DeAndre Hopkins and the Titans are in Jacksonville this week, and some might be debating whether to start him. Tennessee's offense has hit the skids the last two weeks, and it's taken Hopkins along with it. How might he fare?
In the first Will Levis game, of course, Hopkins blew up with 128 yards and 3 touchdowns. The next two weeks, he's caught just 3-4 passes for an average of 44 yards, with no touchdowns. Which Hopkins will it be at Jacksonville is the question.
The good news for those holding Hopkins is that Jacksonville has struggled against opposing No. 1 wideouts all along (and some No. 2s, but let's focus on the main guys).
Table shows how opposing No. 1s have performed against Jacksonville's secondary each week this season. Most of the names are clear No. 1s, a couple others (Skyy Moore, certainly) are more debatable. But back in Week 1 Moore was playing more snaps than any Kansas City wideout but fly pattern guy Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Anyway, everyone else looks pretty good as the top guy, and I threw in Buffalo's No. 2, as well, because 100-yard games with touchdowns just shouldn't be ignored.
| NO. 1 WIDE RECEIVERS VERSUS JACKSONVILLE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | No | Rec | TD |
| Pittman, Ind. | 8 | 97 | 1 |
| Moore, K.C. | 3 | 70 | 1 |
| Dell, Hou. | 5 | 145 | 1 |
| London, Atl. | 3 | 28 | 1 |
| Diggs, Buff. | 8 | 121 | 1 |
| Davis, Buff. | 6 | 100 | 1 |
| Pittman, Ind. | 9 | 109 | 0 |
| Olave, N.O. | 7 | 57 | 0 |
| Johnson, Pitt. | 8 | 85 | 0 |
| Aiyuk, S.F. | 3 | 55 | 1 |
Last two guys in the table, Johnson and Aiyuk, can be debated if they're their teams No. 1s. But the other reasonable candidates, George Pickens and Deebo Samuel, also scored in those games. So did Michael Thomas for New Orleans.
I'm not sure how Levis himself will do in a game I expect the Jaguars to win. But I will be starting Hopkins this week.
--Andy Richardson