DeAndre Hopkins Fantasy 2023
After bouncing about NFL free agency following his release by the Arizona Cardinals and their failed attempts to trade him, DeAndre Hopkins has finally settled with the Tennessee Titans.
The Fantasy Football community seems to be split down the middle as to what kind of Hopkins fantasy managers will get this season. Some believe that Hopkins is washed up. He’s not getting younger as he heads into the 2023 season at 31 years old. He’s also had to deal with injuries over the last two seasons. Others believe that Hopkins can return to form. He was productive last season after coming back from suspension and before missing the end of the season with an ankle injury. The truth of what to expect from DeAndre Hopkins lies somewhere in the middle of all of this while factoring in the new offense he’ll be playing in as the number one wide receiver for the Titans.
Current ADP
- ADP – #45
- WR ADP – #WR20
For the first time in a long time, Hopkins heads into a new fantasy season not as a top 10 wide receiver.
Hopkins is being taken off draft boards as the 20th wide receiver selected. While some might feel that’s a tad disrespectful, considering what Hopkins has been able to do throughout his career, it fits. Hopkins landing with the Titans seems to be impacting his draft position and it makes sense. The Titans aren’t a pass-heavy team that we’re used to seeing Hopkins be a part of. Over the last two seasons, the Titans under Ryan Tannehill ranked eighth and third worst in pass attempts. Tannehill averaged just 27.1 pass attempts per game last season. By comparison, Hopkin’s last fullseason with a healthy Kyler Murray under center; Murray averaged 34 pass attempts per game.
Not only that, but the Titans’ offense wasn’t exactly great in 2022, putting up the fifth-worst PPG at 17.5. Hopkins loses on all fronts, from a downgrade at the quarterback position to an offense that’s looking to rebuild itself as a horrible scoring unit from the prior season, which is why he finds himself outside of the top 10 wide receivers this year.
Fantasy Insight
Not all hope is lost. Hopkins could be a solid WR2 for fantasy managers in 2023. He will assume the WR1 role and be heavily targeted by Ryan Tannehill, which is still a good thing. Because the Titans love to run the ball with Derrick Henry as the focal point of their offense, Hopkins’s fantasy outlook could be compared to AJ Browns (Titans, not Eagles). In 2021, Brown led the team in targets with a 20.2% target share, good for 105 targets. Brown averaged 8.1 targets per game and he missed three games that season. Factoring in his average over his missed games brings Brown up to 129 targets. That’s not bad. That would’ve put Brown tied with Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf for 15th in targets. While there may be a big game or two around for Hopkins in 2023, this is likely the best-looking outcome for Hopkins as a solid WR2 with fringe WR1 upside. And I stress fringe.
𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: Ryan Tannehill says the #Titans have been seeing “Vintage” Deandre Hopkins since they signed him earlier this summer 👀
“He’s been a big addition. We’ve seen some huge plays from him. Vintage Hopkins that you’ve seen across his career of tight, contested… pic.twitter.com/IfdxeKNUeX
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) August 8, 2023
Fantasy Value
Here’s where things get tricky. Name value will always be a part of fantasy drafts and DeAndre Hopkins’s name alone is still worth something. Don’t get caught up with that. At his current value, Hopkins is right where he needs to be. With the lack of passing in the Titans’ offense being consistent, Hopkins’s ceiling will be capped. Reaching for him because of his name could be a costly mistake. Instead, should Hopkins be your target, grab a spearhead WR1 for your fantasy teams like Stefon Diggs, Tyreek Hill, or CeeDee Lamb if you can. Pairing Hopkins with any of those receivers will be better for your team builds than taking Hopkins strictly as your WR1. If you still aren’t convinced about not reaching for Hopkins, think of it another way. Who would you be passing on to get DeAndre Hopkins? Fantasy Football Calculator has Hopkins going in the fourth round at the 4.09 in PPR formats. That means you’d be passing up on guys like Amari Cooper, Calvin Ridley, Chris Godwin, and DJ Moore. Ultimately, the decision is yours.
Dynasty Value
Normally the saying goes “Age before beauty”. That doesn’t seem to apply to Dynasty fantasy football, however. As stated earlier in this article, Hopkins isn’t getting any younger and his fantasy value took a considerable hit this season after landing with the Tennessee Titans as far as trading for Hopkins, a 31-year-old wide receiver isn’t going to garner too much value, especially towards teams that are already locked in with talent at the position or in position for fantasy playoff contention. If you happen to have fantasy managers starving in your league for a wide receiver, this might be the best opportunity to flip Hopkins to try and get as much as you can for him. You might be able to get a late first-rounder for him at best to a mid-second-round pick at worst. Hopkins heads into 2023 ranked as the 39th-best wide receiver in Dynasty formats per Fantasydata.
Bold Prediction
I still believe Hopkins has plenty in the tank but the age is coming up and the injuries are starting to pile on. Maybe Hopkins has enough for another year or two before he calls it a career. Maybe this is his last ride as wide receiver careers have been put out to pasture by the Titans before. I mean, just ask Andre Johnson and Julio Jones. But before we write Hopkins off, his 2023 season should be considered bleak. His ceiling will likely be capped by the run-heavy approach the Titans get and how limited Ryan Tannehill is at this point in his career, so a solid floor of 1,100 yards and seven touchdowns would be good numbers for a WR2
