Fantasy Football Player Notes
2023 Draft Rankings
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59.
James Conner
RB - (vs . SEA)
When James Conner was healthy in 2022, it was hard to argue with his elite production and role in the Arizona Cardinals offense. He was the RB4 overall in his last eight games, averaging 17 fantasy points per game (RB6, RB10 in expected points per game) while playing over 90% of his team's snaps in five contests. No other Cardinals running back was able to threaten Conner's volume, which led to him to an absurd workload. And Arizona did not invest anything into the No. 2 running back position this offseason so we could easily see Conner's high workload remain intact while he stays healthy. Keen fantasy managers need to be aware of his durability issues. He missed four games entirely and left three other games early because of injuries. Conner is entering his age-28 season. But the team has all the incentive in the world to ride him into the ground with a potential out in his contract at the end of the season.
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81.
Marquise Brown
WR - (vs . SEA)
DeAndre Hopkins is gone, which means Marquise Brown could revisit his 2022 early-season usage. In Weeks 1-6, he was the WR7 in fantasy as he saw elite alpha-level love. He had a 26% target share, a 40.5% air yard share, and 2.00 yards per route run. Brown proved up to the task of operating as Arizona's number one receiving option. He was 24th in open rate last year, immediately behind Jakobi Meyers (per ESPN analytics). Brown is a WR2/3 that could revisit WR1 production if Kyler Murray is under center for most of this season.
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165.
Rondale Moore
WR - (vs . SEA)
Moore's abbreviated sophomore season was impressive. In his seven full games, he garnered a 22.7% target share producing 1.62 yards per route run. He handled a 22% target per route run rate in that stretch. In his full games played, he averaged 12.6 (PPR) fantasy points per game. That would have been good for WR32 (PPR) in fantasy scoring over the entire season. The looming domino to fall in the Cardinals' passing attack is Kyler Murray. Will Murray play more than half this season (if that)? Moore is a WR4/5 that could easily walk into WR3 production.
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239.
Kyler Murray
QB - (vs . SEA)
Kyler Murray will pose an interesting dilemma for fantasy drafters in 2023. A dangerous dual-threat QB who's averaged 21.2 fantasy points over 57 NFL starts, Murray tore his ACL on Dec. 12 and may not be ready for the start of the season, so his recovery will have to be monitored closely over the summer. Murray regressed as a passer in 2022, averaging just 6.1 yards per attempt. But Murray finished QB2 in fantasy scoring in 2020, and at his best he's a difference-making quarterback who can rack up fantasy points with both his arm and his legs.
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247.
Trey McBride
TE - (vs . SEA)
The first tight end taken in the 2022 NFL Draft, second-rounder Trey McBride played sparingly early in the season but took on a larger role after Zach Ertz sustained a season-ending knee injury in Week 10. Over Arizona's final seven games, McBride was targeted 35 times and had 25-234-1. McBride finished his college career at Colorado State with a 90-catch, 1,121-yard season, but he's not likely to get that sort of usage anytime soon. It's possible McBride could get additional snaps and targets early in the season if Ertz isn't able to play in September, but even if that's the case, McBride might not be playing early-season games with QB Kyler Murray, who also tore his ACL late last season.
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264.
Keaontay Ingram
RB - (vs . SEA)
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269.
Zach Ertz
TE - (vs . SEA)
Zach Ertz was TE3 in half-point PPR fantasy scoring through the first 10 weeks of the 2022 season, but he tore his ACL and MCL on Nov. 13. It's not clear whether Ertz will be ready for Week 1, but he should be back early in the season. The question is whether the 32-year-old Ertz will be fit enough to continue his late-career resurgence following a major knee injury. After seven strong seasons with the Eagles, Ertz had a nightmarish 2020 in which he had 36-335-1 in 11 games, missing five games with a high-ankle sprain. Ertz started the 2021 season sluggishly, but then a trade to the Cardinals seemed to rejuvenate him, and he produced useful numbers until he went down last year. Not only is Ertz coming off a major injury, but he may have to share snaps and targets with talented young Cardinals TE Trey McBride. If you're thinking about investing in Ertz for 2023, insist on a discount.
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275.
Michael Wilson
WR - (vs . SEA)
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295.
Matt Prater
K - (vs . SEA)
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323.
Greg Dortch
WR - (vs . SEA)
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342.
Joshua Dobbs
QB - (vs . SEA)
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370.
Clayton Tune
QB - (vs . SEA)
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391.
Arizona Cardinals
DST - (vs . SEA)
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429.
Zach Pascal
WR - (vs . SEA)
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435.
Emari Demercado
RB - (vs . SEA)
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452.
Corey Clement
RB - (vs . SEA)
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507.
Elijah Higgins
TE - (vs . SEA)
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606.
Andre Baccellia
WR - (vs . SEA)
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