The Arizona Cardinals have one of the most explosive passing attacks in all of the NFL, but it will be put to the test on Thursday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers this week.
DeAndre Hopkins is the team’s leading receiver and is easily one of the best pass-catchers in the NFL. But on a short week against a good defense, what should fantasy managers do with the Clemson grad?
Fantasy Football analysis: Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins
Hopkins has been on fire this season, leading the Arizona passing attack with 33 catches on 47 targets for 420 yards and seven touchdowns, all of which lead the team. In the last three weeks alone he has 16 catches for 195 yards and four scores. He is dealing with a hamstring injury that has him questionable for TNF. We’ll wait and see if he’s active, but all signs point to Nuk playing.
Unlike previous seasons, Arizona has a slew of talented wideouts for QB Kyler Murray to throw the ball too. So instead of Hopkins getting all the yards, they’re more evenly spread out among the receiving corps. Still, Hopkins is still the most talented of the group and even though he’s not outpacing anybody by a ton when it comes to yards, he’s the only Cardinal with more than four touchdowns receiving.
The Packers defense is very good against the pass, ranked seventh in the NFL in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing wide outs. They’re giving up an average of just 33.66 to all the wideouts of an opposing team and have allowed just eight scores through the air all season.
Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation
Even against a top-10 passing defense fantasy-wise, Hopkins is a no-brainer. He’s one of, if not the, best receivers in the league and creates an automatic mismatch regardless of who is covering him.
Start him