Word broke on Monday afternoon that Arizona Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins was being suspended for six games for violating the NFL’s Performance Enhancing Drug policy. Just days after one of the more unpredictable NFL Drafts in recent memory that saw the Cardinals trade for Ravens WR Marquise Brown, Arizona is losing their top pass-catcher for more than a third of the season.
Hopkins had reportedly appealed the suspension but has since dropped his appeal.
What does the Hopkins suspension mean for the veteran wideout, QB Kyler Murray, and the rest of the Arizona offense? Andrew Erickson is here to break down the fantasy football implications of this suspension.
DeAndre Hopkins is being suspended six games for violating the NFL’s Performance Enhancing Drug policy. This penalty has massive fantasy football repercussions for the Arizona Cardinals offense starting with quarterback Kyler Murray.
Murray’s production dipped last season without Hopkins in the lineup over the final four weeks of the season. He averaged 18.8 fantasy points per game and 6.3 yards per pass attempt. Murray averaged 24.9 fantasy points per game and 8.7 yards per attempt in the nine games with Hopkins fully healthy. He also posted the No. 1-ranked PFF passing grade (90.5).
Losing Hopkins for six games cannot be ignored, but the addition of Marquise Brown figures to make up for some of the production lost. The ex-Ravens wide receiver also seems slated for a massive target share in a pass-heavy offense.
Marquise Brown commanded a 27% target share from Kyler Murray in 2018 at Oklahoma
— Andrew Erickson™ (@AndrewErickson_) May 2, 2022
Brown posted a top-12 target share last season (23%) with Baltimore. The speedy wideout also commanded a whopping 27% target share back in 2018 at Oklahoma – the last time he played with Murray. Christian Kirk was WR12 during the last four weeks without Hopkins in the lineup.
The Cardinals paid a premium to acquire Brown, so fantasy managers should expect them to use him plenty. Brace yourself for Brown to skyrocket up 2022 best-ball rankings as a top-20 fantasy WR option.
Meanwhile, Hopkins falls into the WR3/4 range for redraft purposes. He won’t fall as much in best-ball based on the format, but it’s hard to imagine drafting Hopkins over Brown with the six-game suspension baked in. Tight end Zach Ertz is the other big winner outside Brown because he really broke out in the Cardinals offense during the last four weeks of the season. Ertz was TE4 over that stretch averaging seven receptions per game (24% target share).
Second-year WR Rondale Moore also gets a small boost with opportunities without Hopkins or Kirk in the picture. A.J. Green also moves up slightly as a fantasy WR5/6 as a full-time starter in the offense. But there’s no doubt the veteran’s best days are way behind him.
– Andrew Erickson
Arizona Cardinals Draft Grade
Andrew Erickson handed out draft grades for every NFL team after the 2022 NFL Draft. Here is what he thought of Arizona’s haul prior to the news that Hopkins would miss the first six games of the season.
- 2 (55) Trey McBride (TE – Colorado State)
- 3 (87) Cameron Thomas (EDGE – San Diego State)
- 3 (100) Myjai Sanders (EDGE – Cincinnati)
- 6 (201) Keaontay Ingram (RB – USC)
- 6 (215) Lecitus Smith (OG – Virginia Tech)
- 7 (244) Christian Matthew (CB – Valdosta State)
- 7 (256) Jesse Luketa (LB – Penn State)
- 7 (257) Marquis Hayes (OG – Oklahoma)
Arizona used its first-round pick to acquire Marquise Brown and eventually edge rusher Myjai Sanders in the third round. It’s a move that made sense in the moment for a team that needs to keep its quarterback happy, but it’s hard to be over the moon about giving up a 1st and having to pay a WR who doesn’t profile as a true No. 1.
Second-round TE Trey McBride gives Murray another pass-catching weapon as Zach Ertz’s eventual replacement. Selecting Cameron Thomas in Round 2 gives Arizona a chance to make up for the loss of Chandler Jones. The former Aztec led his class with 77 total pressures and 21 quarterback hits, with 12 sacks (sixth).
I can’t help but knock the Cards down because this roster still has major holes post-draft. The Cardinals have zero cornerbacks on the roster who earned a top-35 PFF grade in 2021 and drafted none aside from a seventh-round pick.
They also have major depth issues along the offensive interior but failed to invest significant draft capital in the weakness.
FINAL DRAFT GRADE: C-
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