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The Arizona Cardinals will be without wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins for the first six games of the 2022 season as he serves a suspension for PED violations. Hopkins missed the end of last season due to injury and will now have to wait for a while to take the field in 2022. This will have a tremendous impact on his value in fantasy football formats, as well as his Cardinals teammates.
Fantasy football impact: DeAndre Hopkins suspension
The fantasy football season is around 12 or 13 weeks, depending on how playoffs works. With Hopkins being done for six games, that’s already half the season. It would be easy to suggest Hopkins will be largely impactful in six or seven games once he returns, but there will be some rust and chemistry issues. This is going to be a tough season to judge Hopkins’ value, and it’ll likely take the receiver out of consideration early in many drafts.
With Hopkins out, look for Marquise Brown and Rondale Moore to be Arizona’s top receivers. Tight end Zach Ertz is also going to get a lot of looks, as will running back James Conner. Quarterback Kyler Murray’s stock likely dips a bit, but he’s still going to be taken high in drafts due to his rushing ability. Brown likely has the most staying power as a receiver when Hopkins returns, but the former Raven has injury concerns as well. Moore could be in line for a breakout season depending on how things play out around him.