Fantasy Football Fallout: DeAndre Hopkins injury | What Hopkins owners should do with him after injury
The Arizona Cardinals will likely be without their top wideout, DeAndre Hopkins, until the post-season
From NFL Now: #AZCardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins is expected to miss Sunday and likely more with a knee injury, a concerning development for one of the NFL's best team. https://t.co/2dHCqWzg9D
Also read: DeAndre Hopkins injury: How long will Cardinals WR be out for?
The NFL has just had more than 30 players get thrown onto the reserve/COVID-19 list after Week 14, including some top stars like Baker Mayfield, Jarvis Landry, and Odell Beckham Jr. DeAndre Hopkins was not one of them, but he will miss several weeks. During Monday Night Football, Hopkins suffered a knee injury and is seeking a second opinion on it. The Cardinals expect him to be able to play in the playoffs, but have elected to simply shut him down for the remainder of the regular season to make sure he's good to go for a championship run. However, that puts a pin on the fantasy football playoffs, which conclude at the end of the NFL regular season.
What should you do with WR DeAndre Hopkins in fantasy football after injury?
Most fantasy football leagues begin their post-season during Week 15, but many are now likely scrambling to build their lineups without DeAndre Hopkins. He hasn't been the best wide receiver in fantasy football this year, ranking as the 23rd-best in 2021 after Week 14. He has missed three games, though, and Arizona is stacked with weapons from James Conner and Zach Ertz to Rondale Moore and AJ Green. Quarterback Kyler Murray is also having a worse season than he did in 2020, and that is hurting DeAndre Hopkins' stock as well. With his fantasy football season over at the worst possible time, what do you do with Hopkins now?
with DeAndre Hopkins out for the rest of the regular season, I would take a dart throw at AJ Green if you’re hurting at WR (Kirk too, but I like him less).
ARI gets Detroit, Indy, and Dallas for the upcoming fantasy playoffs stretch
The trade deadline has passed in fantasy football, so you can't try to pawn him off to someone else for draft picks or a bench player. If you play in a keeper league, you still have a WR1 who is not quite 30 yet and can likely bounce back into the top-15 in 2022. But it's not guaranteed that Hopkins will have a better season next year, and he could lose targets to the rising stars around him. If you feel Hopkins might see decreasing numbers in the near future, you can always trade him next season.
For now, sadly, you'll just have to put a WR1 on the bench throughout the playoffs. In standard leagues, DeAndre Hopkins should be dropped immediately and you should try to find a quality replacement sooner rather than later.
Also read: Will Case Keenum be Browns' QB1 following Baker Mayfield COVID-19 positive test?