September 15, 2025
While Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said he's not concerned about the amount of targets that second-year wide receiver
Marvin Harrison Jr. gets, he knows that his being involved is what is best for the offense. "I know he's got to touch the football for our offense to play at its premium," Gannon said. Harrison had five catches on six targets for 71 yards and a touchdown in the Week 1 win over the New Orleans Saints, but he caught only two of five targets for 27 yards in the Week 2 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. The Cardinals got out to a big early lead and took their foot off the gas pedal in an eventual 27-22 win, so Harrison wasn't really needed. Harrison and quarterback
Kyler Murray reportedly worked on their chemistry this offseason, but it hasn't looked great through two games. Fantasy managers will be expecting a bounce-back game in Week 3 against the division-rival San Francisco 49ers.
--Keith HernandezSource: PHNX Sports - Bo Brack
September 13, 2025
The Arizona Cardinals defense/special teams heads into another great streaming opportunity after they were able to start the season against the shaky offense of the New Orleans Saints. The issue is that the Cardinals' defense couldn't quite capitalize to deliver a strong fantasy outing. They didn't force any turnovers and registered just one sack, even though they allowed only 13 points. Now, they take on the Carolina Panthers, who didn't show much growth in their first game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. That should be a great opportunity for this unit, but until the Cardinals' defense shows they can force some turnovers, there will likely be safer options out there.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: RotoBaller
September 13, 2025
Arizona Cardinals kicker
Chad Ryland put together a solid performance in Week 1 after scoring a total of eight points while going 2-for-3 in field goals. He knocked through a 42 and 50-yard field goal, but had a 46-yarder blocked in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals' offense should be able to move the ball down the field again in Week 2 as they take on the Carolina Panthers, who just gave up 26 points to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1. This puts Ryland into the K1 category again, especially after registering a K10 finish in that first outing.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: RotoBaller
September 13, 2025
Arizona Cardinals tight end
Trey McBride needs no introduction at this point. Last season, he was the second-most targeted tight end and saw the eighth most overall. In Week 1, he received another nine targets and caught six of them for 61 yards. The only area he's lacked in thus far in his career is finding the end zone. For fantasy purposes, that hasn't hindered his production, especially in PPR formats. According to RotoBaller's matchup ratings, McBride has the second-best rating against the Carolina Panthers among all tight ends. The only one above him would be
Brock Bowers if he ends up playing. It should go without saying that McBride should be in all lineups.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: RotoBaller
September 13, 2025
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver
Zay Jones didn't play much of a part in the passing game during the Week 1 win over the New Orleans Saints. The 30-year-old caught his only target for four yards despite playing 47% of the snaps. When it comes to pecking order in the passing game, Jones was tied for sixth. Backup tight end
Elijah Higgins and
James Conner both saw more targets. So, even though their headed for a favorable matchup against the Carolina Panthers in Week 2, Jones can either remain on the waiver wire in average-sized leagues, or just be left on the bench.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: RotoBaller
September 13, 2025
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver
Michael Wilson received the third most targets on the team in Week 1 but could only manage to turn that into one reception for five yards. The third-year wideout will remain behind
Trey McBride and
Marvin Harrison Jr. in the pecking order and may even fall behind some of the running backs in any given game. Despite the Carolina Panthers' defense not looking too great in Week 1, Wilson doesn't seem to be much of a fantasy option until he can prove to be a more reliable pass-catcher. In most leagues, Wilson isn't on the radar for Week 2.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: RotoBaller
September 13, 2025
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver
Marvin Harrison Jr. delivered a WR10 finish in half-PPR leagues against the New Orleans Saints in Week 1. Many expect the second-year wideout to break out after he failed to reach some lofty expectations in his rookie season. While
Trey McBride still commands more targets, Harrison wasn't too far behind. The Carolina Panthers don't present much of a threat defensively in Week 2, so there should be room in the passing game for Harrison to replicate what he did in their last game. While the game script will likely lean towards the ground game since the Panthers gave up 200 yards to the Jacksonville Jaguars, fantasy managers can look to Harrison as a WR2.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: RotoBaller
September 13, 2025
Arizona Cardinals running back
James Conner salvaged his fantasy week against the New Orleans Saints in Week 1 with a four-yard receiving touchdown in the second quarter. Outside of that, he saw 12 carries for only 39 yards while
Trey Benson took eight carries for 69 yards. We may have finally hit the timeline where Benson takes more and more touches away from Conner. The good news, for both backs, is that they're going up against the Carolina Panthers in Week 2. They just gave up 143 yards to
Travis Etienne and 200 rushing yards overall. So, even though Benson will likely get some more opportunities, Conner remains an RB2 given that he sticks as the number-one guy in the backfield.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: RotoBaller
September 13, 2025
Arizona Cardinals quarterback
Kyler Murray finished just outside of QB1 territory in Week 1 after throwing two touchdowns against the New Orleans Saints. His accuracy looked good most of the time, but the passing attack didn't gain many yards (163), and he was sacked five times. Fortunately, for Murray and company, the Carolina Panthers gave up 378 total yards and didn't register a single sack against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1. With the Panthers' run defense especially looking horrendous, Murray gains even more value given the report that the team has tried to scheme more scrambling opportunities. Fantasy managers can look to Murray as a QB1 heading into Week 2, hoping that he gains even more chemistry with
Marvin Harrison Jr.--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: RotoBaller
September 12, 2025
Arizona Cardinals running back
Trey Benson had eight carries for 69 yards in the Week 1 win over the Saints. He added one catch for six yards. While the 23-year-old didn't find the end zone, he still played well, averaging 8.6 yards per carry. Of course,
James Conner was involved, logging 43 snaps, 21 more than Benson. Still, it was apparent that Benson had a place in the offense, even more than some had anticipated. With the Cards coming off a win, the team will look to keep it going in Week 2 versus the Panthers. Without question, Carolina had issues stopping the Jags on the ground, with
Travis Etienne ending the day with 143 yards off 16 attempts. Conner should remain the No. 1 option out of the backfield in Sunday's showdown with the Panthers. However, Benson will likely get plenty of work, especially if the game gets out of hand. With a favorable matchup on the horizon, the 2024 No. 66 overall pick can be viewed as a flex option in deeper fantasy formats.
--Dennis ClausenSource: ESPN
September 9, 2025
Arizona Cardinals running back
James Conner unsurprisingly led the team's backfield in their Week 1 win over the New Orleans Saints with 12 carries, but he averaged only 3.3 yards per carry for 39 total rushing yards. Meanwhile, backup
Trey Benson handled eight carries for 69 yards -- 75 percent of his production came on one run -- and also caught his only target for a six-yard pickup. If Week 1 was any indication, the backfield split in Arizona could be more even than most fantasy managers expected going into the year, which is reason enough to pick Benson up off the waiver wire. The 23-year-old back is currently only rostered in 39 percent of Yahoo leagues, making him a prime waiver-wire priority for those that are already looking at a thin RB situation. Benson and the Cardinals also have a juicy Week 2 matchup against a bad Carolina Panthers defense.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com
September 8, 2025
The Arizona Republic's Theo Mackie writes that the Arizona Cardinals "tweaked some of their pass-protection schematics in an attempt to open up more scrambling lanes" for quarterback
Kyler Murray up the middle this year. In the 20-13 Week 1 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Murray went 21-for-29 for 163 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions while running the ball seven times for 38 yards. "I did think there were some high-leverage snaps in that game where he used his legs for our advantage and that's what you want to see," head coach Jonathan Gannon said. The 28-year-old ranked eighth among QBs in 2024 with 78 carries and finished fourth with 572 yards on the ground and five touchdowns. It sounds like Arizona might prefer Murray run the ball even more in 2025, which would only raise his ceiling and floor as a weekly low-end QB1 in fantasy.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Arizona Republic - Theo Mackie
September 8, 2025
Arizona Cardinals running back
James Conner did not have an efficient game, but did score a touchdown in his team's 20-13 Week 1 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Conner rushed for 39 yards on 12 attempts and added four catches for five yards and a touchdown as a receiver. Notably, second-year Cardinals running back
Trey Benson was much more successful as a rusher, finishing with 69 yards on eight carries. Arizona may feature Benson more heavily in 2025, especially given that Conner is now 30 years old. The veteran still figures to be his team's goal-line back, but the workload split between Conner and Benson is one for fantasy managers to monitor closely in the coming weeks.
--Will BradySource: ESPN.com
September 7, 2025
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver
Marvin Harrison Jr. recorded five catches on six targets for 71 yards and a touchdown in his team's 20-13 Week 1 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Harrison Jr. led Arizona in receiving yards, but was out-targeted by his teammate, star tight end
Trey McBride (nine). Entering his second season, Harrison Jr. is expected to take a leap after posting modest numbers (relative to expectations) as a rookie in 2024. The touchdown grab is obviously a positive sign, but Harrison Jr.'s 20.7% target share in Week 1 is lower than fantasy managers should be hoping for.
--Will BradySource: ESPN.com
September 7, 2025
Arizona Cardinals quarterback
Kyler Murray did not have his most efficient game in Week 1, but he was able to do enough to lead his team to a 20-13 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Murray was 21 of 29 for 163 yards and two touchdowns as a passer and added 38 yards on seven rush attempts. The seven rush attempts could be considered a positive sign for fantasy managers hoping Murray would use his legs more in 2025. Murray rushed more than seven times in a single game just once in 2024. The 28-year-old profiles as a low-end fantasy QB1 and has a favorable matchup next week at home against the Carolina Panthers.
--Will BradySource: ESPN.com
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