DeAndre Hopkins, Alfred Blue's Fantasy Outlook After Ryan Mallett Named Starter

With the Houston Texans set to make a quarterback switch in favor of Ryan Mallett, the fantasy values of offensive weapons such as wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and running back Alfred Blue promise to receive a positive bump in Week 2 and beyond.

As first reported by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Houston is prepared to start Mallett under center Sunday against the Carolina Panthers after benching Brian Hoyer in a 27-20 season-opening loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Hoyer completed just 18 of 34 passes for 236 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Week 1 before Mallett stepped in and threw for 98 yards and one score, which was good for a QBR of 85.9.

That move seemed to spark the Houston offense as a whole and Hopkins specifically as he caught a touchdown on Mallett's first drive. Hopkins also scored on a pass from Hoyer, but that marked his only catch of the opening half.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, Hopkins had very positive things to say about Mallett's impact on the offense:

Hopkins has some experience playing alongside Mallett as the former Arkansas signal-caller started a pair of games last season. The results weren't great as Hopkins made a total of nine catches for 119 yards and no touchdowns in those two games, but their synergy was far more impressive Sunday.

Mallett certainly seems to have a great deal of confidence in his stud receiver, as he believes the 23-year-old pass-catcher can reel in almost anything thrown his way, per the Texans' official Twitter account:

Even though Houston's quarterback situation was far from ideal last season with Mallett, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Case Keenum and Tom Savage all receiving playing time, Hopkins still ended up with 76 grabs for 1,210 yards and six touchdowns.

Based solely on the fact that Mallett has a stronger arm than Hoyer, Hopkins and his fantasy owners should benefit in terms of more big plays taking place in the passing game.

It is much tougher to quantify how Mallett's ascension impacts Blue, but that has more to do with Houston's uncertainty at running back than anything else.

Blue rushed for just 42 yards in Week 1 as the Texans decided to get several backs involved rather than making the former LSU star the bell cow, according to Evan Silva of Rotoworld:

While Blue performed admirably, he didn't necessarily do anything to push head coach Bill O'Brien into giving him the lion's share of the touches out of the backfield.

In fact, Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle believed former Philadelphia Eagles running back Chris Polk was more impressive:

The other issue is the eventual return of Arian Foster, who is out of action with a groin injury. There is a great deal of uncertainty regarding his timetable, but Jayson Braddock of ESPN 97.5 previously reported he could be back by Week 4.

Houston's running game will benefit from Mallett regardless of who is in the backfield since he will keep opposing defenses honest with his big arm.

Blue is likely the best back to own until Foster returns, but based on O'Brien's usage, it is tough to trust him as anything more than a low-end flex play no matter who the Texans' signal-caller is.  

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