49ers will beat Cardinals if they win these matchups on Monday
By Peter Panacy
49ers vs. Cardinals matchup No. 4: Charvarius Ward vs. DeAndre Hopkins
Regardless of the quarterback under center for Arizona, there are few offensive players San Francisco has to worry about more in this contest than All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Sure, Hopkins might have been suspended earlier this season. But, with only four games under his belt entering Week 11, he’s already totaled 396 yards on 36 receptions with two touchdowns. And in the Cardinals’ Week 10 win over the Los Angeles Rams with Colt McCoy under center, Hopkins netted a solid 10 catches for 98 yards, too.
Hopkins’ presence within the NFC West is one of the bigger reasons why the 49ers went out and acquired cornerback Charvarius Ward to fill the No. 1 spot on the depth chart. And while it’d be ideal for the Niners to have two quality starting-caliber options at the position, particularly in the wake of losing fellow corner Emmanuel Moseley to a season-ending ACL tear, at least Ward’s presence affords the opportunity to shadow Hopkins fully.
On the year, opposing quarterbacks are posting a 60.2 passer rating when targeting Ward.
Hopkins is the kind of player who can increase that number a lot, so Ward and the rest of San Francisco’s secondary will have to be on point against him.