Is DeAndre Hopkins playing today? Titans WR’s availability vs. Chargers explored

DeAndre Hopkins joined the Tennessee Titans with much fanfare but his Week 2 availability against the Los Angeles Chargers looked to be in jeopardy after the injury he picked up in the first game. He sustained an ankle injury while playing against the New Orleans Saints and was listed as questionable for Week 2.

DeAndre Hopkins caught seven of his 13 targets for 65 yards before suffering this injury in the final offensive snap of the game for this team. We now look at whether the star wide receiver can come back in time and be on the field for the Titans against the Chargers.

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Will DeAndre Hopkins play in Week 2?

DeAndre Hopkins spoke to the team's website and commented about his injury, saying,

“It’s a process to get my body prepared for whatever is next. Just trying to get my body ready to go, if I am up on Sunday. And that’s really kind of a day-to-day process. … We’ll see [what happens]. I’ll be prepared if my number is up, I hope.”

He did not practice all week and generally someone in that situation rarely takes to the field on gameday. Safety Amani Hooker, for example, has been ruled out for the match through concussion after he missed all of the practice sessions this week. But latest reports suggest that he will be ready for his home debut for Tennessee despite that.

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Who is DeAndre Hopkins' backup?

DeAndre Hopkins would have been a a big miss, given he received 38.2 percent of the target share among all Titans' receivers in the game against the New Orleans Saints. However, given that he is coming back from an injury, other players would need to step up too to lessen his workload.

DeAndre Hopkins is a starting wide receiver on the team. On his side of the field, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Colton Dowell are his backups and will be expected to take some part in the game.

However, in terms of actual receptions and the passing game, it will fall on the other wide receiver and tight end, who are the at top of the depth chart. Wide receiver Treylon Burks and tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo are likely to receive more receptions in DeAndre Hopkins' absence.

However, the Tenneessee Titans' mere 181 yards in passing show that they struggled to build a meaningful passing attack against the Saints, even with DeAndre Hopkins present. Ryan Tannehill finished with no touchdowns and three interceptions. So, they may instead choose to go more on the ground with Derrick Henry, who only had 63 yards but averaged 4.2 yards per carry.

The Chargers allowed only 70 rushing yards in their last game against the Miami Dolphins but that is a bit misleading because they got flamed by Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill in the passing game, giving up 466 yards. Therefore, the Dolphins kept up an aerial assault instead of going on the ground. A more important marker is that they allowed 3.5 yards per carry on all the attempts taken by the opposition, which is not a bad place to be at.

Therefore, the Titans would need to figure out whether to go more pass-heavy or depend on the running game. If they feel that Ryan Tannehill can be trusted to break open the defense as the Dolphins did, expect Hopkins, Burks and Okonkwo to shine. If they do not believe in his capabilities, they might have to let Derrick Henry loose and hope for the best.