Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (ankle) and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring) are questionable heading into Sunday's matchup against the Panthers and Arizona could be playing shorthanded once again.
Kyler Murray Injury Report
Murray was injured after tossing a late interception that iced the team's Week 8 matchup against the Packers. It was later revealed that he had suffered a sprained left ankle, and in spite of early optimism, he missed practice all week and was a game-time decision. Ultimately, he did not play and backup Colt McCoy got the start against the 49ers and led the team to their eighth victory of the year.
On Wednesday, Murray characterized his status as "day by day," ESPN reported after the quarterback did not participate in practice. He added that he has improved significantly since the injury which is a good omen for his Week 10 availability, though he has not been at practice all week. Murray did participate in practice on Friday, which is encouraging.
Worry-o-meter: 5 out of 5.
DeAndre Hopkins Injury Report
The Cardinals played very shorthanded in Week 9 and were without receivers DeAndre Hopkins and A.J. Green, as well as Chase Edmonds for most of the game. The star wideout has been dealing with a hamstring injury and was the WR16 in half PPR through eight weeks on a per-game basis.
Like Murray, Hopkins logged back-to-back DNPs this week and could be trending toward missing his second game in a row. We have seen him play through injuries in the past without practicing, though this injury is clearly more serious given it has already held him out of one contest. Participation in Friday's practice will be important for Hopkins.
Worry-o-meter: 5 out of 5.
Kyler Murray Fantasy Outlook If Active
Murray is a must-start in every format if he plays. Prior to Week 8, he had been playing MVP-caliber football and is currently QB6 averaging 23.1 fantasy points per game. He was the top fantasy quarterback in 2020 through 16 weeks. His upside may be capped slightly in a tough matchup against the Panthers and if the team opts to play more conservatively with their rushing quarterback.
Kyler Murray Fantasy Outlook If Inactive
McCoy will get the start again if Murray cannot play, which means this could be quite the barn burner with former XFL star P.J. Walker getting the start for Carolina. The Arizona backup completed 22 of 26 attempts for 249 yards, one touchdown and tacked on seven rushes for 23 yards last week. His presence would limit the passing attack since almost every quarterback in the NFL is a downgrade from Murray, meaning all the Cardinals' pass catchers would take a slight downgrade. I would expect running back James Conner, who scored three touchdowns last week, would be the centerpiece of this offense should McCoy get the start.
McCoy finished as the 13th-best quarterback for the week and has some QB2 appeal in this tough Week 10 matchup based on his weapons alone.
DeAndre Hopkins Fantasy Outlook If Active
Hopkins is also a must-start if he plays. He has sky-high upside as a red-zone target and should be considered a WR2 — even against Carolina's stingy secondary.
DeAndre Hopkins Fantasy Outlook If Inactive
If Hopkins cannot play, I would expect a bump for A.J. Green, who was activated from the COVID-19/reserve list, as well as Zach Ertz, Christian Kirk and Rondale Moore. Moore is also on the injury report with a concussion and has not practiced this week, so that is definitely worth monitoring in terms of target share in this game. Kirk, who hyperextended his thumb last week, was a full participant in Thursday's practice and should be good to go on Sunday.
