In a surprise move, the Arizona Cardinals released star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on Friday after three seasons with the team. The timing is interesting because the Cardinals have already designated two players as post-June 1 NFL cuts to spread their cap hit over the next two seasons. However, they released Hopkins a week before the deadline. That means that his full $22.6 million dollar cap hit will hit the books this season. Hopkins is now a free agent and he’s free to sign with any team for the 2023 NFL season. Let’s take a look at how this NFL breaking news could impact 2023 fantasy football rankings, NFL betting, fantasy football ADP, and more. Depending on Hopkins' landing spot, this news will shift our fantasy football draft strategy, dynasty rookie rankings, and fantasy football best ball drafts. 

 

Arizona Cardinals Release WR DeAndre Hopkins

Impact of DeAndre Hopkins' Release on Arizona Cardinals

The loser here is obviously Kyler Murray (and whoever starts at QB while Murray recovers from the ACL). The winners for fantasy are incumbent wide receivers like Marquise Brown, Rondale Moore, and possibly rookie Michael Wilson. Zach Ertz is recovering from an ACL injury, so Trey McBride might start the season. We saw how Ertz did while Hopkins was out last year (TE3 through nine weeks in PPR). Or perhaps this move could put an older veteran like Zach Ertz on the trade block as well. 

Possible NFL Landing Spots for DeAndre Hopkins

Virtually every NFL team would be better with DeAndre Hopkins. So the question boils down to whether Hopkins wants to maximize money or give himself the best possible chance at winning a Super Bowl. Here are some potential options.

Detroit Lions 

They have the third most cap space of any team and could use a big split end on the outside (especially with the suspension of Jameson Williams)

Buffalo Bills

Long rumored as a trade partner for Hopkins, he would likely need to take a pay cut AND they would need to find cap space in a hurry. 

Baltimore Ravens 

Another team connected to Hopkins via rumors and they are also working on converting to new OC Todd Monken’s Air Raid offense. You need pass catchers for that. 

New England Patriots 

It’s no secret that Bill Belichick and DeAndre Hopkins have a lot of respect for each other and they have the cap space. But new OC Bill O’Brien probably doesn’t help after their tumultuous time in Houston.

Tennessee Titans 

If the Titans are actually serious about making another run with Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill, DeAndre Hopkins would immediately improve a desperate WR group.

Impact of DeAndre Hopkins' Release on Sports Betting

It seems that Vegas was already “in the know” on this one as the Cardinals already had the lowest over/under win total (4.5) and the worst odds of winning the Super Bowl (+20000). An early look suggests that those haven’t changed much but this news could push them down even further. It’s interesting to note that the Houston Texans are tied with the worst Super Bowl odds and also have a very low over-under - after the draft day trade this year, the Cardinals own the Texans' pick. So there is a possibility they could end up with two very high picks in the 2024 NFL Draft or even the first two. 

 

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