2 wide receiver sleepers to draft and 2 receiver busts to avoid in fantasy football

Avoid: DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Tennessee Titans

DeAndre Hopkins has been one of the best wide receivers in the NFL since he first entered the league in 2013. Drafted by the Houston Texans with the No. 27 overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Clemson University, Hopkins was as NFL-ready as any prospect can be. As a rookie, he caught 52 passes to go along with 802 receiving yards and that was only the beginning for him.

Hopkins established himself as a force from that point on. In 2014, he upped his receiving totals to 76 receptions and 1,210 yards while scoring six touchdowns. 2015 was arguably the best season of his career when he caught 111 passes to go with 1,521 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. Hopkins went on to post 1,000 receiving yards or more in four of the next five seasons.

Similar to Diontae Johnson, Hopkins has commanded a large share of his team’s targets yearly. From 2015-2020, he racked up no less than 150 targets in a season. He was pacing to surpass that total last season as well in the nine games he played but a six-game suspension ruined his chances at reaching that mark.

Hopkins was released by the Cardinals this offseason and signed a two-year, $26 million contract with the Titans. The Titans have one of the worst wide receiver rooms in the NFL, making Hopkins the unquestioned alpha in the passing game. However, the Titans are one of the lowest-volume passing teams in the NFL. The Titans attempted passes at the fourth-lowest rate last season, trailing only the Ravens, Falcons, and Bears.

Running back Derrick Henry is the engine of this offense. In his last three healthy seasons (2019, 2020, and 2022), he has received no less than 321 touches. Barring injury, that will continue to be the norm for the Titans and Henry.

It feels wrong to tell you to fade a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro wideout, but here we are. Hopkins is currently ranked as the PPR WR22 on FantasyPros, ahead of Diontae Johnson who was previously mentioned. Johnson is one of a handful of receivers listed behind Hopkins on FantasyPros that have a great chance to outscore him on a points-per-game basis.

D.J. Moore, Jerry Jeudy, Terry McLaurin, Watson, the aforementioned Johnson, and Tyler Lockett are among other notable players ranked lower than Hopkins.