The Cardinals finally gave their talented fourth year quarterback the massive contract he craved in July, though oddly it came with a mandatory study clause. For most quarterbacks, film study is part of the job but Murray apparently relies on his athleticism and skill to overcome his lack of advance prep. Last season, he was drafted as a top four fantasy quarterback but didn't deliver for fantasy managers. He missed three games, and while his passing statistics were relatively similar to his previous two seasons, the rushing stats took a major hit. Murray's rushing yards were essentially cut in half as were his rushing touchdowns, from eleven to five. For the Cardinals quarterback to hold major fantasy value, his rushing stats ideally have to be among the top three of all players at his position.
While Arizona acquiring Murray's college teammate at Oklahoma, Marquise Brown from Baltimore, is a lift, losing star receiver DeAndre Hopkins for six games at the start of 2022 certainly doesn't help the Cardinals offense. It also doesn't help that Arizona lost weapons Christian Kirk (Jacksonville) and Chase Edmonds (Miami) to free agency. One sign trending up for Kyler's fantasy value is that the Cardinals defense got weaker; higher scoring games ideally equals more fantasy points for Arizona's QB.
SportsLine's projection isn't as high on Murray as most, ranking him tenth among all fantasy quarterbacks for 2022. If the rushing numbers increase and the combined touchdowns come closer to 2020 levels (37), there's no reason Murray shouldn't be drafted among the top six or seven QBs at the lowest.
Should Kyler Murray be one of the first five quarterbacks drafted in fantasy leagues? Find out where he ranks in our 2022 Fantasy Football Rankings.
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No. 10 QB (PPR & non-PPR)