DeAndre Hopkins traded to Chiefs: fantasy football fallout

Over the last week, fantasy football content producers everywhere have agreed on a simple but powerful message: Patrick Mahomes doesn't help and can be dropped without regret.

After sending DeAndre Hopkins to Kansas City on Wednesday, you might be rethinking the prediction for the game's best quarterback for the rest of the season.

It was always likely that Mahomes would receive a lifeline before the trade deadline, and this week it finally happened. It's possible that Kansas City isn't finished with the receiving room improvements yet. Mahomes was an undeniable disappointment at his draft price, but let's not pretend he isn't a true wizard and quarterback. He's been significantly outmatched this year, giving up targets to a rogue's gallery of receivers, and yet the Chiefs are 6-0.

No matter what you think of Hopkins at this point in his career, he is clearly a significant upgrade for KC's offense. The team was in dire need of a reliable playmaker capable of winning at multiple levels and in contested situations. The Chiefs simply addressed that need at a reasonable price. Mahomes gets a boost in value.

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Hopkins is of course 32 years old and started this season with a knee problem back then had to take a break at the end of week 7 due to leg painSo it's not like there aren't any warning signs. But the distance data actually looks pretty good compared to other big-name receivers, and he's had over 70% of his interceptions this season from two less-than-accurate passers, so it's hard to conclude that he's completely perfect washed.

Let's remember that last year, Hopkins managed to catch 75 balls and throw for over 1,000 yards in a terrible offensive environment. He's a winner in this deal, although it would be a bit of a stretch to expect him to make an immediate impact on Sunday against the Raiders. Consider him a WR4/5 for now, en route to weekly WR3 status in the second half of the season, assuming good health.

We shouldn't panic about the fantasy potential of other members of the Chiefs receiving corps because A) it's not like any of them are going to be destroyed anyway, and B) this is the kind of much-needed move that increases the potential can increase the crime overall. Xavier Worthy remains a low-volume, high-variance player who probably can't help you unless he scores touchdowns, and Travis Kelce remains an aging chain player focused on making the playoffs at full health.

As for Tennessee, um…yikes. The quality of quarterback play has undermined everything and everyone so far. Removing Hopkins from the mix obviously doesn't help any player in terms of fantasy. If you're really excited about a few more unassailable goals for Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd, or Chig Okonkwo, then let's hope you're playing in a league with 16 or more teams.

In fantasy football leagues of typical size and configuration, you shouldn't be looking to get involved with the Titans at this point.