Arizona Cardinals players that have the most to gain during Hopkins’ suspension

The 6-game suspension given to All-Pro WR DeAndre Hopkins took the Arizona Cardinals by surprise.

Left to figure out how he will have to adjust without his star wideout, Kliff Kingsbury and his staff have other options they can consider.

The six games Hopkins will miss are not a cakewalk by any stretch of the imagination, as 4 of those six teams qualified for the playoffs last season. The Cardinals will be challenged out of the gate as they will face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. After that, they hit the road to go faceoff against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Week 3 features a showdown against the defending Super Bowl champions L.A. Rams, a game in which the Cardinals will miss Hopkins’ presence on the field as they will have to deal with All-Pro defensive back Jalen Ramsey.

After Week 3, the Cardinals go on to play the Panthers, Eagles, and Seahawks, and if they can get out of that demanding schedule with at least three wins, that should be considered a successful start to their season.

In his first entire season with the Cardinals Hopkins, QB Kyler Murray torched their opponents with their undeniable chemistry as Hopkins led the team with 1,407 yards and 115 catches on 160 targets with 6 T.D.’s as he also played in all 16 games.

During the 2021 season, Hopkins struggled with injuries as he only appeared in 10 out of 17 games and was 4th on the team in receiving yards, 6th in catches, and tied for 4th in targets.

While it’s impossible to replace a player of Hopkins caliber, the Cardinals receiving corps should benefit from his absence by seeing what this group can accomplish without him.

Here is a list of Arizona Cardinals players with something to prove within the first six games.