Cardinals' Fantasy Football Outlook: A Top-10 Option at Every Position, Including James Conner and Marvin Harrison Jr.

Let's do another fantasy football outlook, looking at the Arizona Cardinals.

We have looked at the Steelers, Packers, Titans, Panthers, Chiefs, Falcons, Jaguars, Commanders and Texans so far, and will cover other teams in the days and weeks to come.

Wish a real fantasy expert could break down your team, not just spit out generic advice? Now you can - get a personalized Team Breakdown, tailored for your exact league.

Kyler Murray Fantasy Outlook

Murray is a trendy fantasy football pick going into 2025 because of his dual-threat ability.

He was the No. 10 overall fantasy QB in 2024. Murray was the team's top fantasy scorer a season ago. He is QB9 and is going around pick 89 on average. 

Murray tallied 3,851 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as a passer last season. He added 572 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

Arizona has plenty of offensive weapons, so Murray is set up for success. Most see the Cardinals' offense taking a step forward this season, and that would lead to Murray posting better numbers, so it makes sense to see him as a top-10 fantasy QB.

I like Murray near his ADP and think there's room for him to outperform that draft pick by the end of the season. He has top-five upside, but I see him a couple slots outside the top five.

Murray is a good pick and is a great QB to target if you missed out on the top-end dual-threat guys. You can load up on RB, WR and TE early and then get Murray with a mid-round pick.

Running Back Fantasy Outlook

James Conner is the team's starting running back. Youngster Trey Benson is another trendy name this fall and is the top backup. Emari Demercado, DeeJay Dallas and Michael Carter are some other backs on the roster for now.

Conner is RB19 and is going around pick 46 on average. He was RB11 overall last season.

Conner played in 16 games last season, tallying 1,508 total yards and nine touchdowns. He had 1,094 rushing yards and 414 yards through the air.

A little regression should be expected in 2025, especially because he's 30 years old now. He's still going to power the Arizona backfield, and I think he's got a really good chance out performing his ADP mark.

I like him a lot as a No. 2 fantasy back, and some might land him as their No. 3 guy, which would make the RB spot a definite strength of yours. He should be startable just about every week this season, so take advantage of a really good fantasy back going lower than he should.

Benson only had 350 yards and a score over 13 games in his rookie season. The 2024 third-round pick didn't make nearly the impact most fantasy owners expected from him.

He should take on more in his second season, and he could carve out a big enough role to be a flex option here and there. Benson is RB49 and is going around pick 138.

I think Benson is a great pick near that ADP. Not only are you getting a team's No. 2 back behind a workhorse, but if he does indeed earn some flex-level consideration, he'll be rosterable most of the season.

Take a gamble on Benson and it may pay off in a massive way by the end of the season.

Wide Receiver Fantasy Outlook

Marvin Harrison Jr. is the team's top wideout, even after he struggled in his rookie season. Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch are the other projected starters. Simi Fehoko, Xavier Weaver and Zay Jones are the top projected backups.

Harrison is WR17 and is going near pick 43 on average so far. That's a fair spot for him after he had just 885 yards and eight scores as a rookie.

For most, that's a good/great rookie season, but for a fourth overall pick, that left some to be desired. Harrison was a bit inconsistent with his production, but he ended the season by being targeted at least six times in the final seven games, so hopefully he's able to build on that.

I think Harrison is a draft steal near his current ADP. He's going to be a major part of the Cardinals' offense, and I expect him to take a massive leap forward. Harrison might deliver the season we expected from him as a rookie in his sophomore year.

Harrison could be a must-start player all season, and at that pick, there's more room for him to become a steal than a bust. Draft Harrison as your second or third receiver and you'll be set up for a nice season from your wideouts.

Wilson is the only other Cardinal receiver on the ADP list. He's WR87 and going near pick 285.

That makes him just a deep-league asset, but Wilson could become a waiver wire option and streaming threat in standard leagues in time. He's a really nice pick in deeper leagues near that ADP.

Wilson played 16 games a season ago, going for 555 total yards and four touchdowns. It was a slight regression from his rookie season, in which he played three fewer games.

Some of that has to do with a tight end emerging (we'll cover that shortly). After Harrison got a year of experience in, this offense should know how to operate in 2025. Wilson could emerge as a solid No. 2 in Arizona, so give him a spot in deeper leagues and keep an eye on him in standard setups.

Tight End Fantasy Outlook

Trey McBride is that tight end I was just mentioning. He erupted in 2024 and now is viewed as one of the top fantasy tight ends in the game.

He's the top-drafted Arizona fantasy player, going at pick 27 on average. McBride is the TE2, behind only Brock Bowers.

Across 16 games last season, McBride got 147 targets and 111 catches. He had 1,148 total yards and three scores. It's honestly wild that he only scored three times despite all those catches and targets, and one of the scores came on the ground.

Anyways, McBride is an absolute fantasy stud, especially in PPR leagues. He very well could lead the Cardinals' pass catchers again, even with Harrison being a better option. Having both those guys on the field should open up plenty of room, and make both guys top-end options.

There's not much room for McBride to be a draft steal at his ADP, while there's a much bigger chance for him to bust. I don't necessarily love McBride at his ADP, but looking at some of the other choices available near him, I'd be fine taking a swing on him.

He should be a top-five fantasy tight end if he remains healthy all season. That's enough to draft him in the first three rounds - he very well could end up as your top pass catcher, depending on who you draft before him.

If you draft McBride, there's no point in drafting another tight end, unless another top-end option falls, like a George Kittle or Sam LaPorta. McBride should start every week he's healthy, and you shouldn't ever have to remove him from that spot outside his bye week.

Should McBride ever get injured, Arizona could turn to Tip Reiman, Elijah Higgins or Travis Vokolek. Higgins was the most-targeted TE of that group, at 24, while Reiman had just seven targets in Arizona. Vokolek has appeared in three NFL games since coming into the league in 2023.

In other words, Arizona could really be hurting if McBride misses any time this year.