DeAndre Hopkins has just one fantasy football finish better than WR30 this season in a Tennessee Titans offense stuck in the mud and unable (or unwilling) to move the ball through the air. That said, the future Hall of Famer has proven to have enough gas left in the tank to catch the eye of contenders with the NFL trade deadline approaching.
Who is interested? What would the impact be in our world should Hopkins be moved?
Potential Landing Spots For DeAndre Hopkins
Kansas City Chiefs, Impact on Isiah Pacheco
Have the Kansas City Chiefs been plenty potent over the past 1.5 years without an alpha receiver? They sure have been, but when was the last time you turned down a great dessert just because the entree was amazing?
That is to say, it’s never a bad idea to add on a strong option, even if your current situation is just fine. Rashee Rice has established himself as the top receiver in this offense and has looked good in doing it, but with Super Bowls so hard to come by, Kansas City is likely considering Hopkins to make their team better right now. Rice is a solid player and will be for years to come — Hopkins is a win-now piece.
MORE: Should You Start Chiefs WR Rashee Rice in Fantasy Football Week 8
In this world, Hopkins would move into my top 20 at the position, ahead of receivers like Adam Thielen and Brandon Aiyuk who carry some quarterback concerns.
Isiah Pacheco has been nothing short of great for fantasy managers through seven weeks and has looked the part. I have him ranked as an RB1 the rest of the way, but he would fall out of that tier should this trade happen, thanks to Hopkins’ touchdown-scoring ability and Andy Reid’s potential turn to an even more pass-heavy script.
Pacheco would remain atop this Chiefs backfield hierarchy, but with fewer touches and less scoring equity, he’d rank closer to Joe Mixon than Kenneth Walker III for me the rest of the way (RB12-14 range).
Baltimore Ravens, Impact on Zay Flowers
This is a little bit of a clunky fit. Or is it? Todd Monken’s quick-strike offense doesn’t seem to be the perfect fit for a field-stretching option like Hopkins, but given that the Baltimore Ravens don’t have a receiver other than Zay Flowers that they trust, Monken may adjust his offense to optimize what Nuk does well.
This isn’t as favorable as a landing spot as Kansas City, but that doesn’t mean it’s a poor one, and Hopkins would be a fine fantasy WR2 in Baltimore. The concern, for me, is that a quick strike offense requires a lot of communication, and that’s tough to acquire midseason. Playing with an athlete like Lamar Jackson also takes time to get used to, making this a potential up-and-down situation when it comes to fantasy production.
Not helping Hopkins’ fantasy stock is the schedule. The Ravens get a tough Cleveland Browns matchup in Week 10, their bye in Week 13, and are in San Francisco in Week 16. The range of outcomes is wide in Baltimore, and I don’t think the ceiling flirts with what Kansas City would offer.
In Baltimore, Hopkins would rank similarly to Terry McLaurin and Michael Pittman — below the Kansas City level but still a massive upgrade from his current value.
Dallas Cowboys, Impact on CeeDee Lamb
Mike McCarthy made no secret about it this summer when he told anyone who would listen that he wants to win with the run game. Tony Pollard has yet to get rolling this season, something I expect to change coming out of the bye, and this leaves us in a tough volume spot when moving Hopkins to Dallas.
He has been an elite target earner ever since entering the league, and I think he still can be that, but how many targets are there to go around? Through six games, CeeDee Lamb has two more catches than any of his teammates has targets. With Dak Prescott throwing the ball 31.7 times per game, what is the usage upside for Hopkins as he adjusts to a new offense midseason?
This is the least favorable of the mentioned landing spots and would have Hopkins as a fringe WR2. I’d still have him ranked as a starter (WR2 or Flex depending on the matchup) in all weeks, if for no other reason than my lack of trust in the rest of the WR room in Dallas, but the ceiling is capped.
Treylon Burks Value
The inclination would be to bump Burks up the dynasty ranking board, and while I’d give him a slight upgrade, let’s not get crazy. He has yet to prove himself as a consistent target earner at the professional level, and the Titans still are a mess at the QB position. His path to the WR1 role becomes clear, but is that a role we want to invest in — this season or for the foreseeable future?
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