The Chiefs made a massive move on Wednesday morning, adding veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins ($4,900) in a trade from the Titans. Here are the latest details about the trade. Hopkins could be ready to make his Chiefs’ debut as early as this week against the Raiders. Let’s take a look at how adding Hopkins to the Chiefs’ passing attack will impact Travis Kelce ($6,000) and Xavier Worthy ($6,200).
What it means for Travis Kelce
Kelce has been the go-to pass-catching option in Kansas City for several seasons and has been one of the most reliable tight ends in fantasy football. However, this year his numbers have dropped off. He has only 28 catches on 36 targets for 245 yards and no touchdowns. He’s only averaging 8.8 fantasy points per game, which is down from his usual standards.
There are a number of reasons for the downturn in production, but one of them is that defenses have clearly been keyed in on him since the Chiefs lack other pass-catching options. In the short-term, Hopkins may take targets from Kelce, but as defenses have to respect his potential, his addition could actually open things up more for Kelce down the road.
While I don’t see Kelce as the clear-cut No. 1 tight end in fantasy football any more, he’s still a top-five option the rest of the season. He has a so-so matchup against the Raiders this week, but down the road, Patrick Mahomes ($6,800) should look his way enough to make him a strong fantasy option down the stretch and into your season-long league’s playoffs.
For DFS contests like the NFL $2.75M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st] this week, Kelce is a little pricey. However, if his salary drops, I think he’ll be an option to consider later this season.
What it means for Xavier Worthy
Worthy has shown boom-or-bust potential this season. The rookie had a monster debut with 20.8 fantasy points against the Ravens, but has been held to under 25 receiving yards in four of his five games since then.
He did get a season-high eight targets in last week’s win over the 49ers, but only managed three catches for 19 yards and 5.4 fantasy points.
Hopkins’ arrival limits Worthy’s upside since there won’t be as many targets for him, yet he’ll remain a big-play threat with the potential to go off any week. While the trade makes it less likely that Worthy becomes a reliable WR2 this season, he still retains plenty of attraction as a FLEX play with huge performances possible if he gets loose for a big play or two. I don’t regularly have him ranked in my top 30 receivers, but he’s in the next tier outside of that, making him a fringe starter in most season-long leagues.
Like with Kelce, Worthy is priced too high for me this week if Hopkins plays. However, if his salary dips a bit, the upside would be worth a shot in the right matchup.
What it means for DeAndre Hopkins
Before we wrap up, let’s look quickly at what this does for Hopkins himself. He’s been almost unplayable this season while suiting up for the Titans in their lackluster passing game led by Will Levis ($4,400) and Mason Rudolph ($4,400). Now, he suddenly gets an upgrade, with Mahomes throwing him passes and a much better offensive scheme as a whole.
While last week’s one catch for negative two yards stat line is uninspiring, he did have six catches for 73 yards, a touchdown and 19.3 fantasy points against the Packers in Week 3.
He could need some adjustment time, but his $4,900 salary for DFS this week makes him super attractive with a high ceiling if he’s able to play.
Looking more long-term, I’d rank Hopkins as a WR3 this week as he adjusts, wth the upside to climb as he establishes himself as the go-to wide receiver in Kansas City. Giving him top 10 WR status is a little ambitious at this point, but he could approach that territory if he fits the system well and claims a large target share.
The Bottom Line
Getting Hopkins upgrades the Chiefs’ offense as a whole and could benefit both Kelce and Worthy as the target shares settle out. Hopkins’ being in the mix does probably limit the ceiling of their targets for the rest of the season, but it should make the offense much more productive and allow more long-term production from both players.
This week against the Raiders, the Chiefs are 10-point favorites. Kelce is +100 to score a touchdown and Worthy is not far behind at +150 to find the end zone. If Hopkins is added and officially ready to go, those numbers will likely get a little longer before kickoff.
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