The DeAndre Hopkins trade has a massive fantasy impact. Which quarterback will have the better fantasy season because of it: Kyler Murray or Deshaun Watson?
No trade this offseason will have a bigger fantasy football impact than wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins going from the Houston Texans to the Arizona Cardinals. While Arizona could emerge as a dark horse playoff contender, Houston might have a problem three-peating in the AFC South. How does this move impact quarterbacks Kyler Murray and Deshaun Watson in fantasy football?
The Fantasy Footballers are very high on both players entering the next fantasy football season. In fact, Murray and Watson rank No. 3 and No. 4 respectively in their fantasy football big board. Murray was QB7 last season as a rookie but gets a bump up to QB3 from the Hopkins trade. Watson is still a tremendous fantasy football commodity. Who benefits more here, though?
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One would think Murray would be the clear winner here, as he now has Hopkins in his receiving corps that already has future Pro Football Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald and a promising young player in Christian Kirk. However, Watson might run a little more this year out of the backfield without Hopkins as his No. 1 receiving option, only aiding his fantasy football value.
The guys said Murray would have been a top-five fantasy quarterback entering 2020 even without the Hopkins trade. Asserting him to QB3 status is a meteoric rise, but he’s the type of dual-threat playmaker who could merit that ascension. However, a lack of touchdown passes as a rookie could be a red flag when making Murray your QB1 very early in your upcoming fantasy football draft.
As for Watson, he’s a tad undervalued, if you can even believe that, as he’s QB4 in the guys’ eyes. He may not have a No. 1 receiving option anymore in Hopkins, but he will still throw touchdowns, as well as scamper for a few more yards on the ground. Losing Hopkins stinks for him and the Texans offense, but Watson will find a way to counterbalance that as a fantasy player for sure.
Ultimately, you can’t really go wrong with either fantasy quarterback. Going with Murray means you’re betting on his obvious upside and hoping he pops in year two in Kliff Kingsbury‘s offense. As for Watson, you’re banking on him continuing to shine in Bill O’Brien‘s offense in Houston, regardless of who he is throwing the football to.