The Kansas City Chiefs acquired All-Pro WR DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans, giving their offense a boost after several key injuries. (Photo by Johnny Izquierdo/Getty Images)
Over the past week, fantasy football content creators around the world have united around a simple but powerful message: Patrick Mahomes is worthless and could be taken down with no regrets.
After Wednesday’s trade that sent DeAndre Hopkins to Kansas City, you’re probably reevaluating your predictions for the game’s best quarterback for the rest of the season.
There was always the possibility that Mahomes would be given a lifeline before the trade deadline, and it finally happened this week. Kansas City may not be done strengthening its receiving room yet. Mahomes is an undeniably fantastic disappointment with his draft price, but don’t pretend he’s not a real magician playing quarterback yet. He’s been severely underrepresented this year, forcing targets into a gallery of rogue receivers, and yet the Chiefs still have a 6-0 record.
No matter what you think of Hopkins at this stage of his career, it’s clear he’s a huge upgrade to KC’s offense. The team was in desperate need of a reliable playmaking receiver who could win at multiple levels and in high-intensity situations. The Chiefs just addressed that need at a reasonable cost. Mahomes gets a value boost.
Subscribe to Yahoo Fantasy Forecast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen.
Of course, Hopkins is 32 years old and entered this season with knee problems, but after Missed the second half of Week 7 due to leg soreness.So it’s not like there aren’t any red flags attached. However, the isolation data actually looks fine like any other brand of receiver, and this season he caught over 70% of his targets from two not-so-accurate passers. It is difficult to claim that he is completely innocent.
Remember, Hopkins managed to catch 75 balls and throw for over 1,000 yards in a scary offensive environment last year. He’s the winner of this deal, but expecting him to be great right away against the Raiders on Sunday might be a little too much. If he stays healthy, consider him a WR4/5 for now, on his way to reaching WR3 status on a weekly basis later in the season.
There’s no need to panic about the fantasy potential of other members of the corps accepting the Chiefs. Because A) it’s not like any of them are grinding anyway and B) this is a much needed move that can increase your chances. As for the attack as a whole. Xavier Worthy is still a low-volume, volatile, and useless player unless he scores a touchdown, and Travis Kelce is still an aging chain mover with a focus on reaching the playoffs at full health. are.
As for Tennessee, well…yeah. The quality of quarterback play has eroded everything and everyone thus far. Taking Hopkins out of the mix obviously doesn’t help any player from a fantasy standpoint. If you’re really excited about the extra elusive targets of Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd, and Chig Okonkwo, then I hope you play in a league with more than 16 teams.
In a fantasy football league of typical size and composition, they shouldn’t be confused with the Titans at this point.
