NFL Advanced Matchups: Week 12
Matchup of the Week No. 1
DeAndre Hopkins, ARI ($8,100 DK | $8,500 FD) vs. Stephon Gilmore, NE
Along with most of the New England defense, Stephon Gilmore has not played to the level we’ve come to expect from him in recent years. It’s always possible that a nagging injury or two could be costing him a fraction of a step. However, we simply cannot completely disregard the impact Gilmore has had on DeAndre Hopkins over the last four seasons. Hopkins’ own set of nagging injuries could actually even out this confrontation. Over his last three, Nuk has seen his 22.3 FPG average drop to 14.9. We also need to remember that 35 percent of Hopkins’ 28.7 FP output in Week 10 resulted from this miraculous, game-winning 43-yard TD vs. Buffalo.
Without that Hail Mary production, which is entirely analytically unreliable, Hopkins has averaged 11.5 FPG over his last three. A portion of the blame can be attributed to Hopkins forcing the second-most defensive hold and interference penalties (15).