DeAndre Hopkins: Fantasy regression candidate in 2020?

DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals was a great trade, but what if he’s not as good as he was with the Houston Texans? Is he a regression candidate?

DeAndre Hopkins is a top-three receiver in the NFL today. He has the best hands and thrived in a chaotic situation for years that was the Houston Texans. While one would think him joining an up-and-coming offense led by quarterback Kyler Murray with the Arizona Cardinals, is there a chance he regresses as a fantasy player in his first year in the Valley of the Sun?

The Fantasy Footballers are Cardinals fans but are afraid Hopkins will be overdrafted by many teams in fantasy leagues this fall. Andy Holloway is the highest of the three on the Hopkins addition, while Jason Moore and Mike Wright have him as a fringe WR1 at best. Moore has him as low as WR15 overall, meaning Hopkins is a high WR2 in most leagues. What gives?

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There are a few factors going against Hopkins entering his first year with the Cardinals. The first is he’ll be playing in a new offense orchestrated by Air Raid disciple Kliff Kingsbury as head coach. It may be an incredibly passing-centric offense, but it is different than what he played in for years under Bill O’Brien‘s watch in Houston. An unprecedented offseason league-wide only adds to this.

Another factor to consider is there may not be as much volume readily available for a receiver as talented as Hopkins is to take advantage of. Murray didn’t have as many pass attempts as a rookie as Watson did in year three out of Clemson. Let’s not forget Arizona likes to go three and even four-wide in Kingsbury’s offense, allowing the spread offense to be used most effectively.

Though Murray will find his No. 1 receiving option Hopkins often as he did with CeeDee Lamb in college at Oklahoma, the Cardinals have a deep and talented receiving corps already, one featuring future Pro Football Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk and Andy Isabella. Simply put, Hopkins won’t be the only wide receiver Murray trusts in this Cardinals offense.

So is Hopkins a low-end WR1 or a high-end WR2 this year? Potentially, but overlooking his talent and production from when he starred in Houston doesn’t seem right. The guys do believe a player like Brandon Marshall could be a blueprint for success for him now on his second team. Marshall had no issues getting involved in the passing game, no matter what team he played for.