:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70837616/usa_today_12338265.0.jpg)
For the Arizona Cardinals this offseason was all about trying to keep pace with their division rivals, the Los Angeles Rams. Arizona finished with an 11-6 record, second in the NFC West. They lost handily in the Wild Card round to the Rams, the eventual Super Bowl champs. The Cardinals spent big during the offseason to improve their offense. Those efforts were capped off by a blockbuster draft day trade to land speedy wideout Marquise Brown from the Baltimore Ravens. Bringing in Brown satisfied another offseason goal, keeping quarterback Kyler Murray happy. The two were college teammates.
Whether or not it will be enough to give the Rams a run for their money remains to be seen. But it looks like the Cardinals are at least going to score a lot of points this year, making more than a few plays on the roster important players in the fantasy football landscape.
Quarterback
- Kyler Murray
- Colt McCoy
Running back
- James Conner
- Eno Benjamin
- Keaontay Ingram
- Jonathan Ward
Wide receiver
- DeAndre Hopkins
- Marquise Brown
- AJ Green
- Rondale Moore
Tight end
- Zach Ertz
- Trey McBride
- Maxx Williams
Biggest offseason changes
After starting the 2021 season with a crowded backfield, the Cardinals handed the RB1 role to James Conner in the offseason, giving him a three-year, $21 million contract and letting Chase Edmonds walk.
Arizona’s deal to acquire Marquise Brown was one a draft day headline stealer. He rounds out an impressive 1-2 punch at wideout along side DeAndre Hopkins once the veteran returns from a six-game suspension.
The Cardinals also managed to draft the top tight end available in the 2022 NFL Draft, Trey McBride. Just how many snaps he’ll see after the team also re-signed Ertz during the offseason remains to be seen.
Biggest questions for fantasy football
Conner had a huge season last year, scoring 18 times in 15 games. While Conner should handle most of the work out of the backfield, the Cardinals have some competition for who’l be his backup. It’ll be a camp battle worth paying attention to because Conner has had some struggles with injuries throughout his career.
For the first time in his pro career, injuries were factor in Nuk Hopkins’ play. He only saw the field for 10 games last season because of a torn MCL and now he’ll miss six games due to a suspension from performance enhancing drugs. The new guy, Brown, is coming off his best season as a pro, notching more than 1,000 yards last year with the Ravens. He’s not likely to see the same kind of target volume as a healthy Hopkins will, but he could easily ascend to a big-time fantasy performer in this offense. As long as those two are healthy, Rondale Moore isn’t going to have much fantasy value.
Zach Ertz will enter the season as a TE1 in fantast leagues. He got a new contract this spring, but at 32, it’s fair to wonder if McBride won’t eventually move into that role with the Cardinals within a season or two.