Tag: DeAndre Hopkins

Titans DC Dean Pees: Texans have two No. 1 wide receivers

Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees says the Houston Texans have two No. 1 receivers in DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller.

The Houston Texans have a consensus No. 1 receiver in DeAndre Hopkins, but Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees believes there is another on the roster.

According to Pees, Hopkins’ sidekick, Will Fuller, is fully capable of being a top option in an offense, and the Texans have the luxury of giving quarterback Deshaun Watson his choice of No. 1s to throw to.

“Teams will put so much emphasis on 10 (Hopkins), they got some other talent at receivers over there,” Pees told Nashville media Thursday. “But Fuller certainly is — he could be a No. 1 receiver for a lot of teams without 10. If 10 wasn’t there, he’d be a No. 1 receiver. So, they basically got two No. 1s.”

The Titans’ defensive coordinator is complimentary of Houston’s pass-catching duo, particularly the one that isn’t a back-to-back All-Pro. It is unknown if he will see both on Sunday as the 8-5 Titans host the 8-5 Texans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.

Hopkins is good to go; Fuller, not so much. The speedy wideout missed Week 14’s loss to the Denver Broncos with a lingering hamstring injury, and was limited in Wednesday’s practice. The former 2016 first-round pick has missed four games on the season.

In nine games, Fuller, a Notre Dame product, has 42 catches for 598 yards and three touchdowns. In four career games against Tennessee, he has 22 receptions for 253 yards and four touchdowns.

Texans coach Bill O’Brien told reporters he doesn’t know if Fuller will play Sunday. Whether or not that is the coach playing it close to the vest or not will be determined when Houston assigns injury designations on Friday afternoon.

Pees reaffirmed that if Fuller plays, it will be an advantage for the Texans.

“It’s big,” said Pees.

If Fuller does play, Pees could come into Sunday with a headache from game-planning for two No. 1 receivers.

Titans coach Mike Vrabel compares Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins to a pass rusher

Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel doesn’t just see a wide receiver in Houston Texans’ DeAndre Hopkins. He sees a pass-rusher.

It takes a pass rusher to know one.

A former NFL linebacker who collected 57.0 career sacks from 1997-2010, Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel knows his fair share about pass rushing and sees some of the same traits in Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Vrabel — who coached linebackers in Houston from 2014-16 before taking the defensive coordinator job for a year — sees a skill set in Hopkins comparable to those trying to take down quarterback Deshaun Watson. Hopkins’ physicality, leverage play and hand movements are similar to that of a pass rusher.

“He does a great job with his hands, putting them on defenders’ arms and catching the wrist,” Vrabel told reporters Wednesday. “I mean, he’s almost like a pass rusher in that regard.”

Hopkins’ handwork makes him a tough matchup for cornerbacks. In a sense, he boxes with them when they get close to the line of scrimmage. His pass rush-like skill set makes for a nearly unguardable force.

A two-time All-Pro, Hopkins is putting up another season that warrants consideration to make the first-team for a third time. The former 2013 first-round pick has 93 receptions for 1,023 yards and seven touchdowns, and his receptions are the second-most in the league.

Hopkins has historically shredded the Titans with his pass rushing-like skill set. In 12 games against them, he has 77 receptions for 1,194 yards and seven touchdowns.

On Sunday, he’ll look to build on those numbers and sack Tennessee’s endeavor to take first place in the AFC South.

Texans-Broncos live blog: 1st Q, 0-0

The Houston Texans and Denver Broncos hook up for Week 14. Can’t catch the game conventionally? We have you covered.

15:00 — The Broncos called tails. It was tails, and they elected to defer. Texans ball.

first quarter

The Houston Texans and the Denver Broncos battle on Battle Red Day at NRG Stadium. A win will give the Texans their eighth ever winning season in club history.

Check the inactives. Will Fuller is down for Houston.

Are you still sure you can’t catch the game conventionally? Let our friends from FuboTV help.

Texans 100: Facts and Figures for Broncos, No. 76-100

The facts finish up with a look at the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos defenses, as well as receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Courtland Sutton.

The final quarter of facts conclude with a look at the NFL on CBS broadcast team as well as a few defensive figures for the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos, who both meet Sunday at noon CT at NRG Stadium for Week 14.

Facts and Figures for Broncos, No. 1-25

Facts and Figures for Broncos, No. 26-50

Facts and Figures for Broncos, No. 51-75

broadcast facts

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

76. CBS will broadcast their sixth game in the series. Here the breakdown by network:

CBS: 5

ESPN: 1

NFL Network: 1

 

77. The Texans are 93-124 all-time on CBS.

78. The Broncos are 161-119 all-time on CBS.

79. This week’s play-by-play crew is Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon, making them the eighth different team to call a game in the series.

80. The Texans are 14-22 when Harlan calls their games.

81. Houston is 15-15 when Gannon calls their games.

82. This is the second early afternoon game in the series. All of them have been at NRG Stadium.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

Broncos will try to match the toughness of Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins

On Sunday, the Houston Texans will host the Denver Broncos. One of the Broncos’ game plans is to stop DeAndre Hopkins by matching his toughness.

Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins presents challenges for any defense he plays. A back-to-back All-Pro with 86 receptions for 903 yards and six touchdowns in 2019, the wide-out, otherwise known as “Nuk,” is a premier talent.

On Sunday, against the 8-4 Broncos, that premier talent will attempt to will the Texans to their third-straight victory. Denver’s coach, Vic Fangio, is complimentary of Hopkins.

“Really good toughness to where he just fights for the ball. He’s got tremendous hands,” Fangio told reporters Thursday. “If he doesn’t have the best hands in the league, he’s second or third behind whoever.”

The rookie coach, who used to be the Texans’ defensive coordinator from 2002-05, pointed out that Hopkins has a “good rapport going” with the entire Texans’ passing game.

“He’s a guy that you can throw it to if you’re the quarterback, even if you have tight coverage because he outfights a lot of guys for the ball,” Fangio said. “He’s got those strong hands, big catch radius and he’s a good runner after the catch. I think he’s best attributes are his —obviously, his hands — and then his toughness.”

Fangio uses 96 words to define Hopkins. He only needs six to state how his cornerbacks, led by Pro Bowler Chris Harris, will defend him.

“They’ve got to match his toughness,” said Fangio.

Fangio won’t delve into what he means by matching Hopkins’ toughness, but his defensive coordinator, Ed Donatell will.

“He brings in energy,” said Donatell. “When you see him release off contact, he’s going to fight you and he’s going to push and shove and do everything he can to separate. He has a huge catch radius. That’s kind of what the story is.”

“You’ve got to hang in there and you’ve got to match his physicality. Yes, you do,” concluded Donatell.

In three career games against the Broncos, Hopkins has 16 receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown. Last year, in a Texans win, he tallied 10 receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown. Nuk will look to build upon that performance on Sunday, no matter if the Broncos try to match his toughness.

DFS PROS favorite plays: Week 14

Top-ranked DFS PRO Jason Mezrahi, founder and CEO of WinDailySports.com, breaks down his favorite Daily Fantasy Football plays at various salary ranges for Week 14 of the NFL. Find out who Jason will be locking in his lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Top-ranked DFS PRO Jason Mezrahi, founder and CEO of WinDailySports.com, breaks down his favorite Daily Fantasy Football plays at various salary ranges for Week 14 of the NFL. Find out who Jason will be locking in his lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.

QUARTERBACKS

KYLE ALLEN- $5700 DRAFTKINGS, $7100 FANDUEL

I believe this is the week to pay down at the quarterback position and save cash because you’re going to need it. Kyle Allen can get you there, at near minimum salary for the quarterback position on both sites. He is coming off consecutive 20+ point games and I think it continues in Week 14. The Falcons rank 22nd against opposing quarterbacks and are allowing 259 yards passing per game. The rookie will have something to prove after Ron Rivera was fired and his future is going to become even more of a question moving forward. I think Allen steps up and exceeds value with another 20 point performance this week.

RYAN FITZPATRICK- $6000 DRAFTKINGS, $7400 FANDUEL

The value train continues and who better to highlight that than a man who has gotten a ton of value out of his career. Ryan Fitzpatrick or “Fitzmagic” as they call him, keeps getting it done and puts up points each week no matter what team he plays for. He is coming off two back to back monster games. Fitzpatrick had a 25 point outing versus the Browns and backed it up with a 30 point performance versus the Eagles. He now faces off against the New York Jets and their suspect secondary. Fitzpatrick will be finding his way into my tournament lineups and I will stay away from him in cash games.

RUNNING BACKS

CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY-  $10300 DRAFTKINGS, $11000 FANDUEL

Christian McCaffrey is having one of the best seasons I have seen while playing fantasy football. The man is a lock and is averaging a whopping 31 points per game and hopefully carrying me to my season-long championship. He gets points in good and bad matchups, he scores when his team is winning or trailing in games. As long as he is healthy he is on the field accumulating fantasy points. McCaffrey will gash the Atlanta Falcons on the ground and the air. If you have followed this column all season I have written him up in almost every week and I don’t plan to stop anytime soon. I don’t mind pairing him with Kyle Allen and hope this game shoots out.

DERRICK HENRY-  $8200 DRAFTKINGS, $9100 FANDUEL

If you like to follow game logs you will like to see 24, 36, 32, and 27 as Derrick Henry’s last 4 games. He has 1140 rushing yards on the season, along with 13 touchdowns and has seen a bump in production ever since Ryan Tannehill took over as quarterback. He gets a dream matchup against Oakland who has allowed the 18th most points to opposing running backs and should be in for another big game. I love the combo of McCaffrey and Henry locking up a solid base of 50 points for both your cash games and tournaments in Week 14.

WIDE RECEIVERS

DEANDRE HOPKINS-  $7400 DRAFTKINGS, $8300 FANDUEL

DeAndre Hopkins is an elite wide receiver who is coming off a tough matchup versus the Patriots and Stephon Gilmore. I hope that drives down ownership on Hopkins this week. DeAndre has been consistently good all year and I’m expecting a breakout game at home in the dome. If the Broncos can keep this game close we can see fireworks out of Hopkins here at home.

DEVANTE PARKER-  $6900 DRAFTKINGS, $7200 FANDUEL

DeVante Parker was one of the main reasons I will be heading to the FanDuel World Fantasy Football Championship in Puerto Rico next weekend, so I will be sure to play him in a nice matchup versus the New York Jets. Parker is coming off 37 point game and gets to face the Jets who rank 22nd against opposing wide receivers. I love the stack with Fitzpatrick in tournaments.

TIGHT ENDS

JACK DOYLE-  $4600 DRAFTKINGS, $6300 FANDUEL

Jack Doyle has seen an uptick in targets and receptions with Eric Ebron put on injured reserve. I want to pay down at tight end and Doyle is one of the best value tight ends of the slate. Doyle should be heavily targeted again this week and the Buccaneers struggle to cover the tight end. They rank 31st against opposing tight ends and allow 281 yards passing per game. I see Doyle with at least 5 receptions for 55 yards and I believe he finds his way into the endzone again this week. Lock Doyle in for the best value tight end of the slate.

VANCE MCDONALD-  $4300 DRAFTKINGS, $5800 FANDUEL

We can keep this one short. Play the tight end every week against the Arizona Cardinals. It’s a written rule that you can pair with locking Christian McCaffrey in your lineups. The Arizona Cardinals haven’t been able to cover the tight end for years and the trend continues this week. If you need proof go look at the last 20 games of tight end matchups against the Cardinals and you will be shocked by what’s been done. McDonald should be a safe value play for both cash games and tournaments.

DEFENSES

GREEN BAY PACKERS-  $4000 DRAFTKINGS, $5000 FANDUEL

Let’s keep it short and sweet with our defenses. We will be targeting two home teams facing off against weak offenses. The Packers get to face off at home in harsh temperatures versus a rookie quarterback and a lackluster offense. This should be a statement game for this Packer team and hopefully the defense steps up and makes some big plays.

HOUSTON TEXANS-  $3300 DRAFTKINGS, $4600 FANDUEL

It’s the same strategy here. Let’s lock in the home team versus a rookie quarterback. This Texan defense has looked better and is coming off an impressive win verse Brady and the Patriots. I think the Texans make for a strong play on DraftKings at $3300 and I will sprinkle in shares of this defense in both cash games and tournaments.
Jason Mezrahi has been a professional, top-ranked Daily Fantasy Player on FanDuel and DraftKings for more than seven years. He has won FanDuel’s $155,555 King of the Diamond competition and placed second in DraftKings’ Fantasy Basketball World Championship, earning him $300,000. He owns and operates WinDailySports.com, which supports the DFS and Sports Betting community with resources such as tools, projection models, in-depth written analysis and podcasts, plus much more.

Stephon Gilmore and DeAndre Hopkins exchange trash talk on Twitter

Their competition spirit has extended beyond the field.

Stephon Gilmore and DeAndre Hopkins put on a show during the Houston Texans’ 28-22 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football in Week 13.

With Gilmore in single coverage for most of the night, Hopkins put together a respectable performance with five receptions for 64 yards. (One of Hopkins’ receptions didn’t come with Gilmore in coverage.) It’s probably fair to call their 1-on-1 matchup a draw.

Still, Hopkins celebrated his performance on Twitter and showed a picture of him during a reception with Gilmore on the ground.

“When you see 10 double him,” Hopkins wrote on Tuesday.

That drew a response from Gilmore, who wanted to set the record straight. While Hopkins suggested he was drawing double coverage, that simply wasn’t true. The Patriots doubled Hopkins for just two of 56 snaps.

The problem with doubling Hopkins was that it opened up options for the rest of the Houston offense. So when New England put two defenders on the Texans’ star wideout, quarterback Deshaun Watson made them pay. He managed a touchdown on each snap that the Patriots had a double team on Watson.

Gilmore allowed a significant amount of yardage in the fourth quarter on a game-sealing touchdown drive. Surely, that didn’t help his or the Patriots case in logging a win. Still, Hopkins and Gilmore, both arguably the best at their position, put together a respectable performance on Sunday.

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Texans QB Deshaun Watson almost checked out of DeAndre Hopkins trick play pass

Originally, Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson did not want to perform the trick play with DeAndre Hopkins against the New England Patriots.

The H-Town special almost wasn’t a special.

The Houston Texans’ creative Duke Johnson handoff to DeAndre Hopkins pitch to Deshaun Watson nearly didn’t happen. Watson didn’t like what he saw on the play, as the New England Patriots were playing a zone defense rather than man.

“Honestly it wasn’t the perfect look,” Watson told reporters after the 28-22 win. “We wanted man coverage where the safety was one backer here. They went kind of like a two-high look. It was funky at first. I wanted to check out of it.”

Watson wanted man. He didn’t get it. The timing was right, so was the personnel. Despite not getting the right defense, he went for it.

On first-and-goal with 9:58 left in the fourth, Watson handed it off to Johnson, Hopkins sprinted behind them, took the ball, hauled towards the end zone, then, at the last moment, he pitched it to Watson. Touchdown Texans.

“But I was like, ‘No, this is a perfect time.’ We got it here. If we don’t run it now, probably never run it. So I was like forget it. Me and Hop (DeAndre Hopkins) will make something work. He pulled up. The safety, the corner was sitting out there, I think it was J.C. Jackson. I saw Hop tuck it, took one step, and I knew he was going to pitch it right out. I just know Hop like the back of my hand. He just threw it up in the air, I got it, scored. It was cool,” said Watson.

Ultimately, Watson did not check out of the play. The result: six points, confusion and a score that would eventually finish off a monumental win, drop the Patriots 10-2, and relegate New England to the No. 2 seed for now due to Baltimore Ravens having the tiebreaker over the top team in the AFC East.

Hopkins was credited for the touchdown pass on the play, while Watson came down with a six-yard touchdown reception. Most importantly, it capped off a win.

If Watson checked out of it, who knows what would have happened?

Why did the Texans choose to call a trick play against the Patriots?

The Houston Texans called a trick play in the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots in the 28-22. What did they see that would make it work?

The Houston Texans didn’t just earn a statement win over the New England Patriots 28-22 on Sunday Night Football, but provided a statement play that will forever be linked with the victory.

On first-and-goal from the 6-yard line with 9:58 to go in the game, Watson handed off to running back Duke Johnson, who was sweeping to the left side. Johnson handed the ball off to receiver DeAndre Hopkins coming around the right side and then tossed the ball forward to quarterback Deshaun Watson for the All-Pro wideout’s first touchdown pass of the season.

 

“It was a play we’ve been working on for four weeks,” Watson told reporters after the win. “Right when we got inside the five, I kind of knew the whole play call that was going to be called. That was the play called.”

According to Watson, excitement permeated the huddle.

For Hopkins, even though the play was designed as a pass to the quarterback, he knew that he would have to do an expert job selling the Patriots defense on the fact he might sweep around himself.

“I knew holding onto the ball, getting the guy to commit, it would lead to Deshaun being open,” Hopkins said. “I knew all I had to do was give him the ball.”

Watson credits Hopkins for giving the final deception to make the gadget play work.

Said Watson: “He did a good job of really selling the guys that come up, and then giving me a good pitch enough where I can catch it and dive in. Give all the credit to Hop and the pass. It was good.”

The rudiments for the play were on a two-point conversion the Chicago Bears ran against the Minnesota Vikings in 2017.

“Chicago did it,” Watson explained. “We brought it up. Me and A.J. McCarron were looking at it. We were watching film one day and were like ⁠— actually we probably can run that. We threw it out to [offensive coordinator] Tim Kelly, [coach] OB (Bill O’Brien) and then Hop (DeAndre Hopkins) saw it, and Hop of course is like, ‘Let’s do it! Let’s do it!.'”

Another element that made the play work was the chemistry between Watson and Hopkins, an unspoken bond that has led to numerous big connections throughout their three seasons together.

“I knew I had to kind of tuck the ball, wait for him to commit, to throw it to Deshaun,” Hopkins said. “I knew once I threw it to him, he was going to be in.”

Watson said he knew the moment Hopkins was going to release the ball.

“I saw Hop tuck it, took one step, and I knew he was going to pitch it right out,” said Watson. “I just know Hop like the back of my hand. He just threw it up in the air, I got it, scored.”

Watson joked that he appreciated adding the play to his highlight reel because it proves to anybody who will listen that he is a versatile athlete.

“I told him I’m an athlete, could play d-end, safety, all that stuff,” Watson said. “The more you can do, the longer you play in this league. I can do it all.”

Texans’ snap count observations from the 28-22 win over the Patriots

The Houston Texans defeated the New England Patriots 28-22 on Sunday night. Let’s take a gander at the snap counts from the upset win.

The Houston Texans slayed the dragon on Sunday Night Football, beating the, now 10-2, New England Patriots to move to 8-4 on the season, in turn, gaining full control of the AFC South and the AFC’s third seed.

Despite the Patriots winning the yardage and time of possession battles, the Texans won the game handily, though a six-point win doesn’t depict that. Outside of garbage time stat-padding, the Texans were dominant against a team they have struggled with since the conception of the franchise.

The Texans were able to get the win despite missing three starters. Right tackle Tytus Howard (injured reserve – MCL), cornerback Gareon Conley (hip) and outside linebacker Brennan Scarlett (shoulder) did not play. Let’s take a gander at the snap counts, which showed the impact of losing the three.

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OBSERVATIONS

Offensive line
  • Without Howard, the Texans rotated their right tackles, with Chris Clark and Roderick Johnson each receiving snaps. Clark got the start and saw 61% (34) of snaps, with Johnson got 39% (22).
  • The line allowed three sacks for 16 yards on the night, two of which weren’t solely their fault. They struggled to help out the run-game, as Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson ran for just 53 yards on 19 combined attempts.
Secondary
  • Houston has employed Jahleel Addae as their nickel safety for much of the 2019 campaign. That didn’t happen on Sunday, as he played just three defense snaps (3%).
  • Addae’s lack of usage likely correlates with Houston’s willingness to run four cornerbacks with the return of Bradley Roby. Romeo Crennel masterfully schemed up his gameplan to have slot cornerbacks covering running backs. In turn, Roby played 98% of snaps (85) and Vernon Hargreaves played 84% (73).
  • Lonnie Johnson saw 38 snaps (44%). Johnathan Joseph received 77 (89%). The Texans played with four cornerbacks, having Johnson as their fourth. The re-addition of Gareon Conley should make things interesting.
Front-seven
  • With Scarlett out, the Texans turned to Jacob Martin to produce as an edge-rusher. The investment paid off, as he tallied 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hits and a tackle for loss in 45 snaps (52%).
  • Charles Omenihu continues to slowly eek his way into a starter role as a base defender. He saw his most snaps as a defender on Sunday, playing in 63 (72%). Last week, he saw an uptick in snaps going from 30% of snaps the week before to 43%.
  • Barkevious Mingo received defensive snaps with Scarlett not playing, specifically 17 (20%). On the Patriots’ first drive, he warranted an unnecessary roughness penalty, giving New England a first.
Offensive skill positions
  • Keke Coutee, again, was a healthy scratch. The Texans ran with DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller and Kenny Stills for the majority of their snaps. DeAndre Carter played sparingly, receiving seven snaps (12%).
  • The Texans continue to increase tight end Jordan Thomas’ snap count. The second-year Mississippi State man doubled his snap counts from Week 12 (seven) to 13 (14 – 25%). Darren Fells and Jordan Akins played the majority.
  • Duke Johnson edged out Carlos Hyde for running back snaps, playing 38 (68%) compared to Hyde’s 21 (38%). His increased usage correlated to the game plan, as he was Watson’s check down option (five receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown) and also hauled in the game’s first touchdown.

Going forward, the Texans will host the 4-8 Denver Broncos on Sunday, Dec. 8. Expect differing snap counts with Conley and Scarlett expected to return by then.