The Cardinals selected Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray with the 1st pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. Murray spent his first 3 college seasons — 1 at Texas A&M and 2 at Oklahoma — on the bench. He followed Baker Mayfield as the Sooners’ starter this past year and turned in a massive campaign. Murray completed 69% of his passes and averaged an NCAA record 11.6 yards per attempt on his way to 4,361 yards and 42 TDs. He ranked top 2 in this draft class in adjusted completion rate, adjusted completion rate vs. pressure and adjusted completion rate vs. the blitz, according to Pro Football Focus. But what makes Murray such an exciting fantasy prospect is his elite athleticism. (He was also the 9th overall pick of the 2018 MLB Draft.) He cranked out 1,001 yards and 12 scores on the ground last year, showcasing RB-like speed and quickness. His transition to the pros will be made easier in Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury’s college-style Air Raid offense. Kingsbury, of course, has no NFL coaching experience — so this marriage with Murray certainly has bust potential. Murray’s size is also a concern: at 5’10, he’ll be the league’s shortest QB. We’ll see what happens with QB Josh Rosen, but Murray is the heavy favorite to be under center for the Cardinals in the season opener against Detroit.

Check out the full scouting report on Kyler Murray.

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 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 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 QB Kyler Murray (knee) is expected to be ready for the start of the 2023 season, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Murray is reportedly working with a 6-8 month timeline to return -- which is shorter than usual for a torn ACL. Murray is set to undergo surgery after Christmas. Doctors don't believe there's damage to any of Murray's other ligaments, but NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that there's
associated meniscus damage that will be repaired. We'll keep you updated on Murray's progress throughout the offseason.

An MRI on Cardinals QB Kyler Murray's right knee confirmed a torn ACL. That ends Murray's 2022 season and gives him just about 9 months to get ready for the start of the 2023 campaign. We'd consider him iffy for Week 1 -- and unlikely to have his usual rushing ability until much closer to the end of 2023. Murray just signed a 5-year, $230.5 million deal in July that ties him to Arizona through the 2028 season. He's not realistically cuttable until after the 2026 season.