The Houston Texans are coming off of a tough loss to the Baltimore Ravens on the road in Week 3 after starting the season 2-0 and while the team will have a tough test facing off against the 3-0 Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, the offense will be getting some firepower back in the form of wide receiver Andre Johnson.
According to ESPN.com, Johnson is expected to play in Week 4 against the Seattle Seahawks after dealing with a shin injury and head coach Gary Kubiak expressed that this weekly to the media. Johnson likely will be listed on the injury report this week whether he plays or not and if he is limited in the game, that should give a boost to rookie DeAndre Hopkins, who has come on this season and has been a consistent second receiver for Matt Schaub in the offense.
Johnson left the game last week against the Ravens in the second quarter and came back in the second half, but he came out after making five catches for 36 yards and now it looks like he will be ready to play again. Johnson had a big game to start the season with 12 catches for 146 yards and 16 targets against the Chargers and then the next week he dealt with a slight injury but was able to made eight receptions for 76 yards. Johnson has been kept out of the endzone this season thus far, but with him getting back on the field he could snag a score on Sunday.
Johnson is one of the best receivers in the league and Hopkins has done a good job of complimenting him, coming on fast while making 18 catches this season for 243 yards as a rookie. Hopkins came out of college with blazing speed and explosiveness out of Clemson and he has been adapting to the NFL very quickly, making 18 catches for over 240 yards and a TD, which helped the team win over the Titans in overtime.
The Texans have been looking for a number two receiver to play with Johnson for years and now it appears they have him. Johnson left the game against the Texans after getting hit hard and Hopkins was able to pick up the slack, as he put up his best numbers this season with seven catches for 117 yards and the winning touchdown. In his first game he had five catches for 60 yards and last week he added six catches on seven targets for 60 yards in the loss and he could have a nice day if Johnson is limited or blanketed in coverage.
Hopkins is averaging over 13 yards per catch and has been targeted 26 times this season on offense and while the Seattle secondary is very good, the Texans now have two receivers that are dangerous weapons.