DeAndre Hopkins Out For Season With Injury: Fantasy Football Rapid Reaction (2021)

We’re back to provide the rapid reaction to the news that DeAndre Hopkins will miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury.

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The Details of DeAndre Hopkins‘s Injury

DeAndre Hopkins (knee) expected to miss rest of regular season

DeAndre Hopkins is expected to miss the rest of the regular season with a knee sprain. (Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter)

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What is the impact of DeAndre Hopkins‘s injury?

Our analysts share how the injury impacts Hopkins and the Cardinals:

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Dan Harris’s take:

The loss of DeAndre Hopkins is a huge blow for fantasy managers but, other than the loss of Hopkins himself, it doesn’t move the needle THAT much for fantasy. There should be a slight bump for each of the other pass-catching options for Arizona, including A.J. Green, Christian Kirk, Rondale Moore, and Zach Ertz. But Hopkins was averaging just 6.3 targets per game, so if you disperse those relatively evenly, it just doesn’t move the needle much. He was a threat for touchdowns, of course, given that he had eight, but the Cardinals seem more than comfortable to just run the ball when they get near the goal-line. In the end, it’s a slight move up for everyone, and Antoine Wesley becomes someone intriguing in deeper leagues. As for Hopkins’ dynasty value, don’t be too concerned, as the knee sprain reportedly may not even keep him out for the post-season.

Pat Fitzmaurice’s take:

DeAndre Hopkins stakeholders were no doubt disappointed by the news that he’s expected to be shut down for the rest of the regular season with a knee injury, but Hopkins’ absence isn’t likely to doom anyone’s title chances. He’s WR19 in fantasy points per game (0.5 PPR) and hasn’t gone over 100 yards all season. Most seasons, he’s irreplaceable. This year, he’s replaceable. I’m not sure the injury moves the needle that much on Hopkins’ dynasty value, simply because that needle was pointing downward anyway. If not for some good fortune with TD scoring, Hopkins would have returned WR3 value in 2021, and next year will be his age-30 season.

With Hopkins out, we get a little more clarity with the rest of the Cardinals’ pass catchers. Christian Kirk cracks the top 35 in my rest-of-season rankings and becomes a WR3 or flex option for the playoffs. A.J. Green becomes a flex option, too. Rondale Moore might see a few more targets but hasn’t shown us enough to be considered for playoff lineups. Zach Ertz stands to gain value as well, and he now sits at TE7 in my rest-of-season TE rankings. The Hopkins injury devalues QB Kyler Murray just a smidge, but certainly not to the point where you’d consider benching him.

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