Arizona Cardinals Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Cardinals RB Emari Demercado (toe) missed his second straight practice on Thursday. He's seemingly in danger of missing this weekend's game vs. the Browns. RB Damien Williams was placed on IR earlier this week, leaving Keaontay Ingram and Tony Jones as Arizona's healthy RBs. We'll update Demercado's status again tomorrow.

Arizona Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon says RB James Conner is "getting ready to go, and he's excited to get back when he can get back and play," according to Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com. This week will mark Conner's fourth game on IR, so it sounds like he should be ready to return for a Week 10 home date with the Falcons. We'll obviously have to watch reports on his expected role coming off the knee injury. But you can bet Arizona will be looking to get him back to workhorse use as soon as possible. Neither Emari Demercado nor any other Arizona reserve RB has done anything to challenge the status of a healthy Conner. It's worth noting that Conner would face the eighth-toughest remaining RB schedule if he does return in Week 10, according to our adjusted fantasy points allowed. The biggest potential trouble spots look like a Week 14 bye (duh) and a Week 17 visit to Philadelphia.

Cardinals RB Emari Demercado (toe) did not practice on Wednesday. We don't have any details on the injury -- or whether he's in danger of missing Sunday's game vs. the Browns. With RB James Conner still on IR, Demercado's absence would leave Arizona's backfield to RBs Keontay Ingram and Damien Williams. We'll update Demercado's status again tomorrow.

On Monday, Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon announced that the team has decided to reverse course and name rookie QB Clayton Tune as the starter for Week 9 vs. the Browns. This is in contrast to a statement made by Gannon yesterday that Joshua Dobbs would be the QB1 next weekend. Either way, this news still delays Kyler Murray's return from ACL until Week 10 at the earliest. As for Tune, he shouldn't be considered a starter in fantasy lineups outside deeper 2QB/superflex formats.

Falcons HC Arthur Smith said after Sunday's loss to the Titans that QB Desmond Ridder wasn't removed from the game for "performance issues." It's unclear exactly what that means. Ridder was reportedly evaluated for a concussion but was cleared to return. No other injury was announced. “We've got a lot of confidence in Des," Smith added. We'll keep an eye on the situation this coming week. QB Taylor Heinicke played well in the second half today, completing 12 of 21 passes for 175 yards, one TDs, and 0 INTs.

Cardinals CB Kei'Trel Clark is inactive for today's game against the Ravens. He wasn't on the injury report this week, so that makes Clark a healthy scratch. Marco Wilson and Starling Thomas started at the outside CB spots for Arizona last week. CB Antonio Hamilton returns this week after missing Week 7. Clark is safe to drop from IDP rosters.

Cardinals S Jalen Thompson is active for today's game against the Ravens. He missed the past two games with a hamstring injury but is available for IDP lineups if you waited for him.

Falcons QB Desmond Ridder was benched at halftime of Sunday's game vs. the Titans. He was evaluated for a concussion but cleared, per Tori McElhaney of the team's website. Ridder went 8-of-12 for 71 scoreless yards in the first half. He's been replaced by QB Taylor Heinicke. We'll see how he fares and who Atlanta rolls with under center in Week 9 and beyond.

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray (knee) was not activated from IR and won't play vs. the Ravens on Sunday. He'd been listed as doubtful. Murray was a full participant in practice this week, though, so a Week 9 return seems possible. We'll track his status this coming week.

Cardinals S Jalen Thompson is questionable for Sunday's game against the Ravens. He managed only limited practices throughout the week after missing the past two games with a hamstring injury. We'll check his status Sunday. If active, though, Thompson will be worth strong starter consideration.

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray (knee) is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game vs. the Ravens. He was a full participant in practice all week and was actually not even listed on the Thursday or Friday practice report. But Murray is still at least one more week away from his 2023 debut. QB Josh Dobbs will start vs. Baltimore.

The Cardinals didn't even list QB Kyler Murray on Thursday's injury report. Does that mean he's ready to play in Week 8? Not necessarily. The team still has yet to fully activate Murray, who has merely been designated to return from the PUP list so far. New NFL rules, however, mandate that Murray will need to carry a Friday practice designation as well as a game status (out, doubtful, questionable) if Arizona doesn't plan to activate him, according to Howard Balzer of gophnx.com. If Murray goes without such designations Friday, the Cardinals would be required to activate him from the PUP and put him on the active roster for Sunday's game. We're still not betting Murray will return for this game, but we'll certainly be watching for his Friday status.

Cardinals S Jalen Thompson (hamstring) managed a limited practice Wednesday. It was his first practice since suffering his injury back in Week 5. We'll see whether Thompson can keep trending toward a return for Sunday's game against the Ravens. If so, he should jump right back into a full-time role. S Andre Chachere should be able to stay in the lineup as well, at least near full time. Thompson has primarily run as the slot CB when healthy this season.

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray (knee) was listed as a full participant in Wednesday's practice. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said Sunday that Week 10 is Murray's most realistic return date, with Week 9 an outside possibility. So we're still not expecting Murray to play vs. the Ravens on Sunday. But we'll continue to keep a close eye on his progress.

Falcons QB Desmond Ridder had a solid day throwing the ball in the Week 7 win over the Bucs, completing 19 of 25 passes for 250 yards, 0 TDs, and 0 INTs. He added 38 yards and a score rushing – and almost had a second rushing TD but fumbled right at the goal line. He’s up to three rushing TDs on the season. Ridder gets a Titans defense in Week 8 that should push the Falcons to throw more than usual. He'll be a nice QB2 play in that one. Ridder gets positive matchups the following two weeks vs. the Vikings and Cardinals before a Week 11 bye.

Cardinals S Budda Baker (hamstring) is active for today's game against the Seahawks. CB Kei'Trel Clark (hamstring) and LB Josh Woods (back) are also active after entering the day questionable.

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray (knee) is most likely to make his 2023 debut in Week 10, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, with Week 9 an outside possibility. Murray practiced this week for the first time since tearing his ACL last December. "The early returns have been very positive," per Rapoport. "The team's only charge is to put him out there when he's physically and mentally ready to play, and there is no rush." We'll keep you updated on Murray's progress. He's worth stashing now if you need help at QB.

The Cardinals are activating S Budda Baker (hamstring) from IR and expect to play him Sunday against the Seahawks, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Barring some report to the contrary, Baker should be ready for IDP lineups this week. You won't find him high in our Week 7 DB rankings, though. And Seattle has supplied the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to DBs so far.

The Cardinals have ruled S Jalen Thompson (hamstring) out for Sunday's game against the Seahawks. S Budda Baker -- who returned to limited practice this week after missing the past five games with a hamstring injury -- is questionable. He said Thursday it'll be a "game-time decision," according to ArizonaSports.com. That makes Baker a risky bet for IDP lineups even if active. And the 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff time likely means we won't know Baker's status before the early games begin. CB Kei'Trel Clark (hamstring) is also questionable after being limited in practice all week. We'll update the status on Baker and Clark ahead of Sunday's game.

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray (knee) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Seahawks. He returned to practice this week but figures to need a couple of weeks to ramp up before he’s ready for game action. QB Josh Dobbs gets another start on Sunday.