Five Biggest Questions
1. Will Chase Edmonds be a weekly fantasy starter?
2. Can James Conner carve out a flex role?
3. Is Christian Kirk draftable?
4. Is A.J. Green draftable?
5. Can Rondale Moore ascend to the #2 role?
When Kyler Murray joined the NFL, I highlighted two yellow flags: his comments regarding potentially leaving professional football for Major League Baseball someday, and his height. On the latter issue, I was hard-pressed to find any successful NFL QB (Doug Flutie came closest) who was 5'10" or less. Of course, I was completely wrong about that. Murray is incredible, plain and simple. But the former issue remains a faint yellow flag, at least for dynasty managers. Murray is the only person ever to be drafted in the first round by the NFL and MLB, and the Oakland Athletics continue to retain his rights if he trades a sideline bench for a dugout. Of course, the odds remain slim. He's an NFL star. Why give that up, or why increase the risk of getting hurt by playing both sports?
For now, Murray the fantasy star is the definition of "safe." His QB-3 ADP is inarguable. If there's any knock on him, it's that in both NFL seasons he's faded down the stretch. He closed out his rookie 2019 campaign with five straight outputs of 16 fantasy points or less--including four with 13 or less. Last season he was on a nearly historic pace, but aside from a mammoth Week 15 effort against Philly, he finished with 8, 16, 18, 15, and 4 fantasy points (of course, he sat for most of that final game). It's too soon to call this even a mini-trend. But it's one thing to watch for in his third season.
Close followers of this page know I've been high on Chase Edmonds as a must-roster handcuff RB since he entered the league. Close followers also know I've tagged James Conner as an elite handcuff before his 2018 breakout, and then as brutally overvalued the following two summers. Because Conner never profiled as a bellcow, yet experts continued to tag him as one. He's on the slow side, yet people still looked back fondly on his 2018 numbers as "proof" that he was an RB1. All nonsense. Conner is solid, not exceptional. Edmonds is more talented and offers little-to-lose value at his RB-26 price tag. Conner (RB-36) is a glorified handcuff--an experienced back who can step in when needed, but who shouldn't cut into my 15+ touch projections for Edmonds.
As long as DeAndre Hopkins follows the league's COVID protocols, his WR-4 ADP makes sense. While his recent troubling statement might send his stock down a bit, this team is too stacked on offense to see him just walk away. Arizona started last year 6-1 before crumbling. They lost three very winnable games by three points each. This is probably a 10-6 squad with a shot at the postseason. Barring insanity, Hopkins will continue to be a weekly centerpiece. Elsewhere, the engimatic Christian Kirk (WR-72) will compete for targets with the differently enigmatic A.J. Green (WR-66). Green is "only" 33. By October we'll know if he's finished, or if he can still be fantasy relevant. Dynasty leaguers should reach for second-round rookie Rondale Moore (WR-79). Unless Kirk and Green are re-signed for 2022, Moore easily could be a top-35 WR next season. And Larry Fitzgerald (WR-105) remains a question mark. There's no reason for him to return unless he's starting, and he's not guaranteed a weekly starting role. As a huge Fitz fan, I'm sad he couldn't retire with an exclamation point.
And one of the NFL's worst TE situations is in Arizona, where Maxx Williams (no ADP) should "lead" the way. 14+ receptions are likely. (Sarcasm.)
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