Hailing from Central, South Carolina, DeAndre “Nuk” Hopkins played college football at Clemson University. He broke out at as a college freshman at age 18, and his production improved every season of his college career. He led the team in receiving his final two seasons, capping a dominant career with 1,405 receiving yards, 17.01 yards per reception, and 18 touchdowns his senior season.
Running a 4.54-second 40-time, Hopkins has never relied on blowing by defenders, instead utilizing his 80-inch wingspan and 10-inch hands to tower over defenders and pull down jump balls. He was selected with the 27th pick of the first round of the 2013 Draft by the Houston Texans.
Hopkins’s is the definition of a target hog. His injury riddled 2021 season snapped a streak of seven seasons with at least a 25-percent Target Share. From 2017 to 2019, he played 100-percent of snaps, ran at least 90-percent of routes, and earned a minimum 30-percent Target Share and Target Rate.
Prior to the 2020 season, tensions rose between the Texans and Hopkins, and he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals showed faith in Hopkins, quickly signing him to a two-year contract extension, but the fantasy community had their doubts. His average draft position dropped a full round, but Hopkins went on to have another stellar season. He converted 860 of his 1403 air yards, generating 547 yards after the catch. Hopkins was also one of the most reliable receivers in all of football, dropping only 1 of his 160 targets and compiling 2.36 Yards Per Route Run. Despite a large number of Air Yards, Hopkins wasn’t used as a deep threat, earning just 16 deep balls. Still, he earned a WR5 end-of-season fantasy ranking in points per game.
2021 was not kind to Hopkins. It was clear that his rib injury sustained in Week 2 was diluting his production. In week 8, he suffered a hamstring strain, forcing him to sit four games. He returned to the lineup, but tore his MCL and went out for the season. He played only 10 games the following season, serving a six-game PED suspension to start the season. He returned to form the latter part of the season, accruing 717 yards in nine games on 2.21 (No. 17) Yards Per Route Run and was a top-10 fantasy option (WR9) with 16.9 fantasy points per game.
Hopkins became a free agent in 2023 and signed a two-year deal with the Titans. Unfortunately, the Titans' offense and quarterback play muted Hopkins' production. While he continued to compile yards at an efficient 2.16 (No. 18) Yards Per Route Run, he caught just 75 of 136 targets on a 67.6-percent (No. 66) Catchable Target Rate. Hopkins turns 32 years old prior to the 2024 season and enters the final year of his contract.
