The Houston Texans have a dangerous passing combination in quarterback Deshaun Watson and receiver DeAndre Hopkins, but they are also two very potent players in fantasy football.
According to analytics released by Pro Football Focus, both Watson and Hopkins registered 331.7 and 333.5 fantasy points in 2018, placing third and second respectively over the past 10 years in terms of individual Texans fantasy output.
While Watson is just another gunslinger in a passing league, Hopkins differentiated himself as the top receiver in fantasy football in 2018.
The race for last year’s No. 1 fantasy receiver was a close one. Entering Week 17, Davante Adams, Antonio Brown, and Michael Thomas were first through third, but neither Adams nor Brown played in the season finale, while Thomas barely did. That opened the door for Hopkins, Julio Jones, and Tyreek Hill to claim the top three spots, with only 18 points separated WR1 from WR6 on the season. For the Texans’ decade, Hopkins and Andre Johnson hold down all of the top-10 slots, evenly split between the two, but Hopkins’ 2018 and 2015 are the top two on the list.
What helped Watson’s fantasy numbers were his lack of interceptions. The second-year signal caller from Clemson had a 10-game stretch to finish the season where he chucked only two picks. Regardless of how many touchdowns Watson threw, 26 in all, having nothing negative impact his stat line helps his fantasy output.
For Hopkins, the All-Pro wideout has demonstrated the ability to produce no matter who is throwing him the ball. With a Pro Bowl quarterback in Watson now throwing him passes, it only helps his fantasy numbers. In 2018, Hopkins tied ex-receiver Andre Johnson for the club single-season high in catches with 115.
