Arizona Cardinals DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Arizona Cardinals veteran running back and team captain James Conner is heading into his eighth NFL season in 2024 and his fourth with the Cardinals. He's coming off his first 1,000-yard season as a professional and said he wouldn't mind finishing his NFL career in the desert. Conner has grown close to quarterback Kyler Murray, spending time together on numerous outings. The 29-year-old veteran is entering the last year of the three-year deal he signed in 2022, which has ended up being a bargain for the Cardinals. "It would be awesome to finish my career here, but nothing changes," Conner said. Rookie third-rounder Trey Benson could eventually take over Conner's spot as the team's lead back, but as far as 2024 in concerned, Conner should remain the team's lead back in what should be an improved offense.

New England Patriots kicker Chad Ryland isn't a roster lock in 2024 after his difficult rookie season after being selected in the fourth round in 2023. The Patriots signed Joey Slye to compete with Ryland for the kicking job this summer. During organized team activities on Wednesday, he made four of his five field-goal attempts, with his lone miss coming from just beyond 40 yards. The 24-year-old didn't get all that many opportunities to kick field goals in his first year in the NFL in an atrocious Patriots offense, and he made just 64 percent of his 25 attempts. The booter from Maryland has plenty of leg, but he's going to need to be more consistent to lock down the kicking job in 2024. Even if he holds off Slye, Ryland can be ignored in most fantasy football leagues.

New England Patriots veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who spent a year running offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt's offense with the Cleveland Browns, is definitely ahead of the other QBs on the team during offseason workouts. Brissett has run the offense smoothly and is smart about distributing the football. So far, he's gotten all the No. 1 QB reps in practices open to the media, and it's clear the other QBs, including first-round rookie Drake Maye, look to Brissett for advice and tips on the offense. Maye, the No. 3 overall pick, will likely still make his NFL debut in 2024, but at this point, it would be a surprise if Brissett isn't starting in the Week 1 regular season opener. Maye, who will surely benefit from some time learning from Brissett, should only be drafted in dynasty/keeper leagues this fall.

The Arizona Cardinals signed wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to his rookie deal on Thursday, the team announced on X. The deal includes $35.37 million over four years and a $22.5 million signing bonus. All money is guaranteed. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is viewed as one of the best wide receiver prospects of all time, and he's expected to be a true No. 1 wide receiver for Kyler Murray from the jump. Harrison Jr. caught 144 passes for 2,474 yards and 28 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Ohio State and took home the 2023 Fred Biletnikoff Award, which is given to college football's most outstanding receiver each season. Despite having yet to play an NFL snap, Harrison Jr. is being selected as a top-ten fantasy wide receiver in high-stakes FFPC drafts.

At the New England Patriots' first organized team activity practice on Monday, quarterback Jacoby Brissett took the first repetitions at the position, followed by Bailey Zappe, rookie first-rounder Drake Maye and Joe Milton III. The Patriots took Maye third overall out of North Carolina in last month's NFL draft, but Maye won't be guaranteed the starting gig from Day 1 in his first NFL season this fall. The expectation is that Brissett and Maye will compete for the job in training camp this summer and the preseason, but the Patriots aren't going to rush Maye into the starting role under new head coach Jerod Mayo right away, even though the team has been impressed with the work that Maye has put in so far in trying to learn a new offense. In the bigger picture in 2024, it would be a mild surprise if Maye doesn't at least get some playing time at some point if he opens the year as a backup to Brissett.