DeAndre Hopkins leads the NFL in targets

Houston Texans’ wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is getting plenty of footballs thrown his way this season.

This past offseason numerous people questioned whether or not Houston Texans’ wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is still a premiere NFL wide receiver.

Hopkins did haul in 78 receptions for 954 yards last season, but like any other No. 1 wide receiver, he’s expected to exceed the 1,000 yard mark each and every season.

Through the first three weeks of the current NFL season, Hopkins leads all NFL wide receivers with a total of 37 targets.

Hopkins also has 21 catches for 204 yards and one touchdown. He’s on pace for over 100 receptions, over 1,000 yards and around five touchdowns. Not bad at all.

Five touchdowns would be considered low for one season, but you have to remember that Hopkins has a rookie quarterback in Deshaun Watson throwing him the football.

As we’ve seen already this season, Watson doesn’t have a lot of time to throw the football, which means he won’t hesitate to take off and run with the football. Especially as they get closer to the goal line.

One thing we do know is that Hopkins will continue to be Watson’s favorite receiver going forward. So he will get around at least 10 targets per game.

Now, I honestly don’t expect Hopkins to lead the NFL in targets by the end of the season. I can see New York Giants’ wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. eclipsing him due to the fact that Eli Manning typically targets him around 13-14 times a game.  Nonetheless, Hopkins  continue to be one of the busiest receivers in the NFL.

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What really impresses me about Hopkins is that even though the New England Patriots knew that Watson was going to look his way a lot this past Sunday, he still caught seven passes for 76 yards.

The key for any No. 1 receiver is to be able to beat a double team and he’s proven time and time again he can do just that.