After coming to the Arizona Cardinals via trade last season, Marquise Brown jumped out to a solid start with the team, putting up the kind of numbers you’d expect from a WR1. But injuries and turmoil on offense were a drag on his production as Arizona’s miserable season turned into a team overhaul this spring. With the Cardinals in something like a rebuilding mode, can Brown still breakthrough? We take a look at his potential in fantasy football for 2023.
2023 Fantasy Football: Marquise Brown Profile
Recap of 2022 season
Brown finished the season with 67 catches on 107 targets for 709 yards and three touchdowns. But it was a tale of two halves for him. He started the year on fire, while DeAndre Hopkins was serving a suspension. Through the first six games, Brown caught 43 passes on 64 targets for 485 yards and all three of touchdowns he scored last season. A foot injury cost him five games, and he returned just in time for the team to lose quarterback Kyler Murray to a torn ACL.
Updated Cardinals outlook
Murray tore his ACL in Week 14 last year, and his status for the start of the 2023 season is still to be determined. More than likely, the Cardinals will be rolling out Colt McCoy to lead a paper-thin offensive group. Brown’s the clear No. 1 option but that means defenses will be able to key in on him. With that, just how productive can Brown be?
There’s also Rondale Moore and rookie third-round pick Michael Wilson whom the Cardinals are hoping can form a reliable trio of receivers to go with an aging Zach Ertz and a decent running game headlined by James Conner.
Best case scenario
Brown’s certainly got the potential to put up big numbers. In his last season with the Baltimore Ravens, he cracked the 1,000-yard mark and had at least six touchdowns in all three seasons with the Ravens. If Murray can get back on the field sooner rather than later this season, it’s possible that Brown could put up WR1 stats.
Worst case scenario
With so few options in that offense, it’s going to be easy for defenses to sit on Brown. And it certainly won’t help him the longer the Cardinals have McCoy or someone else other than Murray under center. Given the situation in Arizona, it’s possible that Brown can’t top his numbers from last season.
Prediction
A healthy season from Brown should see him producing at a steady clip. It’s going to be hard for him to hit his ceiling given the various factors in Arizona’s offense, but he’s the de facto No. 1 here and more than capable of breaking off big plays from time to time. He looks like a solid WR3 with some WR2 upside in fantasy football lineups this year.