Cardinals Fantasy Football Outlook for Week 4: Trey Benson, Marvin Harrison Jr. and More

Week 4 of the NFL regular season kicks off with a matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks.

It might not be the best matchup, but there's plenty of fantasy starting options, so we'll go over the best options from each team. We'll start with the Cardinals in this article.

Having trouble deciding who to start in week 4? Let the FantasySP start/sit tool help you make a decision.

Kyler Murray Fantasy Outlook

Murray has three so-so fantasy outings to kick off the season.

He has 542 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception so far, while completing 67.4% of his passes. Murray has rushed for 107 yards on 20 attempts so far.

This is a tough matchup on paper for him, and he's projected for 17 fantasy points, which is a pretty average mark. I haven't ranked my fantasy quarterbacks for week 4 yet (because of outstanding injury news), but you can expect Murray somewhere in the middle most likely.

I'd prefer to only start him in deeper fantasy setups for week 4. He just hasn't done enough yet, and with a tough matchup, I'm against starting him in standard leagues.

Running Back Fantasy Outlooks

James Conner suffered a season-ending injury in week 3, so the Cardinals' backfield will be led by Trey Benson going forward.

Benson has played 86 offensive snaps, which is only seven less than Conner, so it's not like he's a sparsely-used back stepping into the lead role. Benson has averaged six yards a carry (125 yards on 21 attempts) and has an additional 45 receiving yards on eight receptions and 11 targets.

A starter's workload could lead to big-time fantasy numbers for Benson, and that's why he should have been added in all fantasy leagues after the Conner injury. I prefer to see Benson in the lead role before being all-in on him, so I have him ranked 22nd in my week 4 rankings. 

The matchup is pretty average against the Seahawks, and Benson is projected for 12 PPR points.

Emari Demercado is the only other Arizona back with any playing time this season, and he has just two offensive snaps played. He's not worth starting in any formats, even in the secondary role - that could change, depending on how he's utilized this week.

Benson definitely is on the standard league starting radar, but I view him more as a flex-level player, not a weekly starter right now. Being that he'll play Thursday, you'll want to put him in a starting RB spot if you choose to play him - save those flex spots for players appearing in games on Sunday or Monday.

Wide Receiver Fantasy Outlooks

Marvin Harrison Jr. is the Cardinals' top receiver, but he hasn't done a ton yet this season. Michael Wilson has played the second-most snaps, while Zay Jones is third in snaps amongst wideouts. Greg Dortch is the only other wideout to have played yet for the Cardinals.

Harrison has five or six targets in each of the first three games. He has 17 targets in total, catching 10 of them for 142 yards and a touchdown.

Wilson has eight targets this season, and four of those came in week 1. He's made three grabs for 21 yards and a touchdown.

Jones has four targets, although three of those came in week 3. He has made three catches for 29 yards so far.

Dortch has four targets as well, and his four receptions have gone for 12 yards.

The matchup for those receivers is not very good. In fact, it's the second-hardest matchup for a fantasy wideout so far.

Harrison is the only one who appears on the wide receiver projection page - he's set for 12 PPR points. 

I haven't been super impressed by Harrison in his second NFL season, and in the tougher matchup, I'm really not a big fan of his for week 4. He was in the running for a spot in my top-30 fantasy wideout rankings for week 4, but I decided against adding him - he's not too far outside that list.

So I see Harrison as a standard league starting option in week 4, but most often would want to only play him in deeper fantasy setups. I do see him as the Cardinals' best wide receiver in this game, but not doing enough to justify a starting spot in standard leagues. Maybe he will prove me wrong and set himself up as a better starting option going forward.

Wilson plays enough to have fantasy value, but after barely doing anything through three games, I'm not in favor of starting him in any leagues. He barely should be rostered, for that matter.

I'd take Jones after that, but avoid him in all leagues too. He has a concussion and seems unlikely to play in week 4 anyways.

His absence wouldn't make Dortch a starting option in any leagues, even if his role will be expanded. We'll see if he or Wilson can do enough to get some waiver wire love moving forward.

Harrison is the only starting wideout option in Arizona for week 4, and he's not a very good option. 

Tight End Fantasy Outlooks

Most teams would be worried about their offense with only one receiver doing much, but because the Cardinals have Trey McBride, the offense isn't as poor as it appears.

McBride leads the Cardinals in snaps, yards, targets and receptions. He has 24 targets on the year, making 17 receptions for 182 yards and a touchdown. 

McBride has at least seven targets in each game, and has led the team every week. It's easy to see that he's the most-trusted target of Murray, and that makes McBride an elite fantasy tight end.

He's tied for the top fantasy PPR projection among tight ends with Brock Bowers. McBride also has the most favorable fantasy matchup a tight end could have, so he's my No. 1 tight end easily for week 4.

McBride is a must-start player already, and he has a chance to really shine in this matchup. Get him in your fantasy and DFS lineups and let the tight end power you to a great fantasy week.

Tip Reiman has played 67 snaps this season, while Elijah Higgins is at 52 snaps. Reiman has four targets, catching three of them for 18 yards. Higgins has 55 yards across four grabs and six targets.

With Jones maybe out, there's a chance Reiman or Higgins has a bigger offensive role. I'd only consider starting them in really deep leagues, but in a very favorable matchup, it's not crazy to give them some consideration. I'd take Higgins over Reiman because of the production on their receptions.

Kicker Fantasy Outlook

Chad Ryland is the kicker for the Cardinals. 

He has made six of his eight field goals across the first three games. Both of his misses have been from over 40 yards. Ryland is perfect on his six extra point tries. 

The over/under in this game is set at 43.5, which is a decent amount of points. That gives each team's kicker a chance to do a little fantasy damage.

I like Ryland a decent amount in this matchup, but he's not a must-start guy by any means. He's projected for seven points, which is a below-average mark for the upcoming week.

Defense/Special Teams Fantasy Outlook

The Cardinals' D/ST is projected for six fantasy points in week 4. That's a pretty average mark.

Arizona hasn't allowed over 22 points in any game yet, so the defense has been solid in that regard. Opponents have over 300 total yards in each week, and have allowed 352 and 355 the past two weeks.

The Cardinals didn't have a takeaway in week 1, but had two in week 2 and another takeaway in week 3. The team has just five sacks so far.

Arizona's D/ST is an OK starting option for week 4, but I like them better in deeper leagues.