs