Cardinals RB James Conner missed four games and most of two others last season. But he was busy and productive when healthy. In 11 games with a snap rate of 55+%, he averaged 15.2 carries, 63.8 rushing yards, 4.8 targets, 3.9 catches, 24.2 receiving yards, and .73 total TDs. Conner's scoring average in those games would have ranked seventh in PPR and eighth in non-PPR. Arizona made no significant additions to the backfield this offseason and only returns RBs Keaontay Ingram and Corey Clement. So Conner appears poised for more big volume and looks like a prime value in 2023 fantasy football drafts with an ADP of RB25. See exactly where Conner sits in our RB Rankings.
The Cardinals made Stanford WR Michael Wilson a Round 3 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Wilson spent 5 years at Stanford and never reached 700 receiving yards in a season. He posted a 56-672-5 line as a sophomore but then missed 16 games with various injuries over the last 3 years. When healthy, Wilson is a physical receiver with good route-running ability and strong ball skills. There’s some JuJu Smith-Schuster to his game. He enters a Cardinals depth chart that looks wide open for the long-term. DeAndre Hopkins remains a trade candidate, while Marquise Brown is entering a contract year.
When asked about the team's QB situation on Tuesday, Falcons HC Arthur Smith shared the plan is for Desmond Ridder to open training camp as the starter. Smith also spoke about QB Taylor Heinicke, the former Commanders signal-caller who inked a two-year deal with the Falcons in free agency. "The chemistry in the quarterback room is important, as we expect Desmond to take the next step," said Smith. "But we also have [Heinicke] who can go in and win you football games and be ready to play." Reading between the lines a little bit, it sounds as though this could be a camp battle in which Heinicke would have an opportunity to win the job if Ridder slips. That said, we can't put too much stock into vague statements like this in late March. We'll surely have our attention on this situation should it evolve into something more into the summer. If nothing else, dynasty managers could consider throwing out some feelers to acquire Heinicke on the cheap in superflex leagues, but that's about all there is here.
WR Greg Dortch has signed his one-year tender from the Cardinals. It keeps the four-year veteran from reaching free agency, but he would have been an exclusive-rights free agent. So Arizona would have controlled his options. Dortch broke through for 52 catches and 467 yards last year, ranking fourth on the team in targets and third in receptions. He disappeared from the lineup when DeAndre Hopkins, Marquise Brown, and Rondale Moore were all healthy, though. Dortch will need a Hopkins trade to create him 2023 opportunity
Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill suggested in a Wednesday appearance on The Dave Pasch Podcast that QB Kyler Murray could miss a big chunk of the 2023 season. "I think (his return) is going to be earlier than this midseason, so hopefully, it's toward the beginning of the season, but I don't want to put any specific dates," Bidwill said. "There could be setbacks, the progress could slow. But he's a young man, it looks like he is a fast healer, things are going well. Let's hope that keeps going the way it is." Murray tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee on December 12 and had surgery on January 3. A standard 9-month timeline would have him back in early October -- but it sounds like the team is bracing for a potentially longer absence. It's an especially tough situation with Arizona installing a new offense under OC Drew Petzing. Murray should be considered just a QB2 in early best-ball drafts.
The Cardinals named Drew Petzing their new OC. The 35-year-old has spent the past 9 seasons working under Kevin Stefanski in Minnesota and then Cleveland, with titles ranging from assistant WRs coach to TEs coach to QBs coach this past year. Petzing has no experience calling plays at any level. It's a rather bold hire by new Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon. We'll see what we can learn about Petzing over the next 6+ months.
The Cardinals named Jonathan Gannon their new HC. The 39-year-old has been in the NFL since 2007, working his way from Falcons defensive quality control coach to Eagles defensive coordinator for the past 2 seasons. Philadelphia finished 2nd in yards allowed and 8th in points allowed last year. We'll see how Gannon fills out the offensive side of his staff.
The Falcons might already have their starting QB for 2023, if owner Arthur Blank's assessment is meaningful. "We're very excited about Desmond Ridder," Blank said this week, according to NFL.com. "I think from the time he came into training camp, he showed great capabilities as a leader amongst the rookies and then amongst the vets." We're not talking these words to signal that Ridder will definitely lead Atlanta for the coming season. But he's the current favorite to open Week 1, just by virtue of already being on the team. If you're taking the 2022 rookie in early fantasy football drafts, though, you shouldn't do so until late. The Falcons carry the 8th overall pick in the NFL Draft and could be in range for one of the top incoming QBs.
WR A.J. Green announced his retirement on Monday. His play tailed off dramatically over the past couple of seasons, but Green had an awesome NFL career. He topped 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first 5 seasons and 6 of his first 7. He reached double-digit TDs 3 times. Green currently sits inside the top 50 in all-time receiving yards and scores.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Cardinals QB Kyler Murray won't rush his return to the field and will focus on getting back to 100% following the ACL and meniscus tears in his right knee. "Do not be surprised if we don't see him to start the season, or maybe even by the midway point," Rapoport said Sunday morning. We'll obviously be tracking Murray's recovery throughout the offseason. This latest news should give you hesitation in best-ball drafts, though. It's tough to like the Cardinals QB inside the position's top 12 in the earliest drafts. On top of the knee, Murray also faces the challenge of learning a new system when Arizona selects its next coach. And WR DeAndre Hopkins has been discussed as a trade candidate.
The Cardinals are hiring former Titans executive Monti Ossenfort as GM, according to NFL Network. Ossenfort most recently worked under recently fired Tennessee GM Jon Robinson and interviewed for that position before this announcement. He joined the Titans as director of player personnel in 2020 after 14 years with the Patriots and stints with the Texans and Vikings. In Arizona, he takes over for Steve Keim, who resigned to focus on his health. Ossenfort will now join the already-running search to replace HC Kliff Kingsbury and rebound a franchise that made the playoffs in 2021. The Cardinals finished this season 4-13 and in last place in the NFC West.
Seahawks RB DeeJay Dallas (ankle, quad) is active for today’s matchup with San Francisco. RB Tony Jones was elevated from the practice squad on Saturday, but he's on Seattle's inactives list today. Look for rookie Kenneth Walker to continue dominating backfield touches.
The Arizona Cardinals have fired HC Kliff Kingsbury. He went 28-37-1 across 4 NFL seasons that included 1 playoff trip: last year's loss to the Rams in the Wild Card round. The Cardinals sank to 4th in the division this season with a 4-13 record. Worse for fantasy football purposes, the offense sank from 8th in yards and 11th in points to 22nd and 21st, respectively, the worst marks of Kingsbury's stint in each category. QB Kyler Murray's Week 14 ACL tear didn't help, but his performance also fell way off vs. the previous 2 seasons before that. Kingsbury looked like a questionable choice from the start after a 6-year run as Texas Tech's HC that included a 35-40 overall record and just 2 seasons of .500 or better -- despite having 3 years of Patrick Mahomes at QB. We'll see about Arizona's next move, as well as Murray's recovery. The franchise will also be replacing GM Steve Keim, who announced Monday that he's stepping away to "focus on his health."
Cardinals RB James Conner (knee, shin) has been officially ruled out for Week 18 vs. the 49ers. Given that the 49ers' defense ranks as the single-toughest matchup for opposing RBs in adjusted fantasy points allowed this season, we don't believe any other Cardinals RB is worthy of fantasy consideration this week. You can avoid this backfield altogether.
Cardinals RB James Conner (knee, shin) didn't practice again on Thursday. Friday's injury report will give us a better idea as to whether or not the veteran will be able to go against the 49ers in Week 18. We'll keep an eye on this one.
Cardinals RB James Conner (knee, shin) didn't practice on Wednesday. We'll be sure to track the status of Conner in anticipation of Week 18 vs. the 49ers on Sunday.
Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury conceded Wednesday that QB Kyler Murray (knee) "probably" won't be ready for the start of the 2023 season. Murray underwent surgery Tuesday to reconstruct his ACL and repair meniscus damage in his right knee. We're just about 8 months from the start of the 2023 campaign; this is an injury that usually takes 9+ months to return from. Early fantasy drafters should be operating under the assumption that Murray misses at least the first few games. The PUP list, which would cost him the first 6 games, is a real possibility. Kingsbury also said that QB Colt McCoy isn't playing this weekend to protect him from injury, suggesting that he might be Plan A to replace Murray early next season. McCoy is signed for 2023 with a reasonable $5 million cap hit.
Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury said Monday that X-rays on RB James Conner's shin came back clean and that the injury is "nothing major." It sounds like Conner has a shot to play in this weekend's finale vs. the 49ers -- although it's certainly possible that he's held out of a game that means nothing to Arizona. Conner's absence would leave the Cardinals' backfield to Corey Clement and Keaontay Ingram.
Broncos RB Marlon Mack will miss Sunday's finale vs. the Chargers with the hamstring injury he suffered in Week 17, according to insider Mike Klis. That'll leave Denver's backfield to Latavius Murray and Chase Edmonds. Murray tallied 12 carries and 6 targets to Edmonds' 7 carries and 3 targets in last week's loss to the Chiefs.
Cardinals RB James Conner suffered a shin injury in the 2nd half of Sunday's game vs. the Falcons. He never returned – although he did remain on the sideline and was allowed to speak to the media afterward. That suggests the injury isn’t serious, but Conner said he wasn’t sure if he’ll be able to play vs. the 49ers next weekend. Stay tuned to Shark Bites for updates on his status for that one.
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