There’s two possible red flags when it comes to DeAndre Hopkins’ viability in Week 9. The most glaring is simply usage. In his first game with the Chiefs last week against the Raiders, Hopkins was limited to just 23 offensive snaps and a 31.9% snap share. However, it was at least somewhat encouraging that the veteran wideout ran a route on all 14 of his passing snaps and he received a target on 21.4% of those routes. I’d expect Hopkins’ role to grow substantially in his second contest in Kansas City, particularly after an extended week of practice.
The other aspect of Hopkins’ value is a little more subjective. At 32-years-old, does the former first-round pick still have the juice? We are now four seasons removed from Hopkins’ last appearance on an All-Pro team. In that span, we’ve seen Hopkins miss significant time in 2021 and 2022 with injury, but also register his seventh 1,000-yard receiving campaign in 2023. While the wideout is averaging a paltry 28.9 receiving yards per game so far in 2024, you’d have to place a majority of the blame on the Titans’ quarterback situtation. Even if Hopkins is no longer at his peak, I doubt he’s fallen off that much in that short a time period.
I’d wager that a realistic expectation of Hopkins in Week 9 is a snap share over 50% and somewhere between 25 to 30 routes. In a Patrick Mahomes offense, that should be enough to be a decent FLEX option with some upside. Not to mention this is a fantastic matchup against a Buccaneers’ defense that is leaking oil. Tampa Bay is surrendering the sixth-most FPTS to opposing wide receivers so far this season. Across the past three weeks, specifically, the Buccaneers are also conceding 8.3 passing yards per opponent attempt — the second-worst mark in the NFL.
Travis Kelce will remain the team’s No. 1 target and Xaiver Worthy will get his looks. Still, with JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring) sidelined and little else on the depth chart, it feels like Hopkins will make his first mark in a Chiefs uniform on Monday Night Football.
Start or Sit DeAndre Hopkins? Start.
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
