DeAndre Hopkins is expected to miss the rest of the regular season with a knee injury suffered during the Arizona Cardinals' 30-23 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football. The Pro Bowl receiver hopes to return to the Cardinals in time for the playoffs; however, from a fantasy perspective, his season is over.
From a practical perspective, the loss of Hopkins shouldn't alter anyone's fantasy fortunes. After suffering a hamstring injury earlier this season, Hopkins missed three games and averaged only 5.3 targets, four receptions and 57.6 receiving yards in nine active games prior to Week 14. A season high 12 targets were thrown at him last week, and he caught five of them for 54 yards. In 2021, Hopkins has not had a 100-yard receiving game. He has exceeded 100 yards in 37 regular-season games.
However, now that Hopkins is out, fantasy managers might wonder what impact this will have on the Cardinals' passing game. Arizona's offense is one of the best in the league when Kyler Murray is at the helm. While a high-ankle sprain sidelined the young quarterback for a portion of the season, Murray has averaged 32 passes and 278 yards per game. As a whole, the Cardinals' offense has been very balanced, relying on the pass 53.3% of the time. From Weeks 15-17, Arizona will face the Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys. Due to the loss against the Rams, the Cardinals no longer hold the NFC's best record or the first round playoff bye, so they will want to build momentum heading into the postseason with four potentially very meaningful games remaining.
With Hopkins sidelined, A.J. Green will see more targets. With Murray under center from Weeks 1-8, Green averaged 5.4 targets, 57 receiving yards and 11 fantasy points per game. Although Green had only one target, one reception and 14 receiving yards upon Murray's return in Week 13, the pair were re-calibrated against the Rams, with Green seeing a season-high 10 targets, catching 7 for 102 yards. For most of his career, Green has been the alpha receiver. He'll reclaim that role for the Cardinals, making him a low-end WR2 with considerable upside going forward.
Christian Kirk will play a bigger role. Kirk's career has had its ups and downs, but he's in the midst of a career season. Kirk has averaged 5.4 targets, four receptions, 56 receiving yards and 11.7 points per game this season, setting career bests on reception percentage (75.7%) and receiving yards (718). Kirk has not scored since Week 7, but the additional targets he is expected to receive should allow him to be utilized as an upside flex option moving forward.
Rondale Moore's inconsistent touches have made him hard to trust in fantasy lineups. The Hopkins news may change in that, although the rookie receiver has shown glimpses of his athleticism, agility and speed thus far, his average depth of target this season is ridiculously low at 1.7. This limits his fantasy ceiling and makes it hard to trust him outside of deeper formats until we see more progress in his game.
The Cardinals haven't relied much on their running backs this season as receivers out of the backfield. The position has averaged 5.6 targets, 4.6 receptions and 40 receiving yards per game. Even with Chase Edmonds returning, this trend will continue.
Fantasy managers should pick up Green immediately to prepare for the playoffs. He's available in 71.5% of ESPN leagues. Kirk is also available in 49% of ESPN leagues. Moore is available in 81% of leagues and someone worth stashing ahead of the Cardinals' matchup against the Lions in Week 15.