The Tennessee Titans had been heavily pursuing DeAndre Hopkins since he was released by the Arizona Cardinals, and on Sunday afternoon, their efforts were rewarded. Hopkins signed a two-year, $32 million deal with the Titans, and he will immediately become the top wide receiver on a team that is extremely low on pass-catching talent.

Hopkins is coming off a season with the Arizona Cardinals where he was extremely productive (64 REC, 717 YDS, 3 TD) but only played in nine games due to a six-game suspension to start the season and a knee injury that forced him to miss the final two games of the season. When he's on the field, he's still one of the best wideouts in the game, and the Titans have to be thrilled to have landed him.

In the fantasy football world, Hopkins was a fantastic late-round sleeper last year, as he fell down the boards considerably due to his early season suspension. Hopkins won't have to worry about that this season, and he could be in line for an extremely productive 2023 season with Tennessee, so let's look at three bold predictions for his upcoming fantasy football campaign that could end up coming to fruition.

3. DeAndre Hopkins' fantasy football draft stock will soar after Titans signing

Given that Hopkins only played in nine games last season, he finished as the 47th ranked wide receiver in terms of PPR fantasy football scoring last season. However, his average of 16.9 points per game was the tenth highest figure in the league, and one of the guys ahead of him was Michael Thomas, who played in only three games.

Hopkins was a late-round stash pick last year, but now that he doesn't have a suspension looming over his head, and is on a team where he will get peppered with his targets, his stock has immediately risen. There are obviously some concerns about his status, but Hopkins should be one of the more popular wide receiver picks on draft day.

The concerns about the Titans offense, Hopkins' adjustment into a new system, and whether he's running out of gas are valid, but there's a lot to like about him from a fantasy perspective this upcoming season. As a result, Hopkins will likely be a top 15 wide receiver off the board on draft day, with his range likely falling between rounds four through six.

2. DeAndre Hopkins will easily surpass the 1000-yard receiving mark

While Hopkins has proven himself to be a talented player still, he hasn't eclipsed the 1000-yard receiving mark in two straight seasons now. Granted, Hopkins has only played in 19 total games over that stretch, but after a run of four straight seasons with at least 1150 receiving yards, this downturn in production has been tough for fantasy owners to overlook.

As we have alluded to on a handful of occasions here, Hopkins is now the top guy in the Titans aerial attack, and it isn't particularly close. Treylon Burks will have room to grow as a secondary pass catcher, but Tennessee is going to rely on Hopkins to produce like A.J. Brown did during his time with the Titans, which could result in some monster numbers for Hopkins.

Assuming he can stay healthy, Hopkins should easily be able to surpass the 1000-yard mark in his first season with the Titans. There will be some games where he is locked up due to the attention he receives from opposing defenses, but for the most part, Hopkins has proven that he is still talented enough to put together big games on a consistent basis, and that should lead to a nice bounce back campaign for him.

1. DeAndre Hopkins will finish the season as a top-ten fantasy football wide receiver

As we saw with the average points per game he was producing, Hopkins is still an elite player when he's on the field. Reports of his demise are greatly over-exaggerated; there's been nothing aside from his inability to stay on the field that indicates that Hopkins is regressing. And in Tennessee's offense, Hopkins is going to be involved early and often.

With a true number one receiver on board, the Titans are going to rely heavily on Hopkins, Ryan Tannehill, and Derrick Henry to do pretty much everything for them. There will be games where Henry takes over and Hopkins doesn't do much, but there will also be games where Hopkins is carrying the offense. That's how they operated with Brown, and the same thing will likely ring true with Hopkins now.

If he can stay healthy, Hopkins should be in for a big season. He's been a volume receiver all throughout his career, and that's not going to change now, even with Tannehill under center (Hopkins put up big numbers with worse quarterbacks while on the Houston Texans). When all is said and done, Hopkins will finish the 2023 season as a top-ten wide receiver in terms of fantasy football scoring.