Arizona Cardinals Are Fantasy Football Gold Mine

The Arizona Cardinals have some tasty matchups against the Buffalo Bills.

Aug 17, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) throws a pass to warm up before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

ARIZONA -- Welcome to the 2024 season, Arizona Cardinals fans.

Fantasy football is underway and we couldn't be more excited and simultaneously depressed about it. You may feel confident about your week one team, but you might suck down the stretch. The same can be said vice versa. Fantasy football is also really hard to predict and quite frankly there's a ton of luck involved.

The one thing I know about fantasy football this year though, is that you wanted to get your hands on an Cardinals offensive player (no thanks to the defense; Matt Prater is OK if you still use kickers in 2024).

A new year, a new offense, new weapons, and a healthy Kyler Murray can feed families.

Of course, we'll all be wondering who to start and who to sit on a week-to-week basis, and that's what I'm here to help you with!

Week one has a great opportunity for Cardinals players to stand out and you'll understand why once we dive into it more.

So let's do it already!

P.S. Point totals will be calculated for PPR leagues and passing touchdowns are worth four points. Assumptions will also be based on 12-man leagues when it comes to start/sit decisions.

Kyler Murray

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) throws the ball during training camp at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on July 28, 2024. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Murray will return to fantasy football darling status in 2024. Now 100% recovered from a knee injury suffered back in December of 2022, Murray is surrounded with arguably the best offensive weapons he's ever seen in his career.

He won't even need to be a dynamic runner to be top-end this year... but no one would complain if he did.

It should be a tough test for Murray against the Bills, however Buffalo's secondary can be heavily exploited and I anticipate big days from Marvin Harrison Jr and others (more on that later).

I'm saying Kyler has a pretty dang good game to kick off the season.

Fantasy stats: 230 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, 35 rushing yards

Point total: 20.7 points (4-point passing touchdowns)

Verdict: QUALITY START

James Conner

Sep 17, 2023; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) reacts after making a first down against the New York Giants in the first half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-Arizona Republic / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Conner is really interesting this year. He's another year older at 29 years old and he's bound to regress sooner rather than later. The Cardinals also drafted his future replacement in Trey Benson, but I don't expect him to start the season usurping Conner.

The Bills' front seven is tough and the Cardinals offensive line still isn't great. It could lead to a tough day. The good news is Conner can get a little bit in the passing game and he's an endzone machine.

Conner has an OK game in real life, but his fantasy football performance is saved by a touchdown.

Fantasy stats: 55 rushing yards, 3 receptions, 20 receiving yards, 1 total touchdown

Point total: 16.5 PPR points

Verdict: OK START

Marvin Harrison Jr.

Aug 10, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) against the New Orleans Saints during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

I am BIG on Harrison against the Bills (listen to the most recent podcast and hear my BOLD predictions for MHJ). Buffalo's secondary is patchwork now that Tre'Davious White, Jordan Poyer, and Micah Hyde are all gone. This is a HUGE opportunity for MHJ to start his career off with a bang.

Harrison should be a target hog in this game and I expect that volume to turn into production. The Kyler-to-MHJ connection will be on full display week one. Fantasy football is gonna go nuts.

Fantasy stats: 8 receptions, 120 receiving yards, 1 total touchdown

Point total: 32 PPR points

Verdict: MUST START

Michael Wilson

Arizona Cardinals receiver Michael Wilson (14) runs with the ball during training camp at State Farm Stadium on Aug 6, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

How quick will Wilson adjust to his WR2 role next to Harrison? It's a question we proposed here on the website and fantasy football owners interested in the sleeper option will be excited to see how things go.

Like we said for Harrison, this is a secondary that can get beat up with a veteran quarterback and a generational receiver. This leaves Wilson plenty of opportunities for one-on-one looks and his ability to win the 50/50 ball makes him a sleeper to start here.

If you run two FLEX spots, I would take a long, hard look at starting Wilson. There's a perfect opportunity to beat up a bad secondary, flourish with MHJ across from him, and advertise himself as a legitimate option to play in fantasy football.

Fantasy stats: 5 receptions, 60 receiving yards, 1 total touchdown

Point total: 17 PPR points

Verdict: SLEEPER START

Trey McBride

Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (85) catches a pass during training camp at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

McBride is an every game starter at tight end until further notice. He gets high volume in the passing game and has a great connection with Kyler Murray. He's also just really good at football.

The Bills are missing Matt Milano at linebacker, which normally makes this a slam dunk pick for a big fantasy week. However, Terrell Bernard is still pretty good, and Murray may opt to push the ball down the field against suspect cornerbacks than challenge an above average linebacker.

Again, McBride is must start every week, but I don't believe in him to come out the gates strong. Then again, high volume targets could force him into production... especially in PPR formats or God forbid TE premium leagues.

Fantasy stats: 5 receptions, 55 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns

Point total: 10.5 PPR points

Verdict: MUST START

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