Each week during the 2022 NFL season, Field Yates will help fantasy football managers by providing the precise intel needed on the most important, fantasy-relevant storylines. Field's Rolodex is vast; he'll dial up whomever he needs. This is the Field Pass.
Patience is a critically important virtue in so many ways in life.
In fantasy football, it can be hard to know exactly how much patience is the right amount, especially early in the season when it feels like your squad could be teetering with just one more loss.
Prior to this season, as drafts were underway, one of the most interesting players was Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Hopkins finished as the fourth-highest-scoring wideout during his debut season in Arizona in 2020, a continuation of an exquisite run that placed him among the best players in all of fantasy going back to his days with the Texans. He averaged 10.0 targets per game, had 115 catches and 1,407 receiving yards.
In 2021, D-Hop was limited to just 10 games, saw his targets drop all the way down to 6.4 per game and he managed just 572 receiving yards, easily the lowest in his career. He then learned of a six-game suspension to open this regular season, meaning those who were drafting Hopkins incurred the risk of wasting a bench spot for six weeks and the possibility (and I should stress possibility) that Hopkins was a player on the decline. Arizona also added Marquise Brown via trade, giving them the best wideout to play alongside Hopkins in two seasons and a potential threat to take away some work.
The net result was that Hopkins' average draft position fell into the 40s among wide receivers as managers exuded some caution.
Just two weeks into Hopkins' return, it looks like those who were bold and patient enough to snag Hopkins in the draft are the smart ones, as he has been on an absolute tear and may look as good as ever.
In just two games, Hopkins has already amassed 22 catches for 262 yards and a touchdown. Over the past two weeks, he is tied with Tyreek Hill for the most targets in the NFL, has the most catches, most receiving yards and is tied for fifth with 75 routes run. The Cardinals have held a lead on just over 8% of their offensive plays this season, the second-lowest percentage in the entire NFL. Kyler Murray is second in the NFL in passing attempts this season, as the team is almost always playing from behind. Hopkins is going to stay busy because the Cardinals have no other choice.
Hopkins' pace is off the charts, as he's now on track for 121 catches, 1,441 yards and five touchdowns ... in 11 games.
Is he likely to do that? No, he is not. No player has ever averaged 11 catches per game or 131 receiving yards per game for a season, but that does not hurt the value of those who rolled the dice on Hopkins. If your season was seemingly on the brink prior to his return, your fortunes look much brighter. If you were already off to a strong start, you might be the league favorite now.
Hopkins looks as good as ever and immediately reintroduced himself to the elite tier of fantasy wideouts.
Let's dive into the rest of Week 9's Field Pass.
Trade deadline reactions
Let's take a look at each fantasy-relevant player traded or impacted at the deadline and share some quick thoughts: