Star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has reportedly signed with the Tennessee Titans on a two-year, $26 million deal worth up to $32 million with incentives.
Hopkins enters a young receiver room and should handle WR1 duties over second-year wideout Treylon Burks. The Titans also have a pretty shaky quarterback situation with a regressing Ryan Tannehill and young, developmental prospects in Malik Willis and Will Levis.
Hopkins’ Fantasy Outlook
No matter who’s under center, though, “D-Hop” should still produce. When healthy, he’s an elite wide receiver. Last season, he averaged nearly 16 points per game despite having Colt McCoy at quarterback for several weeks. He’s had significant experience with lackluster quarterbacks and still maintained WR1 status in fantasy.
Nevertheless, Hopkins is aging and has had a fair share of injuries recently. While he can be a WR1 in fantasy if he stays healthy and gets decent quarterback play, he should probably be valued as more of a mid-to-high WR2.
Impact on Titans Playmakers
The Titans’ quarterbacks obviously get an upgrade, but it is still wise to stay away from any of the three (Tannehill, Willis, Levis). There are plenty of safer options.
Perhaps the biggest hit will go to Burks, the former first-rounder who figured to be A.J. Brown’s replacement in Tennessee. The Arkansas product struggled early on with conditioning and injuries, but late in the season, he showed some big flashes and real potential. He’ll be the Titans’ No. 2 receiver, and while he still could be a decent WR2 in fantasy as opposing defenses focus on Hopkins, his upside is certainly limited.
On that note, this would be a great time to buy Burks in dynasty leagues. Managers may be worried about his future role in Tennessee, and you can take advantage of those concerns. After all, Hopkins isn’t going to get any younger and it’s not far-fetched to say he won’t be back in Tennessee after this contract.
Fellow receivers Nick Westbrook-Ihkine and Kyle Philips have very little value in redraft leagues, but Philips could be a good investment in dynasty leagues, especially if he’s on the waiver wire.
Tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo takes a slight hit on his stock but is still a great late-round option in redraft formats.
The Titans should continue to be a run-first team, and Derrick Henry will still produce. In fact, having Hopkins on the field could help Henry. Defenses will have to account for him more, leaving fewer players to stack the box, thus creating more opportunities for bigger plays from Henry.
It will undoubtedly be interesting to see how the addition of Hopkins to the Titans shakes up the fantasy football and NFL scene this season.
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