DeAndre Hopkins was benched during Sunday's loss to the Raiders.
"Bottom line, DeAndre made a lot of mistakes early in the game, so we gave another guy a chance to play," coach Gary Kubiak said. After the game, Hopkins acknowledged his issues and appeared to understand what he did wrong. He was on the field late in the game, finishing with one catch for seven yards on two targets. The 2-8 Texans are a dumpster fire with a quarterback controversy right now, but we can't imagine them limiting the playing time of Hopkins going forward. He's their first-round pick and a huge piece of their future.
Source: Houston Chronicle
I did and got burned.Onto football side of things, Nuke looks like an awesome play this week vs Oak's weak secondary at home to boot. Anyone rolling him out there?
DeAndre Hopkins caught three passes for 76 yards in Houston's Week 14 loss to the Jaguars.
Hopkins' longest grab went for 46 yards in the third quarter, where he flashed some serious speed across the middle of the field. Hopkins also made a spectacular grab on a would-be touchdown three plays later, but couldn't get both feet in bounds. With the Texans dialing up 58 pass attempts, Hopkins drew seven targets, his most since Week 9. Hopkins continues to show off his play-making ability in spurts, but is just a mid-range WR4 for the fantasy playoffs.
The disturbing thing is that, in a game with 58 pass attempts he only had 7 targets. I really like the guy and think he has talent, but something seems off. He just hasn't been seeing consistent targets. Guess it is easy to forget he is still a rookie, just 21 years old, playing on a really crappy team. An offseason to work out and hone his craft should help.Rotoworld:
DeAndre Hopkins caught three passes for 76 yards in Houston's Week 14 loss to the Jaguars.
Hopkins' longest grab went for 46 yards in the third quarter, where he flashed some serious speed across the middle of the field. Hopkins also made a spectacular grab on a would-be touchdown three plays later, but couldn't get both feet in bounds. With the Texans dialing up 58 pass attempts, Hopkins drew seven targets, his most since Week 9. Hopkins continues to show off his play-making ability in spurts, but is just a mid-range WR4 for the fantasy playoffs.
The disturbing thing is that, in a game with 58 pass attempts he only had 7 targets. I really like the guy and think he has talent, but something seems off. He just hasn't been seeing consistent targets. Guess it is easy to forget he is still a rookie, just 21 years old, playing on a really crappy team. An offseason to work out and hone his craft should help.Rotoworld:
DeAndre Hopkins caught three passes for 76 yards in Houston's Week 14 loss to the Jaguars.
Hopkins' longest grab went for 46 yards in the third quarter, where he flashed some serious speed across the middle of the field. Hopkins also made a spectacular grab on a would-be touchdown three plays later, but couldn't get both feet in bounds. With the Texans dialing up 58 pass attempts, Hopkins drew seven targets, his most since Week 9. Hopkins continues to show off his play-making ability in spurts, but is just a mid-range WR4 for the fantasy playoffs.
He has been mixed bag. he literally won the Titans game (2nd of the season) and looked like he was headed for 70 plus catches. then other times, he has literally disappeared from the offense. I suspect a lot of it was due the team's disfunction, but there was a week or two where Kubiak claimed that he was missing assignments. Overall, flashes of brilliance, but no consistent in either direction.How has he looked in games for those who have watched him?
I saw him mess up and come back to be an absolute beast for about a half. He caught everything and oWned the CB and every pass was a "that's my ball" reaction. Few WRs have that ability and determination to do what he did-this wasn't pretty routes and slick crisp cuts but more beast-like when they throw to Calvin and you know it's going there and he manhandles the DB to get it anyway.How has he looked in games for those who have watched him?
I think a stable Quarterback situation would definitely help him. I've seen him spring open for a few big plays, he is able to beat coverage on simple streaks. He's a leaner Sidney Rice, imo, and being a fluid route runner will definitely help him gain seperation. He's only 6ft 1in but has monster hands.How has he looked in games for those who have watched him?
Just thought it would be interesting looking back at this.Roddy White is 31, turning 32. Do you think people were complaining about how terrible the situation was that Julio found himself in?Andre is not mid 30s though. He is 31 and turns 32 soon and is coming off a monster season. He has 4 more years on his contract. Looking at the numbers, it won't be until 2015 when the Texans may have a tough decision on whether or not to ask him to restructure as his salary is low the next 2 years and even in 2015 isn't crazy high. He is likely to be a Texan for the next 3 years. So I think if you draft him, you have to be patient knowing that he won't be the #1 for at least 2 years, probably longer. So you are getting a #2 in an offense that runs a lot, throws a lot to the RBs and TEs and has a big time #1 WR. It isn't a terrible situation due to the numbers you mentioned, but it isn't great either in my opinion.I don't get this? Sure the Texans were 8th in rush offense, but they were 11th in pass yardage per game? Andre is mid 30's. Shaub is average (when healthy) but he's not terrible. That's a great opportunity.ETA: Mediocre situation
Just to remind you, here was Atlanta's situation:
Atlanta in 2010 (the year before Julio was drafted)
--Matt Ryan had 571 passing attempts
--Roddy led all WRs with 177 targets
--Jenkins was #2 WR with 73 targets
--Gonzo at TE had 109 targets
--Turner (28 years old) had 344 rushes for 1371 yards and 12 TDs
Now, here's Houston:
Houston in 2012 (the year before Hopkins was drafted)
--Matt Schaub had 544 passing attempts
--AJ led all WRs with 179 targets
--Kevin Walter was #2 WR with 76 targets
--Daniels at TE had 130 targets
--Foster (26 years old) had 351 rushes for 1411 yards and 15 TDs
Eerily similar down to QBs first names and the fact they finally went out and drafted a WR in the 1st round.
So, what did Atlanta do the next 2 years:
Atlanta in 2011 (Julio's rookie year)
--Ryan had 566 passing attempts
--Roddy had 191 targets
--Julio had 102 targets
--Gonzo had 122 targets
--Turner had 301 rushes for 1340 yards and 11 TDs
Atlanta in 2012 (Julio's 2nd year)
--Ryan had 615 passing attempts
--Roddy had 153 targets
--Julio had 138 targets
--Gonzo had 131 targets
--Turner had 223 rushes for 803 yards and 10 TDs
What happened? Atlanta's offense adapted to their new playmaker at WR. They also became more potent on offense and were able to run more plays while not having their RB carry 300+ times/season. They were easily able to support 2 top tier WRs and a top TE while having an established running game.
In the end, if Hopkins is the goods, his situation in Houston is in no way, shape, or form a negative. In fact, given AJ's age, Foster's heavy workload, Daniels' age, it makes sense why they invested a 1st round pick on a WR. It's not to finally complement AJ. It's to join AJ and eventually take over much like Julio.
Now, I'm not saying that Hopkins is the megastud that Julio is, but the point is that if you think he is a top tier talent (Houston does based on the fact he was the #2 WR off the board behind only Austin), you should be happy with his landing spot. Schaub is still only 32 years old.
He won't be the #1 WR this year, but virtually no WRs come in and become the #1 WR in their rookie year (even guys like Julio or Dez or D. Thomas). But you could see what Julio was capable of after his rookie year despite playing alongside a WR that got 191 targets (holy cow) and knew he was going to get his. And he did in his 2nd year. If Hopkins is the real deal, he'll be commanding targets by his 2nd year when Houston adjusts their offense to get him the ball along with AJ.
My $.02.
Actually, it only strengthens what I was saying and makes your point about Atlanta's increased in attempts more related to Ryan and less to Julio much weaker.Oof. Schaub took a real nosedive. Ungood comp.
This was your original post. You thought that the increase in Atlanta had more to do with Ryan and less to do with Julio.I think you had a good post. The error I see is that you attribute Atlanta's increase in passing to Julio Jones and not Matt Ryan. Because of the differences between Ryan and Schaub in age and experience, these situations are not as analogous as you want them to be. Matt Schaub will be 32 with 81 career starts when Hopkins first takes the field. It's safe to see he is more or less a finished product. However Ryan was 26 and started only 44 games when Jones first played. Ryan got off to a great start and got even better. It was obvious at the time that he was expected to improve. The same can't be said for Schaub presently. I think the increase of Atlanta's dependence on the passing game had a few factors, and only 1 of which was Julio Jones. A larger one was of course that Ryan was becoming an excellent QB and giving him the ball more to make more plays made the most sense. I think this makes up for the fact that they have the same first name/astrological sign/favorite food. Did you disregard this factor, or did you not consider it at all? Of course, the team is going to integrate Hopkins into the gameplan. They clearly think he's a good player. I'm not sure this is the comparison you should make.
DeAndre Hopkins - WR - Texans
DeAndre Hopkins said that learning a new scheme all over again has "not been easy."
Hopkins is in his third completely different offense in three seasons. But Bill O'Brien is an offensive guru, one that learned how to fit scheme to player while with New England. Look for Hopkins to be targeted on plenty of simple, short throws to hide Ryan Fitzpatrick's weaknesses, giving him some low-upside WR3 appeal.
Source: houstontexans.com
May 29 - 10:27 AM
Houston still doesn't have a QB and AJ is still going to hog targets. I think it'll be another year for him to break out but he's very under-valued by many in dynasty.Where do the masses see Hopkins in dynasty value? I think he is a good buy right now. His value is going to sky rocket as I think he is in line for a very good year.
AJ, apparently, has made it clear that he is the future and expecting him to really step up. I take it as a good sign when that kind of thing happens.Houston still doesn't have a QB and AJ is still going to hog targets. I think it'll be another year for him to break out but he's very under-valued by many in dynasty.Where do the masses see Hopkins in dynasty value? I think he is a good buy right now. His value is going to sky rocket as I think he is in line for a very good year.
Something to keep in mind is that he just turned 22 and there are only a handful of rookie WR's in this draft who are more than 6 months younger than him.
I see things pretty closely to this. The QB thing seems the bigger, potentially longer-term issue to me, as I think the days of AJ hogging targets could be winding down (the new system may hasten this transition too). Admittedly, I only saw a couple/few of Hopkins' games last year, but I really liked what I saw.Houston still doesn't have a QB and AJ is still going to hog targets. I think it'll be another year for him to break out but he's very under-valued by many in dynasty.Where do the masses see Hopkins in dynasty value? I think he is a good buy right now. His value is going to sky rocket as I think he is in line for a very good year.
Something to keep in mind is that he just turned 22 and there are only a handful of rookie WR's in this draft who are more than 6 months younger than him.
Fair point. I learned this the hard way with Decker. With Tebow as QB in DEN, I was concerned about Decker's upside and moved him. As soon as Manning agreed to terms with Denver, I knew Decker's value just increased substantially. -On the flipside, Decker's move to NYJ just severely downgraded his QB situation (in the near term at least). Like you said, things change quickly in the NFL.In dynasty the QB situation although not ideal for the time being is not one to get to caught up in on a 1 year basis. Things change quickly in the NFL.
I'm not expecting a breakout this year but every dynasty owner is thinking the same thing. Right now is probably the best time to buy him (actually after AJ reports).Hard to make much of the Houston offense at the moment, its a bit of an enigma. The QB situation is rough and they are transitioning to a new scheme where there are likely going to be growing pains. Then again, you have to be excited by Bill O'Brien's offense longterm. As a Texan fan I hope I am wrong but this will likely be a rocky year. I think the time to buy on Hopkins will be late season, early offseason before Houston drafts or trades for a better QB.
I've tried to buy and his owners want a lot already. With the uncertainty in Hou I can easily see a disappointing sophomore season and a cheaper price next winter as people grow impatient. Even if that doesn't happen, he's already going in the 4th round of startups, maybe he gets up in the 2nd round next year but it won't be much more expensive than it already is.I'm not expecting a breakout this year but every dynasty owner is thinking the same thing. Right now is probably the best time to buy him (actually after AJ reports).Hard to make much of the Houston offense at the moment, its a bit of an enigma. The QB situation is rough and they are transitioning to a new scheme where there are likely going to be growing pains. Then again, you have to be excited by Bill O'Brien's offense longterm. As a Texan fan I hope I am wrong but this will likely be a rocky year. I think the time to buy on Hopkins will be late season, early offseason before Houston drafts or trades for a better QB.
He ran 4.41 and 4.46 at his Pro Day and is virtually identical to Boldin in height/weight.Kid has fantastic hands and body control, but his size and speed are pretty average. I haven't really analyzed his route running capabilities but I don't think he is anything special in that regard either yet. All this is to say that I think he will be a good player next year, likely a strong WR3 and possibly a WR2, if AJ holds out or leaves and he becomes the #1. I think he can still be a decent WR3 play if AJ decides to stick around. However, I don't see him near WR1 numbers given his skillset and a below average offense/QB situation, despite what are fairly strong rookie numbers overall.
I hope I'm wrong about his upside, as a dynasty owner, but that's what I've gathered from watching him last year. People sometimes compare him to Brandon Lloyd because of his ball skills, and I think that isn't a bad comp but Nuk is definitely stronger and more explosive than Lloyd.
an offensive system we are all speculating about and ryan fitzpatrick should temper expectation of Hopkins to reach that sort of upside this yearHow high does his ranking climb if Andre sits out/gets traded. Have to think Hopkins becomes a very high end wr2 at that point. Target hog.
Stevie Johnson.an offensive system we are all speculating about and ryan fitzpatrick should temper expectation of Hopkins to reach that sort of upside this yearHow high does his ranking climb if Andre sits out/gets traded. Have to think Hopkins becomes a very high end wr2 at that point. Target hog.
Seems like a lot of people are dismissing Fitzpatrick. Yeah, he's not a guy that's going to lead a team to the promised land, but he's a guy that has put up numbers in the past and not afraid to throw the ball. Helped turn Stevie Johnson into a star.an offensive system we are all speculating about and ryan fitzpatrick should temper expectation of Hopkins to reach that sort of upside this yearHow high does his ranking climb if Andre sits out/gets traded. Have to think Hopkins becomes a very high end wr2 at that point. Target hog.
That plus route running was his strength coming into the league. He is very sound technique to go with his great hands. Those two things are why he's so appealing.He ran 4.41 and 4.46 at his Pro Day and is virtually identical to Boldin in height/weight.Kid has fantastic hands and body control, but his size and speed are pretty average. I haven't really analyzed his route running capabilities but I don't think he is anything special in that regard either yet. All this is to say that I think he will be a good player next year, likely a strong WR3 and possibly a WR2, if AJ holds out or leaves and he becomes the #1. I think he can still be a decent WR3 play if AJ decides to stick around. However, I don't see him near WR1 numbers given his skillset and a below average offense/QB situation, despite what are fairly strong rookie numbers overall.
I hope I'm wrong about his upside, as a dynasty owner, but that's what I've gathered from watching him last year. People sometimes compare him to Brandon Lloyd because of his ball skills, and I think that isn't a bad comp but Nuk is definitely stronger and more explosive than Lloyd.
Don't expect to see it this year or until he has a good QB, but he has what it takes to be one of the best receivers in the NFL.
DeAndre Hopkins - WR - Texans
DeAndre Hopkins has "starred" and is catching "nearly everything" at Texans camp.
John Harris of the Texans' official website notes Hopkins is "ready for the next step." Reports on Hopkins have been glowing all offseason and into the summer, especially with Andre Johnson missing all of spring and much of camp with a hamstring injury, but the re-draft appeal isn't all that high with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback. Hopkins could conceivably be third or fourth in line for targets.
Source: houstontexans.com
Aug 6 - 4:50 PM