X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Will Arizona's New Offense Rise Like a Phoenix?

I think that there are times when we fantasy football writers need to own up to our past mistakes. I'm not talking about small things like "telling someone the wrong start/sit" or "being wrong about a sleeper pick," because those things happen. No, I mean when we get things very wrong, as I did back in 2017 when I published this article about how the Arizona Cardinals were on their way up in dynasty.

I really thought guys like Blaine Gabbert and Jaron Brown were going to be key pieces of a future Arizona offensive attack. But I've grown since then, and am ready to make amends by looking once again at the Arizona Cardinals from a dynasty perspective and actually getting things right this time.

Let's talk about why this time is the right time to buy into the Arizona Cardinals in dynasty leagues.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:

 

Kyler Murray Will Be A Good Quarterback

The Cardinals did some unprecedented in this year's NFL Draft, taking a quarterback the year after taking a quarterback. Since the merger, that's only happened once, and there were special circumstances surrounding that one. In 1982, the Baltimore Colts took Art Schlichter with the fourth pick, but he was suspended indefinitely for gambling after one year, and the team then picked -- and traded -- John Elway in 1983.

Teams just don't pick a first-round quarterback and then come back the next year and do it all over again, but the Cardinals and new head coach Kliff Kingsbury saw in Murray the perfect player to run Kingsbury's Air Raid offense. He ran a very similar offense perfectly in his one year as a starter at Oklahoma, completing 69 percent of his passes for 4361 yards, 42 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions. Murray also made a big impact with his legs, turning 140 carries into 1001 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was the most lethal player in college football, a guy who coupled the high-tier rushing ability we'd seen from other quarterbacks with the kind of accuracy that we didn't always see from other scramblers. Despite being a first round pick in the MLB Draft, Murray decided to stick with football after that performance and here he is now, the top pick in the NFL Draft.

Murray's undersized, but that should be a huge deal since he'll be taking most of his snaps from the shotgun and he's got the ability to get out of the pocket. I would worry about a quarterback his size if he was your classic drop-back, stand in the pocket kind of guy, but Murray's skills mean that he doesn't need to be that guy.

Murray's also in the right offensive scheme. For years, Air Raid concepts were seen as something that was too tied in with college football, a gimmick that wouldn't work at the NFL level. But the NFL has become much more open to those concepts lately, and last year an Air Raid quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, won the MVP. Offenses are spreading the field, running from the gun, and emphasizing the pass game. This is an offense that should be designed to put up big numbers, and while the initial expectations should be fairly low -- the team has offensive line issues, they've got a lot of young players, Murray is a rookie -- I do expect things to solidify as the year goes on, and Murray should be one of the best fantasy quarterbacks in the league by his second or third season. He's the only quarterback who should be a first round rookie pick in non-Superflex leagues this year.

 

The Run Game Still Features David Johnson

Last year was a really disappointing season for David Johnson, who returned from a wrist injury that limited him to just one game during the 2017 season. He played all 16 games in 2018, but finished with just 940 rushing yards, 446 receiving yards, and 10 total touchdowns. Those are fine numbers, except Johnson was dominant back in 2016, gaining over 2000 scrimmage yards and scoring 20 total touchdowns, and many people were drafting him in fantasy because they expected a return to that level of play.

But last year, Johnson was running behind an offensive line that PFF ranked as the NFL's worst last season, and it's really hard to be an effective running back with a line that bad. Factor in that rookie quarterback Josh Rosen was ineffective when on the field and Johnson was just not in a good place. He ran against stacked fronts 31.8 percent of his carries, the seventh-highest rate among running backs, and against light fronts on 25.6 percent of his plays, 53rd among backs.

He also ran out of the shotgun less than most other backs, finishing 48th in shotgun carry rate. With Kyler Murray in tow and the Cardinals stretching the field, expect more carries against base or light fronts, more carries out of the shotgun, and an increase in Johnson's per carry efficiency. Johnson is still a strong dynasty pick, and while I haven't solidified by dynasty rankings yet, I'll probably have him somewhere around the 10th running back in them.

 

All Those Receivers, Y'all!

So, there's a lot to deal with here, so let's just take a look at all the Cardinals receivers who aren't named Larry Fitzgerald and are in their first or second season. (Sorry, Chad Williams and Kevin White!)

Christian Kirk

Here's my Dynasty Price Check for Kirk from before the Draft, though it's a little outdated after all these moves.

Kirk's the number-two guy right now, though he could move up on the depth chart should Larry Fitzgerald show his age this season (or end up not a member of the Cardinals by the start of the season, though that seems unlikely).

I liked a lot of Kirk's per play efficiency numbers last year, which suggested that he was a top-40 receiver in the NFL as a rookie, even if he finished outside the top 50 in fantasy. Of particular note was his ranking of 12th in true catch rate, which takes into account catchable targets. Kyler Murray may struggle with his accuracy as a rookie because rookie quarterbacks often struggle, but long term, Kirk's really good at catching passes that come near him, and Murray's ball placement in college suggests that he should figure things out by 2020. If you can buy in on Kirk, do it.

Hakeem Butler

Butler is that big bodied, red zone guy who Kyler Murray is going to love when the Cardinals get close to the end zone. Should be able to make contested plays and also be a great downfield target for when Murray wants to throw it deep. My only worry in re-draft is that he probably opens the year as the fourth option among the team's receivers, which limits his immediate upside, but we're mainly talking dynasty here, so I think once he develops a little more in terms of routes, he can be a very solid piece for this team. I'd call him an early second round rookie draft pick.

Andy Isabella

For a more in-depth breakdown of Isabella, check out this piece I wrote before the Draft.

Of the three rookies, Isabella is my favorite to make an impact right away because he's so versatile. I'm probably beating a dead horse by making this comparison again, but Isabella reminds me a lot of Keke Coutee, a fast, undersized guy who can make plays out of the slot but who can also motion around the formation and be used on sweep plays. Isabella also played running back at the start of college, so I think he can be really effective if he gets the ball out in the flat or if he's motioned into the backfield. I could see him sneaking into the bottom of the top-50 in PPR scoring as a rookie and his long term outlook as this offense improves is even better. Late first round pick in rookie drafts.

Keesean Johnson

While we can probably write off Johnson in terms of immediate impact just based on the numbers, he does two things really well that can help him stick in the league: he runs his routes well and he's got good hands. He can be a good second or third target in the NFL, but this receiving corps presents an uphill battle for him to get snaps. He's worth a later round rookie draft pick.

 

I Am Still A Ricky Seals-Jones Truther, But...

To end this, I'd like to talk about the guy who I keep thinking will break out and who keeps not breaking out, Cardinals tight end Ricky Seals-Jones. Murray's main tight end, Grant Calcaterra, had 26 catches for 396 yards and six touchdowns last year, while Texas Tech tight end...

Oh, Texas Tech just didn't use their tight ends because Kingsbury's offense was almost exclusively four receivers and a running back?

Well, that's a bit of a disheartening start to this section! But just for blocking purposes, I expect to see more tight end usage than Texas Tech used, and Seals-Jones has shown promise as a receiver in the past, though he's also got to battle Charles Clay for snaps.

Seals-Jones was targeted 69 times last year, but just four of those were inside the red zone, so it's hard to predict what he'll do this year. He's not likely to suddenly become a huge red zone threat, and he'll be fighting for touches across the rest of the field with all the new pieces in Arizona. I have Seals-Jones as a faller after all of this, and while I still believe in his skill, I'm not sure if he's going to be able to improve his numbers enough to get into the TE2 discussion.

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

29 mins ago

Willy Adames Receives Qualifying Offer From Brewers
43 mins ago

Braves Give Max Fried A Qualifying Offer
48 mins ago

Anthony Santander Receives Qualifying Offer
Aaron Nesmith52 mins ago

Wearing A Walking Boot
56 mins ago

Orioles Extend Qualifying Offer To Corbin Burnes
Devin Vassell1 hour ago

To Remain On The Shelf During Road Trip
Aaron Gordon1 hour ago

Not Expected To Be Out Long-Term
Jonathan Mingo1 hour ago

Heading To Dallas
Brandin Podziemski1 hour ago

Limited On Monday Due To An Illness
Zack Moss1 hour ago

Expected To Miss The Rest Of The Season
Trae Young1 hour ago

Exits Early With Rib Injury
Jeremy Sochan2 hours ago

Suffers Thumb Injury On Monday
Anthony Davis2 hours ago

Has Been Dealing With Foot Issue Since Summer
Artturi Lehkonen2 hours ago

Will Make His Season Debut On Tuesday
Ilya Sorokin2 hours ago

Takes On Penguins Tuesday
Khalil Herbert2 hours ago

Bengals Acquiring Khalil Herbert From Bears
Jake Allen2 hours ago

Posts Second Shutout Of The Season
Jesper Bratt2 hours ago

Collects Two Points In Monday's Win
Adrian Kempe3 hours ago

Enjoys Another Multi-Point Outing
Darcy Kuemper3 hours ago

Continues Point Streak With A Shutout
DeAndre Hopkins7 hours ago

Scores Twice In Week 9 Win
Kareem Hunt7 hours ago

Finds The End Zone In Overtime
Travis Kelce7 hours ago

Catches 14 Passes In Week 9 Win
Cade Otton11 hours ago

Leads Tampa In Receiving In Week 9 Loss On Monday
11 hours ago

Pete Alonso Receives Qualifying Offer From Mets
11 hours ago

Clayton Kershaw Declines 2025 Option
Will Levis12 hours ago

Titans Hopeful Will Levis Will Return In Week 10
Tony Pollard12 hours ago

Titans Looking To Reduce Tony Pollard's Workload?
Dallas Cowboys13 hours ago

Micah Parsons Expected To Play In Week 10
Dereck Lively II14 hours ago

A Late Scratch On Monday
Amari Cooper14 hours ago

Listed As Day-To-Day
Joe Flacco14 hours ago

Named Week 10 Starter
Robert Williams III14 hours ago

Returning On Monday
Jordan Hawkins14 hours ago

Out Versus The Blazers
Zion Williamson14 hours ago

Sidelined Again Versus Portland
Rudy Gobert15 hours ago

Available For Minnesota On Monday
Immanuel Quickley15 hours ago

Still Out On Monday
Jalen Smith15 hours ago

Available Against Jazz
Brandon Miller15 hours ago

Will Play Versus Minnesota
Josh Giddey15 hours ago

Suiting Up Monday
Lauri Markkanen15 hours ago

Sidelined Again On Monday Night
David Njoku15 hours ago

Browns "Highly Unlikely" To Trade David Njoku
John Konchar15 hours ago

Ruled Out Monday Versus Nets
Chase Brown16 hours ago

Appears To Be OK Despite Suffering Bruised Rib
Tee Higgins16 hours ago

Estimated As DNP On Monday
Jameson Williams16 hours ago

' Suspension Is Lifted
16 hours ago

Alex Bregman Given Qualifying Offer
Saquon Barkley16 hours ago

Will Be Ready For Week 10 Despite Back Soreness
16 hours ago

Juan Soto Receives Qualifying Offer
Anthony Davis16 hours ago

Available Monday Versus Detroit
A.J. Brown16 hours ago

Considered "Day-To-Day"
Austin Reaves16 hours ago

Suiting Up Monday
16 hours ago

Tyler O'Neill Not Given Qualifying Offer, Headed To Free Agency
Ryan Blaney16 hours ago

Wins At Martinsville And Has Chance To Earn Second Straight Championship
Bucky Irving16 hours ago

Officially Active Against Chiefs
Christopher Bell16 hours ago

Penalized At Martinsville, Removed From Championship Four
D'Angelo Russell16 hours ago

Available Monday
16 hours ago

Nick Pivetta Receives Qualifying Offer
16 hours ago

Colin Rea Heading To Free Agency
Casey Mize17 hours ago

Tigers Decline Casey Mize's 2025 Club Option
Drake London17 hours ago

Considered Day-To-Day
Jake Allen17 hours ago

Faces Oilers On Monday
BOS17 hours ago

Tyler Johnson Signs One-Year Deal With Bruins
Zach Benson18 hours ago

Considered "A Possibility" For Tuesday's Game
Artem Zub18 hours ago

Logs Full Practice On Monday
Bryan Rust18 hours ago

Will Join Penguins Road Trip
Marcell Ozuna18 hours ago

Braves Exercise Marcell Ozuna's 2025 Option
Juraj Slafkovsky18 hours ago

Practices On Monday
Macklin Celebrini18 hours ago

Ready To Return On Tuesday
David Fry18 hours ago

To Miss 6-8 Months After Having Elbow Surgery
Gerrit Cole18 hours ago

Yankees Agree To Stick Together
Samuel Ersson20 hours ago

Misses Monday Practice
Carolina Panthers20 hours ago

Panthers Haven't Decided Starting QB For Week 10
Connor McDavid20 hours ago

Ahead Of Schedule In Recovery
Philip Broberg20 hours ago

Will Miss Several Weeks With Lower-Body Injury
Valeri Nichushkin20 hours ago

Will Return When First Eligible
Tyler Reddick21 hours ago

Not A Factor At Martinsville And Looks Ahead To Phoenix
Kyle Larson21 hours ago

Misses Advancing Through Playoffs Despite Top-Three Finish
Brad Keselowski21 hours ago

Has A Solid Top-10 Performance At Martinsville
Chase Elliott21 hours ago

Loses Out On Winning At Martinsville
22 hours ago

Nathan Eovaldi Declines His Player Option
Devin Williams22 hours ago

Brewers Decline Option On Devin Williams
Michael Wacha22 hours ago

Royals Agree To Three-Year Deal
Reynaldo López22 hours ago

Braves Sign Reynaldo Lopez To Three-Year Deal
Rose Namajunas1 day ago

Drops Decision Matchup
Erin Blanchfield1 day ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Dustin Stoltzfus1 day ago

Gets First-Round Knockout At UFC Edmonton
Zach Hyman1 day ago

Records Two Points In Battle Of Alberta Win
Marc-Andre Barriault1 day ago

Knocked Out At UFC Edmonton
Matt Boldy1 day ago

Hits Overtime Winner Versus Toronto
Jared Spurgeon1 day ago

Delivers Two Assists In Sunday's Win
Trevin Giles1 day ago

Losses Third Fight In A Row
Alex Ovechkin1 day ago

Extends Goal Streak To Four Games
Mike Malott1 day ago

Wins Decision At UFC Edmonton
NASCAR2 days ago

Speeding Penalty Foils Martin Truex Jr.'s Last Realistic Shot At Winning
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Fails To Advance To Championship 4 But Runs Well
Shane Van Gisbergen2 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Earns Best Oval Finish at Martinsville
William Byron2 days ago

Tentatively In Championship 4 Pending Ruling On Manufacturer Orders
MMA2 days ago

Ariane Lipski Submitted At UFC Edmonton
Jasmine Jasudavicius2 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC Edmonton
Caio Machado2 days ago

Still Winless In The UFC
Brendson Ribeiro2 days ago

Edges Out Split Decision At UFC Edmonton
Amir Albazi2 days ago

Falls Short At UFC Edmonton
Brandon Moreno2 days ago

Dominates At UFC Edmonton
Austin Barnes2 days ago

Returning To Los Angeles
2 days ago

David Robertson To Test Free Agency
Daniel Suarez2 days ago

Will Start 20th At Martinsville
Zane Smith2 days ago

Might Be An Underrated Value Play For Martinsville
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Is A Top DFS Recommendation For Martinsville Lineups
Joey Logano2 days ago

Will Be One To Watch At Martinsville
Brad Keselowski2 days ago

Should DFS Players Rely On Brad Keselowski For Martinsville Lineups?
Carson Hocevar2 days ago

Is A Great DFS Option For All Martinsville DFS Lineups
Ty Gibbs2 days ago

Is Ty Gibbs Worth Rostering At Martinsville This Week For DFS?
Austin Cindric2 days ago

Could Have A Top-20 Performance At Martinsville
William Byron2 days ago

Might Be Usable Only In DFS Tournaments At Martinsville
Chris Buescher2 days ago

Should DFS Players Roster Chris Buescher At Martinsville?
Alex Bowman2 days ago

Expect A Solid Top-10 Performance From Alex Bowman At Martinsville
Rose Namajunas4 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Edmonton
Erin Blanchfield4 days ago

Returns At UFC Edmonton
Marc-Andre Barriault4 days ago

Dustin Stoltzfus Set To Face Marc-Andre Barriault At UFC Edmonton
Marc-Andre Barriault4 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Edmonton
Trevin Giles4 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Mike Malott4 days ago

Opens Up UFC Edmonton Main Card
Brendson Ribeiro5 days ago

Searching For 1st UFC Win At UFC Edmonton
Caio Machado5 days ago

Drops Down To Light Heavyweight At UFC Edmonton
Jhonata Diniz5 days ago

Gets Big Step-Up At UFC Edmonton

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Tank Dell - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Week 10 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings for Half-PPR: DeAndre Hopkins, Davante Adams, Calvin Ridley, Khalil Shakir, Jauan Jennings, Tank Dell

With the Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders, and Seattle Seahawks out of action this week, many fantasy managers will need to dive deeper into the wide receiver position to find viable starters and flex options. Our Week 10 fantasy football wide receiver rankings for 2024 are here to help you make those […]


Kyler Murray - Arizona Cardinals

Week 10 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings: Joe Burrow, Sam Darnold, Brock Purdy, Matthew Stafford, Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray, Joe Flacco

The 2024 NFL season is officially over the halfway point, and the fantasy football playoffs are right around the corner. If you need help at the QB spot with four teams on a bye, we're here to help with our NFL team's Week 10 fantasy football quarterback rankings for 2024. Some key quarterbacks have failed […]


Cade Otton - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 10 Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings for Half-PPR: Cade Otton, Evan Engram, Jake Ferguson, Mike Gesicki, Mark Andrews, Taysom Hill, Zach Ertz

Tight ends have popped off over the last two weeks, so hopefully, the momentum will continue in the second half of the fantasy football season. If you need help finding to top available TE option, our Week 10 fantasy football tight end rankings for 2024 are here to guide you! Ahead of the ninth slate […]


Mike Gesicki - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

FAAB Waiver Wire Bidding - Fantasy Football Pickups to Target for Week 10 (2024)

We've now battled through nine weeks of fantasy football and most of you know whether you're cruising for the playoffs, battling hard for each week, or needing a win every week! Regardless of your needs, joining our famous waiver wire pickups list and our weekly fantasy football waiver wire columns by position, this column focuses on […]


Ray-Ray McCloud III - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Week 10 Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Football Pickups Include Quentin Johnston, Jalen Tolbert, Ricky Pearsall, Ray Davis, Tyler Allgeier, Mike Gesicki

Week 10 will be here in a few days, and it's time to start bolstering those rosters for the fantasy football playoff push. At RotoBaller HQ, we are back with more waiver wire advice to help build those fantasy rosters with our Week 10 fantasy football waiver wire rankings for 2024. There were more crucial […]


Quentin Johnston - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups (QB, RB, WR, TE): Free Agent Adds Include Justin Herbert, Isaac Guerendo, Quentin Johnston, Demarcus Robinson, Taysom Hill

RotoBaller's Week 10 fantasy football waiver wire pickups article for 2024 will cover everyone you need to know that could help your team find replacements for injured players, fill in for players you want to drop, or even help you win a championship. Every week, new players are breaking out. From bench stashes in the […]


Cole Kmet - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL injury News

The Cut List - Who to Drop for Fantasy Football Week 10

Each new week of NFL games gives us more information to make better, more informed decisions. That’s crucial when figuring out who to add and who to cut. It can be difficult to admit we were wrong on a particular player. For example, using a high draft pick on someone and cutting them so early […]


Christian McCaffrey - Fantasy Football Rankings, DFS and Betting Picks, NFL Injury News

2024 Fantasy Football Rankings (Weekly Rankings)

Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.


Los Angeles Chargers Defense D/ST Streamers, Rankings, Waiver Wire - Khalil Mack Fantasy Football IDP

Week 10 Defense (DEF) Streamers and Starts - 2024 Fantasy Tiers, Rankings

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our Week 10 fantasy football defense streamers and D/ST rankings for the 2024 fantasy football season. Every week, I'll go through the best and worst fantasy defenses. With four teams on bye (Browns, Raiders, Packers, and Seahawks) this week, I will be ranking fantasy defenses from No. 1 to No. 28.  It is unfortunate […]


Evan McPherson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Kicker Streamers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Week 10 Kicker Streamers and Starts - 2024 Fantasy Tiers, Rankings

It might be that point in the season where you are searching for a better kicker option than the one you have been rolling with. You may need coverage for a bye week. Lucky for you, there is a top kicker available on waivers who is currently ranked K2 in fantasy football, making him a […]


Khalil Herbert - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Running Back Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 10: Top Free Agent Adds Include Ray Davis, Jaylen Warren, Tyler Allgeier, Khalil Herbert

As you read this week’s recommendations from the waiver wire, the planning process for Week 10 roster construction has begun. You have already navigated a collection of obstacles that have emerged through the first nine weeks of the regular season, and should now sustain your efforts to minimize the impact of additional injuries, underwhelming production, […]


Jalen Tolbert - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups - Top Fantasy Football WR Adds for Week 10 Include Jerry Jeudy, Quentin Johnston, DeMario Douglas, Jalen Tolbert

Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season is almost behind us. It was an exciting week of football, with a lot of games going down to the wire, including the afternoon slate ending with an overtime game between the Rams and Seahawks. Some of those games featured players on our Week 10 wide receiver fantasy […]


Hunter Henry - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Tight Ends Fantasy Football Waiver Wire - Week 10 TE Pickups Including Mike Gesicki, Hunter Henry, Taysom Hill, Theo Johnson, Zach Ertz, Jonnu Smith

There are going to be millions of fantasy football general managers in need of a tight end for Week 10. The dreaded bye week will sideline Las Vegas’ Brock Bowers, Cleveland’s David Njoku, and Green Bay’s Tucker Kraft, three TE1s that fantasy managers could certainly use as we cross the halfway point in the NFL […]