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Hopkins A No Show For Training Camp; WR Holding Out For New Contract

Written By Bob Harris | fantasy football | Posted 30-Jul-16 @ 10:58 PT

In a development that will be of great concern to fantasy football owners, DeAndre Hopkins, who is entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, did not report for the start of the Texans' camp.

As ESPN first reported, Hopkins is holding out as he seeks a new contract. He will be subject to fines of $40,000 for each day of camp he misses.

A week ago, Hopkins expressed hope that his contract situation would resolve itself this offseason.

"I'm not looking for a certain range," Hopkins said, during a break at a Hyundai football camp for local children. "I just want to be treated for what I'm worth. That's fair to say, right?"

We'll see. The Texans brass has declined to negotiate a new deal up to this point. Hopkins has two years left on his rookie contract and is set to make just $1 million in base salary in 2016.

As NFL.com's Kevin Patra notes, the 6-1 wideout is a highlight machine. He's the NFL's premier boundary receiver, stretches the field, can post up smaller corners and outmuscle bigger defenders. There is little Hopkins can't do from the receiver position. He also carried the Texans offense last season, earning 31.6 percent of the teams passing targets.

Playing with a series of poor quarterbacks last season, Hopkins pulled in 111 receptions, 1,521 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.

Because the Texans picked up the fifth-year option available on all first-round pick contracts, Hopkins technically has two seasons left on his deal.

Hopkins was a first-round pick in 2013, and the Texans extended their 2011 and 2012 first-round picks [J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus] as they entered their fourth seasons.

Patra went on to suggest that Hopkins is certainly worth the $15 million per season other receivers of his caliber are making. Unfortunately for the former first-round pick, he's still under contract for multiple years -- plus the threat of the franchise tag in 2018 -- so he might have to wait a while to see those big dollars.

Which could mean a lengthy holdout. We'll be watching for more.