Rams' Brycen Hopkins: Regresses in final year of contract
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Hopkins finished the 2023 regular season with five receptions for 78 yards.
The majority of Hopkins' limited production came when thrust into a more prominent role in Week 18 with Tyler Higbee sitting out with a shoulder injury. Hopkins secured two catches for 47 yards in the contest, but he spent the majority of the year taking just a handful of snaps per game on offense, including zero in the Rams' playoff loss to the Lions. Hopkins is an unrestricted free agent in 2024, and while Higbee is feared to have suffered a torn ACL in the aforementioned playoff game, rookie Davis Allen and Hunter Long (knee) both remain under contract for next season, and Allen in particular flashed plenty of promise in Higbee's and Long's absences. Even if Higbee isn't ready for the start of the 2024 campaign, it's highly uncertain Hopkins returns as the fourth tight end on the roster given his light production in 2023.
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Rams' Brycen Hopkins: Leads team with 47 yards receiving
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Hopkins caught two of three targets for 47 yards during Sunday's 21-20 win against San Francisco.
Despite taking only 18 snaps on offense behind starter Davis Allen, Hopkins managed to make the biggest impact on the stat sheet, including a game-long 29-yard reception on a lengthy third down to help extend a drive that led to a Tyler Johnson touchdown. With Tyler Higbee (shoulder) and Allen the primary tight ends for the Rams this season, Hopkins managed just five catches for 78 yards in 14 games and will be a reserve behind the duo in the playoffs unless Higbee misses more time with his injury.
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Rams' Brycen Hopkins: Makes one catch
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Hopkins caught his only target for five yards during Sunday's 29-23 overtime win against the Colts.
Through the first month of the season, Hopkins has only taken 41 snaps on offense and recorded catches in just two games. The Rams haven't been using many two-tight-end sets and Tyler Higbee has barely left the field despite playing through an Achilles injury during Sunday's contest, leaving Hopkins with little fantasy value unless Higbee ends up missing time.
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Rams' Brycen Hopkins: Makes lone catch count
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Hopkins secured one of two targets for 21 yards during Sunday's 30-13 win over the Seahawks.
Hopkins started his fourth year with the Rams similar fashion to his third, playing in just over a quarter of the snaps on offense and seeing a scant few targets head his way. His lone catch saw him showcase his elusiveness, as he shook off one defender in route to a big gain, but unless starter Tyler Higbee misses any time, Hopkins is unlikely to break through on the stat sheet in a meaningful way.
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Rams' Brycen Hopkins: Meager production in Year 3
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Hopkins recorded seven catches for 109 yards during the 2022 season.
Hopkins missed three games for violating the league's substance-abuse policy, but he was on the field for all 14 of the Rams' remaining games, operating as the No. 2 tight end behind Tyler Higbee after Kendall Blanton was cut. As injuries piled up for the Rams, Hopkins saw his role increase as the season progressed, and he notched a career-high 57 receiving yards in the Week 16 contest against the Broncos. The 2020 fourth-round pick will enter the final season of his rookie deal looking to continue carving out a role similar to what he saw in the latter half of the 2022 season while firmly entrenched behind the veteran Higbee.
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Rams' Brycen Hopkins: Career-high yardage in blowout
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Hopkins secured all three of his targets for 57 yards during Sunday's 51-14 victory against the Broncos.
Hopkins saw a significant jump in playing time in Week 16, with his 38 snaps by far a season high, and he responded with the best performance of his young career. In the first quarter, he snagged a 22-yard pass from Baker Mayfield to help set up the first of Tyler Higbee's two touchdowns, and he added receptions of 16 and 19 yards in the second and third quarters. Mayfield fed his tight ends often, generating a combined 12-151-2 line for the position group versus the rest of the team's 12-79-0 line, and while Hopkins will still be an unreliable fantasy option in the short term, this performance against a normally rock-solid Broncos' defense is a good indicator of what Hopkins can do when given an opportunity.
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Rams' Brycen Hopkins: Snares lone target
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Hopkins caught his only target for eight yards during Thursday's 17-16 win against the Raiders.
Hopkins has seen his playing time steadily decrease since peaking during Week 12's game against the Chiefs, and he took the field for only four snaps Thursday compared to Tyler Higbee's 61, suggesting that Higbee has fully recovered from a mild knee issue that he suffered a few weeks ago. Hopkins will likely continue to be used sparingly barring another injury to Higbee.
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Rams' Brycen Hopkins: Draws two targets in loss
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Hopkins reeled in one of his two targets for an 11-yard gain in Sunday's 27-17 loss to the Cardinals.
Suiting up for the fourth contest in a row after serving a three-game suspension earlier in the season, Hopkins once again served as the primary backup to Tyler Higbee. Hopkins narrowly cleared 20 percent of the Rams' offensive snaps for the second straight game, and he could have a path to seeing a slight uptick in playing time moving forward even while Higbee remains healthy. With star wideout Cooper Kupp (ankle) undergoing surgery Wednesday and set to miss at least four games, the Rams will need to turn to a collection of players to replace his 10.8 targets per game. While some of that volume will be diverted to the run game, the Rams could explore using more two tight-end sets featuring both Higbee and Hopkins, the latter of whom was a standout pass catcher during his college days at Purdue.
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Rams' Brycen Hopkins: Suspension over
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Hopkins' three-game suspension for a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy was lifted Monday, per the league's transaction log.
Now that he's back on the Rams' active roster, Hopkins likely will slot in as the team's No. 2 tight end behind Tyler Higbee and in front of Kendall Blanton. In two games this season, Hopkins didn't receive a target while playing eight snaps on offense and six more on special teams.
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Rams' Brycen Hopkins: Gets three-game ban
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Hopkins received a three-game suspension Wednesday for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.
Despite being active for both of the Rams' games this season, he's been blanked in the box score while earning eight snaps on offense and six more on special teams. His next chance to take the field won't come until Oct. 16 against the Panthers. In the meantime, Tyler Higbee will continue to dominate reps at tight end for the Rams, while Roger Carter and Jared Pinkney are candidates to be elevated from the practice squad.
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Rams' Brycen Hopkins: Leads team in receptions
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Hopkins caught all six of his targets for 41 yards in Friday's 24-20 loss to the Texans.
Hopkins operated as a safety valve for quarterback John Wolford during a first half that saw Wolford under constant pressure, and he came through with a perfect six-for-six catch rate. The second half saw Bryce Perkins target Hopkins only once on a play that was called back due to a penalty, but Hopkins easily outpaced fellow tight ends Kendall Blanton and Roger Carter, who combined for two catches and 28 receiving yards in the loss. With one preseason game against the Bengals next Saturday remaining, Hopkins may have leapt Blanton and become the favorite to be the backup to starter Tyler Higbee with Friday's performance.
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Rams' Brycen Hopkins: Logs one catch
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Hopkins caught one of two passes for nine yards in Saturday's 29-22 win over the Chargers.
Fellow backup tight end Kendall Blanton was on the field as well, but only Hopkins was targeted by Bryce Perkins, and he was able to snag one of the two for a nine-yard gain during the Rams' first touchdown drive of the game. With Tyler Higbee being eased back in to action after recovering from an MCL injury suffered in the NFC Championship Game last season, expect to see plenty of both Hopkins and Blanton during Friday's second preseason game against the Texans.
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Rams' Brycen Hopkins: Third on depth chart
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Hopkins is listed as the third-string tight end on the Rams' first unofficial depth chart, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.
Hopkins had a breakout performance in Super Bowl LVI, notching 47 yards on four receptions after garnering just a single catch through the first twelve games of his career. Despite ending his year on a positive note, the return of Tyler Higbee combined with Kendall Blanton's presence relegates Hopkins back to a tertiary role going into his third year with the Rams, albeit with evidence that he can produce if thrust into a key role.
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Rams' Brycen Hopkins: First career reception in win
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Hopkins caught his lone target for nine yards during Tuesday's 20-10 win over Seattle.
The rookie has played only 55 offensive snaps this season, with 22 of them coming Tuesday. He's unlikely to get a chance to build on this outing, as the Rams are expected to get top tight end Tyler Higbee back from the reserve/COVID-19 list for this weekend's game in Minnesota. Kendall Blanton will serve as Higbee's top backup, relegating Hopkins to the No. 3 role.
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Rams' Brycen Hopkins: Inactive against Colts
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Hopkins (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's Week 2 contest against the Colts, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Hopkins has slipped down the tight end depth chart behind Tyler Higbee, Johnny Mundt and Jacob Harris. As a result, it may take an injury for him to see game action in upcoming contests.
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Rams' Brycen Hopkins: Hardly plays in 2020
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Hopkins suited up for five games but played just two offensive snaps during the 2020 regular season.
The fourth-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft owns the athleticism to take a step forward next season, and he could have more of an opportunity with fellow tight ends Gerald Everett and Johnny Mundt both set for free agency. Still, it's rare for a second-year tight end to leap right into fantasy relevance, and Tyler Higbee is still the No. 1 option at the position. It's likely best to take a wait-and-see approach with Hopkins until the dust settles following the draft and free agency.
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Rams' Brycen Hopkins: Not playing Week 2
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Hopkins is a healthy scratch for Sunday's game against Philadelphia, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.
The 2020 fourth-round pick failed to suit up in last week's primetime win over Dallas, and he'll have to wait another week to make his NFL debut. With Hopkins sidelined, Johnny Mundt will handle the depth tight end snaps for Week 2.
