DeAndre Hopkins was recently released by the Arizona Cardinals, which was surprising considering he put up strong numbers while on the field in 2022.
Hopkins will be 31 years old by the time the season starts, but he still appears to have enough gas left in the tank to be a viable contributor to whichever team he signs with, as there are already several teams rumored to be interested in signing him.
Odds in the market have five teams at +1000 or below to bring in Hopkins for 2023, and we’ve broken down the fantasy football implications for those five teams if he were to sign with them.
FIVE POTENTIAL DEANDRE HOPKINS LANDING SPOTS
Kansas City Chiefs (+300)
The Chiefs would be the most ideal landing spot for Hopkins for both reality and fantasy football purposes, as he’d be in line to serve as the No. 1 outside receiver with the Chiefs lacking reliable pass catching options outside of Travis Kelce. Working in a Hopkins contract while staying under the salary cap could prove challenging for the defending champion Chiefs, but they should be able restructure enough contracts to make it work, and he’d be a strong WR2 for fantasy since he’d leap past Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and the rest of the Chiefs receivers to the top of the depth chart.
Buffalo Bills (+300)
Hopkins’ next-best option appears to be the Bills if they can find a way to work around the salary cap, as they have an elite quarterback in Josh Allen and could use another reliable outside receiver across from Stefon Diggs. Gabe Davis didn’t step up like many were thinking he would last year, so Hopkins should see plenty of targets right away if he lands in Buffalo, but his upside could be somewhat limited for fantasy football with Diggs commanding so many looks on top of the team drafting receiving tight end Dalton Kincaid in the first round.
New York Jets (+600)
The Jets would be an interesting landing spot for Hopkins since the offense stands to be much improved with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, but it might not be the best for fantasy football with so many other weapons already in the receiver room. Garrett Wilson and Corey Davis are still around, not to mention new additions Allen Lazard, Mecole Hardman and Randall Cobb, so the hope would be that the Jets would move on from Davis to where the competition for targets wouldn’t be as fierce. It still wouldn’t be the most ideal situation for Hopkins though since the Jets project to be a more balanced offense as opposed to a high-volume passing attack like the Chiefs and Bills.
Baltimore Ravens (+700)
The Ravens new-look offense should feature a much more exciting passing game with Lamar Jackson set to unleash his skills as a passer, and they’re set to have plenty of weapons with the additions of Zay Flowers, Odell Beckham and now Hopkins possibly. The Ravens also have Mark Andrews as a high volume receiving option at tight end, but adding Hopkins wouldn’t hurt if they’re going to transform the offense. It would be a crowded situation for fantasy, but Hopkins could end up being Jackson’s preferred receiving option considering Beckham is coming off injury and Flowers is a rookie.
Los Angeles Chargers (+950)
The Chargers are one of the most pass-heavy offenses with Justin Herbert at quarterback, which would make them seem like a great landing spot for Hopkins on paper, but the issue is that they’ve got a crowded receiver room much like many of the other teams listed. Hopkins should still have fantasy value if he lands here though since he could end up the No. 2 receiver next to Keenan Allen, which would hurt the fantasy prospects of current No. 2 Mike Williams. It would also hurt first round rookie Quentin Johnston, who would go from having a big role in year one to an afterthought behind three quality veterans.