The Cardinals will have a new look with Kliff Kingsbury installing his Air Raid offense and first overall pick Kyler Murray taking over at quarterback.
What should we expect from this unit in 2019? Will David Johnson return to fantasy glory? Which young receiver will see the most targets?
Our analysts rank all their key players by scoring format, project their season-long stat lines and analyze their overall outlooks heading into the season.
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Cardinals Fantasy Rankings, Projections
Kyler Murray, QB
- Pass: 339 comp | 542 att | 62.7 comp% | 3,988 yds | 24.5 TDs | 14.3 INTs
- Rush: 91 att | 531 yds | 4.5 TDs
David Johnson, RB
- Rush: 248 car | 1,012 yds | 9 TDs
- Rec: 62 catches | 637 yds | 3.5 TDs
Chase Edmonds, RB
- Rush: 79 car | 320 yds | 2.2 TDs
- Rec: 23 catches | 170 yds | 0.7 TDs
Larry Fitzgerald, WR
- Rec: 72.6 catches | 791 yds | 5.4 TDs
Christian Kirk, WR
- Rec: 63.6 catches | 883 yds | 4.9 TDs
Andy Isabella, WR
- Rec: 33.8 catches | 459 yds | 2.9 TDs
Ricky Seals-Jones, TE
- Rec: 20 catches | 235 yds | 1.7 TDs
Charles Clay, TE
- Rec: 16 catches | 162 yds | 1.1 TDs
Note: Projections as of August 22
>> Get our experts' latest fantasy rankings and projections in our Draft Kit.
Cardinals Fantasy Outlooks
Chris Raybon breaks down Kingsbury's playcalling tendencies to forecast who will benefit most from the new head coach.
- In six seasons with Texas Tech from 2013-18, Kingsbury's offense reeled off 82.0 plays per game, best in the nation over that span. Ninety plays in a game is a possibility, David Johnson told ESPN, and Kingsbury himself said Johnson will see an "extensive" role that could involve as many as 35 carries or 10 catches in a given game, which could return DJ to his fantasy glory days of 2016. Last season, he got a touch on 34% of plays, but the Cardinals ranked 31st in plays per game with only 56.4. In 2016, Johnson touched the ball at the same rate for a squad that ranked second with 67.9 plays per game, and the result was a league-leading 373 touches and the best fantasy running back season of the past half-decade.
- To understand how Kingsbury's up-tempo, no-huddle approach will help his rookie quarterback, Kyler Murray, it's helpful to look at the effect of pace in situations that don't necessitate it. In the first halves of games in 2018, passes after a huddle averaged 6.4 net yards and a 46% success rate, while no-huddle passes averaged 6.8 and 53%. First-half quarterback runs after a huddle averaged 4.8 yards and a 53% success rate, but that jumps to 5.8 and 79% in no-huddle. And when leading or tied in the first three quarters, huddle passes produced 6.6 net yards and a 47% success rate, while no-huddle passes generated 6.8 and 55%. Quarterback runs in these situations averaged 5.2 yards and a 55% success rate from a huddle and 7.2 and 72% without.
- The Air Raid offense emphasizes spreading the defense out, and Johnson is a natural fit to split out wide or line up in the slot after spending only 39 snaps as a receiver in 2018 (which should count as criminal misuse after he posted 80 catches, 879 yards, and 4 touchdowns receiving on more than five times as many snaps in 2016). But wide receiver will be the featured position in Kingsbury's passing game. Wide receivers accounted for 79% of the receptions in Kingsbury's offense at Texas Tech, compared to 16% for running backs and 5% for tight ends.
