DeAndre Hopkins will not return for Wild Card round

Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury said Wednesday that superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will not be ready to return from knee injury against the Rams, per Greg Beacham.

Fantasy football implications

The Cardinals will once again be without their superstar wide receiver as they begin their playoff journey on Monday night against Los Angeles. Without Hopkins, Arizona has had to lean on receivers A.J. Green, Christian Kirk, and Antoine Wesley.

Kirk is the team’s leading receiver with 77 receptions (103 targets) for 982 yards and five touchdowns, while Green is right behind him with 54 receptions (92 targets) for 848 yards and three touchdowns.

The Rams will likely focus their attention on Kirk and Green, which means veteran tight end Zach Ertz and running back James Conner will need to step up in the receiving game. Ertz is the Cardinals’ third-leading receiver with 56 receptions (81 targets) for 574 yards and three touchdowns.