Cardinals Fantasy Football Preview: Can Marvin Harrison Jr. Instantly Become a Fantasy Star with Kyler Murray Throwing to Him?

Breaking down the Arizona Cardinals best fantasy football players for the upcoming season.

It’s time for the final NFL team fantasy football preview.

Of course, things already written about will change between now and the start of the season, and FantasySP will cover any major changes when those happen.

Here’s all the team previews we’ve already covered:

AFC: Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers

NFC: San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks, Washington Commanders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings

Let’s talk about the Arizona Cardinals last.

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Kyler Murray Fantasy Outlook

Murray is fully healthy again and ready to lead the Cardinals into the 2024 season.

He played in eight games a season ago, with the team going 3-5 in those contests. Murray completed 176 of his 268 passes for 1,799 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. He had between 3,722-3,971 passing yards and 20-26 touchdowns in his first three NFL seasons.

Murray is also a running threat. He had 244 yards and three touchdowns on 44 attempts a season ago. He has at least three touchdowns on the ground in all five of his NFL seasons - he went over 500 yards twice, including a career-best 819 yards in 2020.

Murray might not be the dual-threat option he was early in his career, but with the talent around him now, he’s got a chance to be a starting fantasy QB every week. He’s currently QB10 and going around pick 78.

I like Murray this season, but while he could be a draft steal and a top-five fantasy option, there’s also the chance that several QBs taken after him outperform him. So I think his ADP is fair, and would be fine taking him as a starting fantasy QB. I’d prefer to protect him with a second QB instead of just streaming if Murray struggles or gets hurt.

Running Back Fantasy Outlooks

James Conner should be the team’s RB1 this season, although rookie third-round pick Trey Benson could also get a good amount of snaps and touches. Emari Demercado is another depth option.

Conner played in 13 games a season ago, but still topped 1,000 yards. He rushed 208 times for 1,040 yards and seven scores. It was his first time over 1,000 yards in his seven-year career. Conner added 165 yards and two scores on 27 catches and 33 targets.

Demercado played in 14 games in his first NFL season. He had 284 yards and two touchdowns on 58 rushing attempts. Demercado added 119 receiving yards and no scores on 21 receptions and 30 targets.

Benson played in three college seasons, but did his damage in his two years at Florida State. He had over 900 yards and combined for 24 total touchdowns in two seasons.

Conner is the Arizona back you want first. He’s RB19 and going around pick 55.

I prefer a couple of the backs going after Conner, so I’d personally want to wait another several picks before taking Conner. As long as he stays healthy though, he’s a good starting option every week, even if Benson carves out a role early in the season.

Benson is also worth a pick in standard league drafts - he’s RB39 and going around pick 111. He not only is a great handcuff if Conner goes down or struggles, but might be able to still be a weekly flex option even with Conner healthy. Benson is a great pick in deeper leagues and dynasties and should be the team’s future top back.

Demercado is just a deep league option, but one who could be scooped off the waiver wire if Benson or Conner gets injured. I would not draft Demercado, as it’s unlikely three backs could be involved consistently in this offense.

Wide Receiver Fantasy Outlooks

Marvin Harrison Jr. is the shiny new toy for Arizona to unleash on offense. Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch are expected to start alongside the rookie, while Chris Moore, Zach Pascal, Zay Jones and rookie Tejhaun Palmer are backup options eight now.

Harrison had an incredible two final seasons at Ohio State to become the fourth overall pick in the most recent draft. He had over 1,000 yards and 26 combined touchdowns in those seasons.

Wilson played in 13 games in his first NFL season in 2023. He had 38 grabs on 58 targets for 565 yards and three scores.

Dortch appeared in 16 games, making four starts. He had 280 yards and two touchdowns on 24 receptions and 41 targets. Dortch performed better with Murray as the team’s quarterback, so keep that in mind. 

Pascal was a part of 14 games with Arizona last season. He only had four catches on 15 targets for 19 yards and no scores.

Moore was with the Titans last season, playing in all 17 games. He had 22 grabs on 35 targets for 424 yards and no scores. He added 39 yards and a score on the ground.

Jones played in just nine games for the Jaguars in 2023. He had 34 catches on 64 targets for 321 yards and two touchdowns.

Palmer was a sixth-round draft pick in the offseason. He had a couple solid seasons at UAB. Palmer’s best season was in 2023, when he had 858 yards and seven touchdowns.

Harrison is the Arizona wideout you want, but it’ll cost you an early pick. He’s WR9 and going around pick 15 right now. 

It’s hard to trust a rookie, and especially hard to spend that early of a pick on one. In reality, if he’s as good as we all expect, Harrison is going to be a draft steal. As long as you don’t take a major swing on your first-round pick, I’m all for taking a chance on Harrison in round two.

None of the other Arizona wideouts are being heavily considered in standard leagues. Wilson is next up at WR72 and pick 211. He’s my guess to serve as the team’s WR2, and could become a streaming option in standard leagues. Wilson is a good deep league and dynasty pick.

Dortch is a sneaky good option and might also work himself into streaming territory in standard leagues. He should be rostered in a lot of deeper leagues, and probably could start in those leagues several times this season.

Jones is another sneaky good option, but with no history with Murray, I like Dortch over him. He’s had fantasy success in the past, so at least add him to your watch list.

The other backup options will likely only play big roles if one of the top three/four guys are injured, so I’d avoid them all in drafts and view them as waiver wire options only.

Tight End Fantasy Outlooks

Trey McBride might end up being the team’s No. 2 pass catcher from his tight end position. Elijah Higgins and rookie third-round pick Tip Reiman are some backup options.

McBride took off in his sophomore season after Zach Ertz was hurt. McBride had 81 receptions on 106 targets for 825 yards and three touchdowns across 17 games.

Higgins appeared in 11 games in his first season in 2023. He made 14 grabs on 19 targets for 163 yards and a touchdown.

Reiman didn’t accomplish much in his three-year career at Illinois. He combined for five touchdowns.

McBride is the top fantasy option, and because of that, Higgins and Reiman are not really fantasy relevant right now. McBride is TE4 and going around pick 49.

There’s not much history to go on for McBride, but with Harrison looking like the only go-to receiver, McBride should be able to carve out a noticeable role. I’ve already said that McBride is a fine pick near his ADP - I like others being taken after him, but McBride’s potential is too good to pass on.

Higgins would be a streamable option if McBride ever misses a game. In really deep leagues, he could be worth stashing deep on your bench.

Reiman looks more like a depth option than a contributor anytime soon, but as a third-round pick, you’d expect him on the field. He’s worth a lottery ticket in deep dynasty leagues to see if he can grow into a starting-level fantasy TE someday.

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