Why DeAndre Hopkins Will Be Even Better for Fantasy in Cardinals Air Raid

In a shocker, DeAndre Hopkins has been traded to the Arizona Cardinals, where his fantasy value somehow rises even further.

Wait… What?! In perhaps the worst trade of all time, the Texans traded DeAndre Hopkins and a 2020 fourth rounder to the Cardinals for an exorbitantly expensive David Johnson + 2020 second and 2021 fourth round picks. Just when you thought Bill O’Brien couldn’t get any dumber…

Needless to say, this unfathomable move carries enormous fantasy ramifications for Kyler Murray, Deshaun Watson, Will Fullerand, of course, Hopkins himself.

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Let’s focus on the elite WR first.

Hopkins has finished as a Top-Five WR in four of the last five seasons, with Osweiler blatantly responsible for the lone outlier. He’s topped 300 FPs in three of those seasons, despite having competent QB play (Deshaun Watson) for less than half of those contests. It’s a testament to Hopkins’ NFL-best body control and ball skills, making the impossible catch look routine.

Simply put: the man’s a stud, and had seemingly minimal room to rise in fantasy rankings. He was already my WR2, afterall.

DeAndre Hopkins Will Dominate 2020 Fantasy Football in Cardinals Air Raid

Still, the Cardinals could still present an immediate upgrade. No team threw to their WRs more in 2019 than the Cardinals (69.8%)… and that was with maybe the least talented corps in the NFL.

Moreover, Kliff Kingsbury‘s Air Raid could fly at a much higher-level in year two. With a year of growth for Kyler Murray, and now elite pass-catching talent, the entire offense should play at the blistering pace expected of an Air Raid.

After totaling 8.5 more points per game last year (22.6) than in 2018 (14.1), don’t be shocked if the Cardinals approach 28-30 per game in 2020. Hopkins would undoubtedly be on the receiving end of 12-15 of those TDs.

There’s not a route this man can’t run perfectly, and Murray will finally have a weapon that can stretch the field and show off his cannon arm. Expect plenty of broken plays where Murray lets Hopkins win the one-on-one ball.

While Hopkins doesn’t ascend past Michael Thomas for my top-WR spot, he does inch ever closer to his tier. He shoots up from 12 overall to No. 7 on my upcoming Post-Free Agency Big Board.

Author

  • Founder of Roto Street Journal. Lover of workhorse backs, target hog wideouts, and Game of Thrones. Aspiring to be the "Brady" and "Leo" of the fantasy universe.

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