Arizona Cardinals Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Falcons might already have their starting QB for 2023, if owner Arthur Blank's assessment is meaningful. "We're very excited about Desmond Ridder," Blank said this week, according to NFL.com. "I think from the time he came into training camp, he showed great capabilities as a leader amongst the rookies and then amongst the vets." We're not talking these words to signal that Ridder will definitely lead Atlanta for the coming season. But he's the current favorite to open Week 1, just by virtue of already being on the team. If you're taking the 2022 rookie in early fantasy football drafts, though, you shouldn't do so until late. The Falcons carry the 8th overall pick in the NFL Draft and could be in range for one of the top incoming QBs.

WR A.J. Green announced his retirement on Monday. His play tailed off dramatically over the past couple of seasons, but Green had an awesome NFL career. He topped 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first 5 seasons and 6 of his first 7. He reached double-digit TDs 3 times. Green currently sits inside the top 50 in all-time receiving yards and scores.

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 Cardinals are hiring former Titans executive Monti Ossenfort as GM, according to NFL Network. Ossenfort most recently worked under recently fired Tennessee GM Jon Robinson and interviewed for that position before this announcement. He joined the Titans as director of player personnel in 2020 after 14 years with the Patriots and stints with the Texans and Vikings. In Arizona, he takes over for Steve Keim, who resigned to focus on his health. Ossenfort will now join the already-running search to replace HC Kliff Kingsbury and rebound a franchise that made the playoffs in 2021. The Cardinals finished this season 4-13 and in last place in the NFC West.

Seahawks RB DeeJay Dallas (ankle, quad) is active for today’s matchup with San Francisco. RB Tony Jones was elevated from the practice squad on Saturday, but he's on Seattle's inactives list today. Look for rookie Kenneth Walker to continue dominating backfield touches.

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 RB James Conner (knee, shin) has been officially ruled out for Week 18 vs. the 49ers. Given that the 49ers' defense ranks as the single-toughest matchup for opposing RBs in adjusted fantasy points allowed this season, we don't believe any other Cardinals RB is worthy of fantasy consideration this week. You can avoid this backfield altogether.

Cardinals RB James Conner (knee, shin) didn't practice again on Thursday. Friday's injury report will give us a better idea as to whether or not the veteran will be able to go against the 49ers in Week 18. We'll keep an eye on this one.

Cardinals RB James Conner (knee, shin) didn't practice on Wednesday. We'll be sure to track the status of Conner in anticipation of Week 18 vs. the 49ers on Sunday.

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 HC Kliff Kingsbury said Monday that X-rays on RB James Conner's shin came back clean and that the injury is "nothing major." It sounds like Conner has a shot to play in this weekend's finale vs. the 49ers -- although it's certainly possible that he's held out of a game that means nothing to Arizona. Conner's absence would leave the Cardinals' backfield to Corey Clement and Keaontay Ingram.

Broncos RB Marlon Mack will miss Sunday's finale vs. the Chargers with the hamstring injury he suffered in Week 17, according to insider Mike Klis. That'll leave Denver's backfield to Latavius Murray and Chase Edmonds. Murray tallied 12 carries and 6 targets to Edmonds' 7 carries and 3 targets in last week's loss to the Chiefs.

Cardinals RB James Conner suffered a shin injury in the 2nd half of Sunday's game vs. the Falcons. He never returned – although he did remain on the sideline and was allowed to speak to the media afterward. That suggests the injury isn’t serious, but Conner said he wasn’t sure if he’ll be able to play vs. the 49ers next weekend. Stay tuned to Shark Bites for updates on his status for that one.

Cardinals TE Trey McBride racked up 7 catches for 78 yards and the team's only TD in Sunday's narrow loss to the Falcons. He tied WR Greg Dortch for the team target lead (10), with QB David Blough making his 1st start -- Arizona's 4th different starting QB this year. The rookie TE topped his previous highs by 3 receptions and 23 yards, finding the end zone for the 1st time as a pro. McBride will be an interesting fantasy prospect for 2023. Veteran TE Zach Ertz has 1 year left on his contract, but he also carries a $12 million salary vs. $4 million in dead cap space if the team releases him. We'll see what the Cards do this offseason and where McBride settles in early best-ball drafts.

Cardinals RB James Conner ran for 79 yards on 16 carries (4.9 per rush) in Sunday's narrow loss to the Falcons, adding 31 yards on 3 receptions. He watched TE Trey McBride claim the team's only TD, in a game that also included 4 Matt Prater FGs. Conner closes out the season with a difficult matchup against the 49ers, for those playing fantasy through Week 18.

Cardinals RB James Conner suffered a shin injury in the 2nd half of Sunday's game vs. the Falcons and is officially questionable to return. We'll update his status when we know more.

Broncos RB Marlon Mack hurt his hamstring in the 1st quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Chiefs and is questionable to return. His absence leaves Denver's backfield to Latavius Murray and Chase Edmonds.

Cardinals QB Colt McCoy had his concussion symptoms return Friday and will not play Sunday against the Falcons, HC Kliff Kingsbury told reporters. The team will instead turn to QB David Blough for the Week 17 start. The former Lions backup opened this season on the Vikings practice squad, but Arizona plucked him for its active roster on Dec. 14. The Cardinals now clearly believe him to be the better option than Trace McSorley. Blough won't be a meaningful fantasy option, and he's likely a downgrade vs. McCoy for Arizona pass-catchers -- if only because he hasn't been with the team as long. Of course, we'll also see about the status of WR DeAndre Hopkins, who is now dealing with knee trouble.

Cardinals QB Colt McCoy has cleared the concussion protocol and is expected to start Sunday's game vs. the Falcons, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. McCoy is no savior, of course. But he's a significant upgrade over QB Trace McSorley. McCoy's return is good news for RB James Conner and WRs DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown.

Cardinals DE J.J. Watt announced Tuesday morning that he'll be retiring at the end of this season. That will end a 12-year career that included 5 All-Pro selections, 3 Associated Press defensive player of the year honors and a spot on the Hall of Fame's All-2010s team. We'll see how Arizona replaces him for 2023 after what's been a strong rebound season for Watt.