Cardinals TE Zach Ertz has received full medical clearance to return from last November's torn ACL and MCL. That should put him on track to play Week 1. Ertz was sitting third among TEs in PPR points through Week 9 last season. We'll see how the 32-year-old bounces back from that knee injury -- and how Arizona plans on divvying snaps between Ertz and TE Trey McBride. For now, consider Ertz just a TE3 target in best-ball drafts.
Cardinals TE Zach Ertz will open training camp on the PUP list. No surprise after his November 13 ACL tear. Ertz said early this offseason that his goal is to be ready for Week 1, but he wouldn't guarantee that he will be. He was excellent before going down last year, ranking third among TEs in PPR points through Week 9. But between the knee injury, his age (33 in November), and the presence of second-year TE Trey McBride, Ertz is just a TE3 in best-ball drafts and a waiver-wire watch-list guy in lineup-setting leagues.
The Cardinals will be signing TE Geoff Swaim, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Swaim -- who will turn 30 on Sept. 16 -- spent the past three years in Tennessee, after one with Jacksonville and four in Dallas. He caught just 12 passes last season, despite leading Titans TEs in playing time. Swaim caught a career-high 31 balls the year before and has reached double digits in just four of eight seasons. His arrival in Arizona could just mean early insurance against Zach Ertz's ACL return -- or it could signal doubt about Ertz's status. Either way, we're not moving Trey McBride down our TE rankings for this signing.
The Cardinals "intend on using a lot of two-TE sets this season," according to Jess Root of Cards Wire. That would mean significant time together on the field for second-year TE Trey McBride and TE Zach Ertz, once the vet's ready following his ACL recovery. But it would also potentially challenge the playing time for Arizona WRs not named Marquise Brown. The Cardinals already tied for ninth in the league in most "12 personnel" snaps (two TEs) last season. So we might not actually see an escalation this year. But we'll be watching the camp and preseason tendencies for the fantasy outlooks on WRs Rondale Moore, Greg Dortch and Michael Wilson. McBride and Ertz are both going late enough in best ball drafts to carry some upside, though we're not specifically targeting either player. See where all these Cardinals land in our PPR rankings.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Cardinals TE Zach Ertz is done for the season with the knee injury that knocked him out of Sunday's game. That makes room for rookie Trey McBride to lead the position in Arizona the rest of the way. Ertz's target shares have been variable since WR DeAndre Hopkins returned, so don't consider McBride a high-level fantasy option. But he's a talented pass-catcher who could present some value for deeper formats.
Cardinals TE Zach Ertz is expected to miss "multiple weeks" with the left knee injury he suffered in Sunday's win over the Rams, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The team believes Ertz's ACL is intact, but he's scheduled for an MRI on Monday. We should get another update then, but Ertz owners need to start making other plans at least in the short term. Rookie TE Trey McBride will step in as Arizona's lead TE for however long Ertz is out. He's worth stashing in deeper fantasy leagues, although we wouldn't trust him in Week 11 fantasy lineups.
Cardinals TE Zach Ertz exited in the 1st quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Rams with a left knee injury. He's officially questionable to return, but Ertz was carted back to the locker room, so don't expect to see him back out there. His absence leaves rookie Trey McBride as Arizona's lead TE.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray (hamstring) is not expected to play against the Rams today, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. A final decision won't come until pregame warmups, but Schefter says QB Colt McCoy is "likely" to get the start. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport agrees, tweeting that Murray is "unlikely" to play. "He's still moving very gingerly," Rapoport adds. We won't get Arizona's inactives until 3 pm ET, but fantasy owners should operate under the assumption that Murray will not play.
A source "expressed skepticism" to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler about Cardinals QB Kyler Murray's availability for Sunday's game vs. the Rams. Murray is still slated to test that injured hamstring in pregame warmups, per Fowler. QB Colt McCoy will get the start if Murray is out.
Cardinals WR Rondale Moore drew a team-high 10 targets in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks. He caught 8 of them for 69 yards. TE Zach Ertz followed with 8 targets, catching 5 for 40 yards and a TD. WR DeAndre Hopkins claimed the team's other TD among his 4 catches for 36 yards on 5 targets. WR Robbie Anderson added 1 reception among 3 targets for a loss of 4 yards.
Cardinals TE Zach Ertz scraped together 4 grabs for 34 yards and 1 score against the Vikings in Week 8. His TD showed off some remarkable sideline balance and power. But the key takeaway here is his 5 targets, which ranked 4th on the team. He’s now seen just a 12.5% target share in 2 outings alongside DeAndre Hopkins. Still, Ertz will remain in the TE1 mix for Sunday’s showdown with Seattle.
Cardinals TE Zach Ertz caught 2 of 4 targets for 21 yards in a Week 7 win over New Orleans. Ertz entered Thursday night with 6+ catches in 5 straight matchups. Week 7 did turn up the return of DeAndre Hopkins, although Arizona was without Marquise Brown (foot). Brown is set to miss several more weeks, while Ertz's lowly production can be chalked up to a strong Saints TE defense. He’s in a fine rebound spot this week at Minnesota.
Cardinals TE Zach Ertz tied WR Rondale Moore for the team lead with 10 targets in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks. He caught a team-high 7 passes for a team-leading 70 yards. Moore caught 6 balls for 49 yards. WR Marquise Brown garnered 9 looks, catching 5 for 68 yards. RB Eno Benjamin and WR A.J. Green combined for the remaining 7 targets.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray threw 2 TD passes and ran for a 3rd in Sunday's win over the Cardinals. That was enough to put Murray 7th among fantasy QBs for the week, heading into Monday night. His yardage remained limited otherwise, though. Murray gained only 26 yards on 12 rushes and threw for a mere 207 (6.5 per attempt). He targeted WR Marquise Brown a team-high 11 times, completing 6 for 88 yards. TE Zach Ertz drew 6 looks, catching all 6 for 47. Those 2 caught Murray's TD throws. WR Rondale Moore checked in 3rd in targets in his 1st appearance of the season, catching 3 of 5 looks for 11 yards.
Cardinals WR Marquise Brown racked up 17 targets in Sunday's loss to the Rams, catching 14 of them for 140 yards. We'll obviously take those number for fantasy football lineups, but credit a passing-volume bubble for a struggling offense. QB Kyler Murray attempted 58 passes, completing 37 (63.8%) for 314 yards, with no TDs or INTs. WR Greg Dortch and TE Zach Ertz followed Brown with 10 targets apiece. No other Cardinals drew more than 5 looks. Dortch caught 9 of his targets for 80 yards; Ertz caught 6 for 45.
Cardinals TE Zach Ertz made his way off the injury report for Week 2 after playing through a "questionable" tag in Week 1. His playing time rose from 60% in the opener to 84% in the comeback win over the Raiders. Ertz, in turn, drew 11 targets to tie Marquise Brown for the team lead. He caught 8 of them for 75 yards. Brown made 6 catches for 68 yards. WR Greg Dortch checked in 3rd with 55 receiving yards on 4 catches (4 targets) and snagged Murray's only TD pass. A.J. Green was the only other Cardinal with more than 4 targets. He caught just 3 of his 7 looks for 16 yards.
Cardinals TE Zach Ertz (calf) is not listed on the final Week 2 injury report after putting in full practices on Thursday and Friday. He was limited to 60% of the snaps in the opener, but it looks like he's ready for a full-time role vs. the Raiders on Sunday. Ertz could see big volume in that game with WRs Rondale Moore and DeAndre Hopkins out.
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