DeAndre Hopkins Injury: Updates on Texans Star's Ankle and Return

Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was a game-time decision for Week 16 against the Baltimore Ravens due to an ankle injury, but was active.

Continue for updates.

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Hopkins Active for Week 16

Sunday, Dec. 21

Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle confirmed Hopkins would play against Baltimore:

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Hopkins Game-Time Decision for Week 16

Friday, Dec. 19

Drew Dougherty of Texas TV supplied the details on Hopkins' injury:

The 2013 first-round pick is part of a formidable receiving duo with Texans face of the franchise Andre Johnson. However, the offense is built around Arian Foster and the rushing attack due to a perpetually unstable quarterback position.

Late in the 2014 campaign, NFL.com's Chris Wesseling made note of a Pro Football Focus stat that shows how productive Hopkins has been in his second year as a pro:

First-year head coach Bill O'Brien stated before the season that Hopkins had made significant strides after showing flashes of brilliance but also inconsistency as a rookie, per the Houston Chronicle's Brian T. Smith (h/t NFL.com's Kevin Patra):

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He's one of the guys out there that I think is much improved from April 7, when we started, to where we are now. He just has to keep it going. He's a very hard worker. It's very important to him. He's a guy that really, in our opinion, gets better and better everyday. So just got to keep it going.

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The numbers suggest Hopkins has indeed improved, given that he's well over 1,000 yards receiving and has increased his already-impressive yards per catch from 2013. Texans general manager Rick Smith would do well to make wide receiver a priority position this offseason through free agency and the draft.