It’s unusual to have such big names still on the market in late June, so that makes it all the more interesting to assess DeAndre Hopkins and Dalvin Cook at this time. Two rock-solid veterans who have produced consistently over time, Hopkins and Cook could both potentially be assets to any team in the NFL.
Let’s dive in and assess the potential fantasy ramifications by team:
DeAndre Hopkins’ Potential Landing Spots
New England Patriots: The Pats have emerged as the favorites to land “Nuk” Hopkins after a successful meeting between Hopkins, Bill Belichick and the Patriots’ brass. Hopkins is said to be looking for absolute top dollar, and New England has the financial flexibility to make this work for all sides. Fantasy-wise, this will be a double-edged sword: Hopkins will be the busiest target for New England, but those incoming passes will be coming from Mac Jones, one of the weaker fantasy QBs. I’d obviously rather see Hop on the next team or the Chiefs, obviously.
Buffalo Bills: Buffalo had some brief offseason issues with their WR1 Stefon Diggs, so Hopkins to the Bills was looking even more likely at the time. Now, things have cooled down, and the Pats are looking like the frontrunners over the Bills. Still, Hopkins to the Bills would be a dream come true in a lot of ways: Can you imagine Hopkins operating without double-teams, with incoming bullets from Josh Allen? Hopkins would feast a la Tyler Lockett, who does especially well when DK Metcalf is getting over-covered.
Detroit Lions: Gambling violations dismantled the Lions’ receiving corps, so Hopkins to Detroit makes a lot of sense in this regard. Would be a win-win all-around, as OC Ben Johnson likes to play up-tempo, and Hopkins would get plenty of looks and opportunities. Jared Goff continues to improve in this free-flowing system, as well. Hopkins would be a strong producer on either the Bills or Lions.
Cleveland Browns: I’m getting the sense the Browns don’t trust Donovan Peoples-Jones, aren’t you? They already brought in Elijah Moore and have been linked to a number of big-name receivers throughout the offseason. Obviously, we already know about the on-field chemistry between Deshaun Watson and Hopkins. I’m sure they would rediscover it rather quickly, especially with Amari Cooper and Moore taking some defensive attention away from Nuk.
Tennessee Titans: Hopkins would be a target monster in Tennessee, as I view Treylon Burks as a WR2, not a 1. Hopkins would step right in as an extremely busy man. Ryan Tannehill works well with true WR1s too, like A.J. Brown of the past in Tennessee.
Kansas City Chiefs: KC is young in its receiving corps, but you could simply argue that Travis Kelce ‘is their No. 1 receiver.’ You get the idea. I would love Hopkins with Andy Reid and Pat Mahomes, but the betting odds are strongly against it at this point.
Houston Texans: Back to the old stomping grounds in Houston? Nah, not gonna happen. The Texans have fallen off as a past betting favorite, probably because of youth, inexperience and low expectations in the Win column. Hopkins wants money and some wins.
Dalvin Cook’s Potential Landing Spots
Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins are currently the betting favorites to land Cook, and that makes sense because veterans Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson are both injury-prone. If Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins view themselves as true Super Bowl contenders, Mostert and Wilson work better as RB2 and 3, respectively. In Miami, Cook would walk into an ideal situation with a smart offensive coach and weapons all around. Everything is interconnected, though – for everything to work exactly right, Tua Tagovailoa would have to avoid repetitive concussion issues this NFL season. With a fully-balanced attack including stars Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, Cook could potentially be a fantasy beast in the trenches.
Denver Broncos and New York Jets: The Broncos and Jets are in a similar spot here: Javonte Williams and Breece Hall are both off major injuries. Does it really make sense for either team to force-feed their young star? I think both teams are looking for balance in their backfields, and Cook would be a win-win because he’s a veteran who doesn’t need 25 carries per game anymore. Still, the Broncos acquired Samaje Perine, who is considered a sleeper by many of us in fantasy circles. I wouldn’t wanna play with Russell Wilson if I were Cook, either.
As for the Jets, they’ve dropped in the odds since opening as the initial favorites, and it’s looking less and less likely that they’ll ultimately land Cook. Still, Aaron Rodgers, Dalvin Cook, Hall and Garrett Wilson sound fun.
Buffalo Bills: In on both Hopkins and Cook, huh? Makes sense when you think about it because the Bills already have Dalvin’s brother James, and he’s not an every-down back to me. The Cook-Cook combination would bring nice balance for Sean McDermott, Allen and Diggs within Buffalo’s potentially high-powered offense. I still think the Bills are in play here. The Dolphins are the favorites, but maybe the Bills will ratchet up a notch if they don’t get Hopkins.
Dallas Cowboys: Who is going to fill that Ezekiel Elliott bruiser role this season? Tony Pollard is an electric young running back, but Dallas shouldn’t beat him up with an every-down role. Pollard is best in an effective two-back system. Jerry Jones loves ‘name’ players, so I wouldn’t count the Cowboys out at all on this one.
I’ll see ya right back here next week!
John Frascella is a published sports author who has been covering the NFL for 19 years. Follow him on Twitter @LegendSports7 for all things fantasy football, basketball and baseball throughout the year.
