Who Should I Start? DeAndre Hopkins or Devaughn Vele

Saturday, September 13, 7:47 AM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins proved why he's a three-time All-Pro with an amazing one-handed grab against the Buffalo Bills for a touchdown. While his days of 100+ targets per season are in the rearview mirror, he can still play that outlet role whenever called upon. The biggest issue for fantasy managers is that it's nearly impossible to predict which games he'll be more involved in compared to the others. In Week 2, he'll go up against the Cleveland Browns, who do have a better and more aggressive defensive unit. Hopkins might be viable in very deep leagues, but he likely won't receive more targets than Mark Andrews again, which would leave him around fourth in the target pecking order. So managers in 12-team leagues can safely leave him on the bench.

Wednesday, August 20, 7:13 PM

The New Orleans Saints have acquired wide receiver Devaughn Vele from the Denver Broncos for a 2026 fourth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round selection. Vele was a seventh-rounder in 2024 who exceeded expectations as a rookie, catching 41 of 55 targets for 475 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games. However, the former Utah standout's role in the Denver offense diminished late in the season as Marvin Mims Jr. started receiving more targets. With Mims, Courtland Sutton, and Troy Franklin all returning and rookie third-rounder Pat Bryant coming in this year, the Broncos have decided to move on from Vele for a solid return on investment. Going from Bo Nix to either Spencer Rattler or Tyler Shough will be a major downgrade at quarterback for Vele, but he could be a bigger part of a Saints offense that doesn't have much at receiver after Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Brandin Cooks.