A year ago, all the arrows were pointed up for the Arizona Cardinals. They’d made the playoffs in 2021, handed head coach Kliff Kingsbury a lucrative contract extension, and swung a deal with the Baltimore Ravens to acquire wide receiver Marquise Brown with the idea of pairing him with WR DeAndre Hopkins to bring quarterback Kyler Murray to the next level. Yeah, about all that…
As we sit here in late June, Hopkins is a free agent after having been released, Murray is rehabbing from a torn ACL, Kingsbury is an assistant coach at USC, and the Cardinals are the betting favorites in most spots to have the NFL’s worst record. Things change fast.
Fantasy owners looking to get a read on Arizona’s receivers should probably start with the quarterback situation, specifically when Murray will return and who’ll fill in for him. The second question is far easier to answer as the expectation is QB Colt McCoy will be the Week 1 starter. Beyond that, it gets dicey in a hurry. Murray tore his ACL on Dec. 12, and while there’s been some chatter that he could return before midseason it’s impossible to know.
What makes it even more difficult to project is we can’t know how the new regime views 2023. If the team is terrible, as many believe is possible, would they consider holding out Murray entirely for a shot at USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in 2024? If so, might they try one of the younger quarterbacks, such as rookie QB Clayton Tune, instead of McCoy once the season goes sideways? There are a lot of moving parts, but let’s see what the Cardinals at working with on the outside.
Marquise Brown
Due to injuries and suspension, the much-anticipated pairing of Hopkins and Hollywood played a grand total of four games together. Now, Brown, who missed five games with a foot injury, will resume the WR1 role he filled with the Ravens prior to last season. During three years in Baltimore, Brown averaged 65 receptions, 787 yards, and seven TDs. Despite being slightly built at 5-foot-9, 170 pounds, the former Sooner has been mostly durable, missing just three career games before last year’s IR stint.
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Whether Brown is a true No. 1 receiver in the NFL, he should be the top option in Arizona. His full-season projection from last year comes out to a 95-1,004-4 line, which, barring injury, should be eminently attainable no matter who is under center.
Rondale Moore
Moore looked like the odd-man out last year, but since Brown was injured just when Hopkins’ six-game suspension was being lifted, the Purdue product never took the field with both. He was a volume target for Murray, being targeted eight times or more in five of seven games before a groin injury ended his season in Week 11 — he also missed the first three games of 2022 with a bum hamstring.
Like Brown, Moore is small (5-foot-7, 180 pounds), and through two seasons he has only appeared in 22 of 34 possible games. He’s been featured on underneath routes, averaging just 8.9 yards per catch on 95 career receptions. Moore has also been a nonfactor in the red zone with just two TDs.
Greg Dortch and Michael Wilson
The No. 3 spot should be filled by either Dortch, who made the most of inconsistent opportunities last year to carve out a 52-467-2 line, and Wilson, a third-round pick in this year’s draft.
The case for Wilson is that he’s a different kind of receiver, checking in at 6-foot-2, 213 pounds, compared to those above him here as well as Dortch, who is 5-foot-7, 175 pounds.
With Brown and Moore both undersized, is there really room in three-wide sets for another diminutive wideout?
Dortch has played better than expected when granted the opportunity, and Wilson’s collegiate stint was pocked with injuries, so Arizona may not have a choice if Wilson can’t stay upright in the pros.
Fantasy football outlook
With so many unknowns at quarterback, you have to concentrate more on individual talent, and by that criteria Brown is the most likely to make a positive impact regardless of who is getting him the ball. He did enough in Baltimore, which leaned on the running game, to be a decent WR3, and that’s where you should target him once again in 2023.
Moore’s ability to work close to the line of scrimmage is a nice fit for McCoy, and we’ve seen him gel with Murray, so he’s a possible WR5.
Wilson and Dortch could be added to watch lists.
