Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray went off against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, completing 17 of his 21 passes for 266 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. No stranger to the ground game, he also added 59 yards on five carries in the 41-10 victory. Pending the results of Monday Night Football, Murray will finish as the week's QB1. Murray wasted no time in getting Arizona's offense going on Sunday, capping their first drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison Jr. and connecting with the rookie again on the very first play of their second drive for a 60-yard score. A third touchdown pass went to Elijah Higgins in the second quarter, giving Murray more scores than incompletions in the first half. His efforts put the Cardinals so far ahead of the Rams that he was removed with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, logging the first perfect passer rating by a Cardinals quarterback since Kurt Warner in 2008. In Week 3, Murray will again be in the mix for a top-10 finish when the Cardinals host the Detroit Lions.

Week 1 of the 2024 season saw several kickers put up extraordinary amounts of points. Five kickers had multiple field goals from 50+ yards out, three of them also hitting two tries from the 40-49-yard range. Nine other kickers also made good from 50 yards or more. Unfortunately, Matt Prater was not one of them. The 40-year-old veteran did convert all of his attempts though, netting field goals from 29 and 31 yards out and banging home two extra points. In Week 2, the Cardinals host the Rams in their home opener in what is expected to be one of the highest-scoring games of the week. Prater may not have had a chance to kick from distance in the season opener but he has a strong leg and the benefit of playing in a dome in Week 2. Fantasy managers looking for a solution at kicker can fire up Prater on Sunday without worry.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson scored the team's first points of the 2024 season last week against the Bills. Unfortunately, the second-year receiver's five-yard touchdown catch was his only reception of the game and he finished with just one other target. Fellow wide receiver Greg Dortch and tight end Trey McBride were Kyler Murray's favorite targets last week and he is likely to go back to the well again in Week 2. Marvin Harrison Jr. disappointed fantasy managers with a one-catch game of his own in the season opener but offensive coordinator Drew Petzing has said that he intends to get the rookie more involved. In other words, Wilson is not a priority target in the Cardinals' pass game and won't be a reliable source of fantasy points in Week 2. Keep him on the bench in all but the deepest of leagues.

Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson had as quiet of a debut as they come in the team's season opener last week against the Bills. The third-round pick out of Florida State saw just three rushing attempts to James Conner's 16. Benson gained 13 yards on the ground and caught one pass for another five yards. The rookie didn't take the field until the Cardinals' third drive and was outsnapped by fellow backup Emari Demercado, 14 to eight. Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing referred to Conner as the team's "bell cow" in comments to the media ahead of Week 1 and there's little reason to believe they will move away from him in Week 2. Benson is still worth stashing in case the injury bug bites or the team starts utilizing their backs differently, but he should be on fantasy benches on Sunday against the Rams.

Tight ends league-wide disappointed in Week 1. As it was, Trey McBride's eight points in half-PPR leagues were still good for a top-10 finish at the position. While his production (five catches for 30 yards) fell short of expectations, fantasy managers found a silver lining in McBride's utilization. The Cardinals deployed their star tight end on 85% of snaps and he led the team with a 29% target share against the Buffalo Bills last week. In Week 2, Arizona plays the Los Angeles Rams, who give up the fifth-most fantasy points to tight ends in 2023. McBride is a priority target in the Cardinals' passing attack and should enjoy a more productive game. The 24-year-old is already one of the top options at tight end and should be locked into starting lineups. McBride will be a top-12 tight end in Week 2, and given his usage in Arizona's offense, could find himself at the top by the end of the week.