Fantasy Football: DeAndre Hopkins A Quarterback Away From Greatness
The fantasy football production of DeAndre Hopkins hinges on what plans the Houston Texans ultimately have at quarterback.
Last season with the Houston Texans, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins had one of the least productive years of his career. In 2016, Hopkins totaled 954 receiving yards on 78 receptions and just four touchdowns. Needless to say, the erratic and terrible quarterback play from Brock Osweiler had a major hand in his drop-off in fantasy football production.
By the middle of the season, Hopkins went from a top-drafted receiving option to a plethora of fantasy waiver wires. It was shocking considering that he posted his best season yet one year prior. That's right, in 2015, Hopkins totaled 1,521 receiving yards on 111 receptions and 11 touchdowns. Unfortunately, at this point in time, Hopkins is in fantasy limbo.
As of right now, it's hard to tell what the Texans plan to do at quarterback. According to Kevin Patra for NFL.com, he confirms that they're still somewhat in the hunt to land quarterback Tony Romo. They could also stick with Tom Savage, who isn't a terrible quarterback, but doesn't exactly scream out that he's a game-changing player.
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For fantasy owners out there wondering what to do when it comes to Hopkins and his overall value for 2017, it's best to wait and see what transpires at quarterback. For all the football world knows, the Texans might go into next season with Savage and backup Brandon Weeden and possibly use their No. 25 overall pick on the best available quarterback.
If the Texans don't land Romo, it's hard to envision Hopkins as a top-10 fantasy receiving option. He should undoubtedly improve from last season, but not enough to warrant a WR1 position unless he has a consistent quarterback under center. If Romo is in the mix and provided he stays healthy all season long, that would give Hopkins an immediate boost in his overall fantasy value. Even then, however, banking on Romo's health is far from a sure thing.
Overall, it might be best to not put Hopkins on such a high pedestal just because Osweiler was shipped out of Texas. Sure, it might bring better results than last season, but until they have a solid and consistent quarterback throwing him the football, Hopkins as of now is a WR2 in the grand scheme of things.
