Fantasy: Winners & losers from the Hopkins-Johnson trade

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The start of the legal tampering period was overshadowed by a massive trade Monday, with the main components on the move being DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals in exchange for David Johnson heading to the Texans.

While the football world chastises Texans head coach and general manager Bill O'Brien for making trades like a bored fantasy manager, fantasy owners can focus on what this means for the players on both teams.

Winners

Kyler Murray

There's no way Kyler Murray woke up Monday morning thinking he might end up with a top-five receiver in his arsenal ... but here we are.

As we outlined in our cheat sheet for offensive team needs, wideout was the No. 1 priority for the Cardinals this offseason, and instead of taking their chances in the draft - where they've gotten questionable results of late - Arizona secures an elite option for Murray. Hopkins takes the pressure off young pass-catchers like Christian Kirk, Andy Isabella, and Hakeem Butler, allowing them to settle in as complementary weapons behind a new top target.

Murray already had the potential for a Lamar Jackson-style breakout in Year 2 after finishing with the seventh-most fantasy points at quarterback as a rookie. Now, he'll be one of the most sought-after assets in upcoming fantasy drafts and someone with legitimate top-three upside in 2020 and beyond.

David Johnson/Kenyan Drake

When the Cardinals placed the transition tag on Kenyan Drake, giving them the ability to match any offer, it was clear the team was dedicated to bringing him back as its starter. It's an obvious decision after the 26-year-old back compiled 814 yards from scrimmage, 28 receptions, and eight touchdowns in a half-season with the club. Drake will be a fringe RB1 candidate in 2020.

Had Johnson remained in Arizona, his fantasy stock was set to take a major hit in what would have at best been a timeshare. However, in Houston, Johnson will enter the season as the new lead back on an offense that helped journeyman Carlos Hyde reach 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career last year.

Johnson struggled coming back from a midseason injury and looked too slow to be effective on an NFL field in the second half of the year, but he was a top-seven fantasy back through the opening six weeks. If Hyde was able to produce playing alongside Watson, Johnson will have an excellent chance to bounce back into the RB2 ranks as a member of the Texans.

DeAndre Hopkins

Even in a down year, Hopkins racked up 104 receptions, 1,165 yards, and seven touchdowns. Perhaps the Texans believe he's a declining asset heading into his age-28 season, though that seems like an overreaction for a team hoping to contend for a title.

In Arizona, he gets to catch passes from another young star quarterback in an offense that will no doubt make an effort to get him the ball. Based on the reports of his clashes with O'Brien, we'll consider this a positive step for Hopkins; he's joining a team on the rise with a coach in Kliff Kingsbury who's shown a willingness to mold his up-tempo attack around the Cardinals' talent. In their first year under Kingsbury, Arizona had the fourth-fastest pace of play, according to Football Outsiders.

The arrival of Hopkins should help sustain drives and lead to more overall success for the team in 2020, keeping Hopkins in the conversation as a top-five fantasy wideout.

Will Fuller/Kenny Stills

For the time being, we'll consider Fuller and Stills winners, but it's clear the Texans plan to invest in receiver this offseason - likely in the draft. With a loaded class of wideout prospects, Houston must be set on getting younger and cheaper at the position.

Fuller missed 20 games over the last three seasons, which prevented him from being a reliable fantasy starter. If he can stay healthy, a top-20 fantasy finish is well within Fuller's range of outcomes. However, dynasty owners rostering Fuller - and to a lesser extent Stills - should be testing the market to see how they're being valued.

The rise in their fantasy stock is likely a temporary boost until the Texans draft their true Hopkins replacement.

Losers

Deshaun Watson

We don't know what the Texans have planned for the rest of the offseason, but trading away your best receiver is an odd way to build around a 24-year-old superstar quarterback.

Watson posted the second-most fantasy points at QB in 2019, behind only Lamar Jackson - a feat that will be challenging to recreate with Hopkins out of the picture. It's also worth noting that the Texans don't have a pick in the opening round of this year's draft, so their first selection will be on Day 2 at 40th overall. Even with a deep receiver class, finding an immediate contributor in the second round increases the degree of difficulty for the Texans' front office.

Watson has shown an ability to will the team to victory and he'll likely find a way to keep the offense producing without Hopkins, but he needs to be viewed as a mid- to low-end QB1 in the wake of this bizarre deal.

Christian Kirk

If it weren't for injuries, Kirk may have emerged as a fantasy star in 2019. He was tied for 14th in average targets per game among all receivers and had multiple 100-yard days in his first season with Murray at the helm.

Unfortunately, Hopkins joining the roster as a guaranteed target hog puts an end to Kirk's heavy volume and sends him tumbling down the fantasy rankings.

Owning pieces of quality offenses is always a smart approach in fantasy and the Cardinals have the pieces to deserve that distinction, but we need to recalibrate Kirk's value, which is now in the borderline WR3/WR4 area. Kirk will need a Hopkins injury if he's going to recapture the upside he had before this trade.

Duke Johnson

At this point, we have to accept Duke Johnson's status as a pass-catching specialist. NFL teams are unwilling to deploy him as a lead back, despite his effectiveness with the ball in his hands.

With Carlos Hyde hitting free agency, the door was left ajar for Duke to get an opportunity for more touches in 2020. Not anymore.

David Johnson will take over the Hyde role and has the receiving ability to reduce Duke's snaps even more. Even if David struggles or misses time, the Texans would likely use Duke in a committee, with another back handling some of the early-down work.

Andy Isabella/Hakeem Butler

The high hopes the fantasy community harbored for Isabella and Butler aren't completely squashed by this trade, but it certainly puts any potential for a breakout on hold.

Isabella's contributions as a rookie were few and far between, while Butler spent his entire first year on injured reserve.

Though both players have the talent to develop into playmakers in the pros, they are well off the radar in re-draft leagues and their dynasty stock is heading in the wrong direction.