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Back in Week 14 of the 2022 season, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray suffered a devastating knee injury on the team's first drive of the game.
Murray was drafted as a top five quarterback in fantasy leagues heading into the season, meaning many managers were likely left without their every-week QB1 just a week before the fantasy playoffs. The fourth-year pro was not so easy to replace as he was averaging over 20 fantasy points per contest.
Because Murray has been an elite fantasy producer since the start of his NFL career, his status is absolutely worth monitoring as we head into next season. What is the timetable for his recovery? Will he be ready to go for Week 1? Let's find out.
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Kyler Murray Injury News
It was immediately clear that Murray sustained a non-contact knee injury, and unfortunately, worst fears were confirmed after the game.
#AZCardinals QB Kyler Murray tore his ACL last night, the MRI confirmed today. His season is over. pic.twitter.com/Dd3IniVIga
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 13, 2022
It was later announced that Murray's ACL tear was clean, with no damage to other ligaments. Early estimations figured Murray would be looking at a minimum of eight-and-a-half months of recovery following surgery. This left the door open for the Oklahoma product to potentially return for Week 1 of the 2023-2024 campaign.
Will Kyler Murray Be Ready By Week 1 of 2023 Fantasy Football?
Murray underwent successful surgery in early January to reconstruct his ACL and repair his meniscus. At this time, it was still seen as a possibility that Murray would be ready to play at the start of next season, although it was far from guaranteed.
Just a few weeks later, this possibility was seemingly ruled out.
Kyler Murray (torn ACL and meniscus) is likely to make a return midseason, per @RapSheet
Murray wants to take his time recovering from the injury pic.twitter.com/Hoh4Lo0T6H
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) January 29, 2023
It makes sense that the 25-year-old wants to take as much time as possible to confirm that his injury heals perfectly before stepping back onto the field. This is especially the case for a quarterback who relies upon his legs as much as Murray, who has rushed for over 400 yards in each of his four professional seasons.
There are many questions surrounding the Cardinals as we approach the NFL offseason, with the team still in search of a new head coach to replace Kliff Kingsbury. It will be interesting to see if Arizona also looks to add reliable depth at the quarterback position with Murray slated to miss at least the beginning portion of next season.
As more details emerge on Murray's recovery later in the summer, his fantasy draft position is sure to be affected. At the moment, it's hard to imagine him being drafted inside the top 15 quarterbacks, but he will still have value. Murray possesses the upside to carry a team to a fantasy championship when healthy.
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