Cardinals Fantasy Football Advice: Week 8 vs. Vikings

Fantasy football experts from across the web give their take on who should have a big day for the Arizona Cardinals.

It's nearly time for the Arizona Cardinals to play football again, which means fantasy football players across the globe will be able to enjoy the talents of DeAndre Hopkins, Kyler Murray, Zach Ertz and Eno Benjamin when the Minnesota Vikings play host to them. 

The Vikings don't have slouches on any side of the ball, either. Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and Dalvin Cook have made for some especially explosive performances and are capable of scoring on any given play. 

Here's a few nuggets on major Cardinals fantasy football plays in Week 8:

Rotoballer

A few Cardinals have tasty matchups:

DeAndre Hopkins (WR, ARI)

"Hopkins timed his debut with the loss of Marquise Brown, opening the door for a huge game. He dominated the receiving corps in targets, receptions, and yards, immediately establishing himself as an elite receiver. Without significant competition for targets against the Vikings, he slots in as a top-12 receiver."

Zach Ertz (TE, ARI)

"Ertz was one of the receiving options who faded with Hopkins back, seeing only four targets. He's still the No. 2 option in a high-scoring offense with a nice matchup, making him a top-12 tight end."

Kyler Murray (QB, ARI)

"Murray started to find his rhythm with Hopkins back, particularly during the second and third quarters. The defense ran in back-to-back pick-sixes, ending their need to stay aggressive otherwise, it could have been a bigger day. Murray has only surpassed 250 passing yards twice this season and has seven passing touchdowns over the first seven weeks. We may not get a big blowup game from him, but with so few reliable quarterbacks available, he's firmly in the top 10."

Cardinals RB

"James Conner and Darrel Williams both missed the game last week, providing another start for Eno Benjamin. With both backs back at practice, it's difficult to know who the starter will be at this point. The matchup is quite good, so whoever gets the nod will be a top-24 back.

"UPDATE: Conner has been ruled out while Williams is a game-time decision. Benjamin will be top-24 back with top-15 upside, especially if Williams misses."

FantasyPros

Zach Ertz Primed for Big Matchup 

"Since 2021 in a small five-game sample with Hopkins on the field, Ertz has seen his targets drop from 10.0 per game to 4.4 and his receiving yards per game dip from 59.5 to 36.2. Again this is a tiny sample to draw from, but it’s worth mentioning. Despite concerns with Hopkins back, Ertz remains a TE1. He’s the TE5 this season, commanding a 20.2% target share with the third-most red zone targets. He’s 14th in PFF receiving grade and 22nd in yards per route run (minimum 15 targets). The Vikings are a cake matchup for Ertz this week, ranking 32nd in DVOA with the fifth-highest catch rate, seventh-highest yards per reception, and eighth-most receiving yards per game allowed."

Yahoo! Sports

Start in DFS: DeAndre Hopkins ($27)

"Hopkins immediately led the league in target share (48%) during his return from suspension last week, and he’s going to continue being among the leaders with Marquise Brown sidelined. Kliff Kingsbury even moved Hopkins around unlike last season, giving him 46% of the snaps out of the slot. D-Hop should be treated as a borderline top-five fantasy WR in this week’s matchup."

NFL.com

Sit Cardinals Defense

The Cardinals are coming off a big fantasy day where they had two pick-sixes and went for 17 fantasy points on Thursday Night Football. With all eyes on that game, some of you reading might be thinking about starting the Cardinals this week. I would advise against that. They have been playing better on defense as of late, but the Vikings have not been a favorable matchup. So far this season, they have allowed just 4.0 fantasy PPG to opposing defenses, the fourth-fewest in the NFL. If the Cards have another big day, then we will be able to trust them. But this week, I would go with a different streaming option.

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