Arizona Cardinals Who is Active? Kyler Murray Out, Marvin Harrison Jr. In

Major news broke this weekend around two of the main players on the Arizona Cardinals offense: Kyler Murray will miss his second straight game, and Marvin Harrison Jr. will return after exiting last week with a concussion.

Arizona is 2-4 and now faces a tough Packers team before their bye. Murray will probably return after the week off, but if they fall to 2-5 with multiple teams in their division at 5-2, it's going to be a major uphill battle to salvage the season.

Let's look at the real-life and fantasy football impact from the statuses of Murray and Harrison, what it means for Week 7, and where the Cardinals might go from here. Most stats are from NFL.com.

Check FantasySP's injury report each week to stay current with the players who are battling maladies and in danger of missing games.

Can Arizona Beat Green Bay?

The Packers lead their division at 3-1-1 and have generally looked like an above-average team in most areas. They rank seventh in total DVOA, which measures success on every play based on the down and distance; Arizona is 18th by the same metric.

The Cardinals just stayed with the Colts right to the end last week in another game that Murray missed, showing they can be competitive even with a backup QB. Jacoby Brissett is one of the steadiest backups in the league, so there's reason to expect that he can put together another performance good enough to hang with Green Bay (Indianapolis is tied for second in DVOA).

Arizona has a good defense and a roster full of talented players, though the offensive side is the one lacking. They might find it tough to sustain drives against an aggressive Packers D that will get after the quarterback often.

Even though this game is in Arizona, the Packers are still favored by around seven points. It makes sense given Murray's injury status and Green Bay's steady roster, but the Colts were favored by close to the same margin last week and only won by four. It wouldn't be a surprise to see another one-score game.

What are the Fantasy Football Implications?

Brissett isn't a fantasy-level player most weeks. He can be considered as a low-level streamer in the right matchups, but he has a low ceiling and is usually better left on the bench. That's especially true in Week 7, as the Packers have allowed the fewest yards per pass attempt, though they are in the middle in fantasy points given up to QBs.

That weaker fantasy performance comes from volume more than anything else: Green Bay has faced an average of more than 40 pass attempts per game with at least 36 in every contest. They have also given up eight touchdowns with just two interceptions, though that could change given Green Bay's positive performance.

The pass catchers see the same effects, getting to the middle in fantasy because teams rack up so much volume against the Packers. I don't like the idea of trusting too many wide receivers and tight ends, even if the numbers say it borders on a middling matchup.

Tight end Trey McBride is a weekly fantasy starter who needs to be in your lineup. The guy to question this week is Harrison. I mentioned above that he sustained a concussion last week, and while he has been fully cleared, that is an injury that's easy to aggravate, leaving some risk.

I am skeptical of trusting Harrison in this one and would rather leave him on the bench. Some owners won't have a better option, and if that's the case, then at least Harrison always has upside. He has been inconsistent, though, and the tougher matchup gives him a low floor again.

The running backs, Michael Carter and Bam Knight, are also better left on the bench. As good as they are against the pass, Green Bay might be just as good against the run. They have allowed the fourth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fourth-fewest fantasy points to RBs.

With a tough matchup, I feel better leaving every Arizona player on the bench aside from McBride. Harrison is OK to consider if you need a receiver, and the running backs are under low-level consideration, but no one has a good outlook this week.

What's Next for Arizona?

Last week, I posited that the Cardinals could look at the team 2-5 coming out of the bye week after losses to Indianapolis and Green Bay and decide to sell off veterans at the trade deadline. They're not out of it by any means at 2-5, but they will almost certainly be three games back in the division and more realistically needing a wild card if that's the case.

The average wild card team has had around 10 wins since the NFL switched to 14 playoff teams. That means Arizona would have to go 8-2 after their bye to hit a playoff level if they lose this week. They still have to play Seattle, San Francisco, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, Houston, Atlanta, and the Rams twice.

I just don't see it happening for the Cardinals. A promising team with a lot of talent on defense can still build off of this core, even with a season lost to injuries and disappointment at just the wrong times. If nothing else, they can play competitive football against good teams the rest of the way out, but it will be a tall order to make the playoffs.

Conclusion

A few poorly timed bounces and mental errors have set the Cardinals behind the mark, and now without their quarterback for the second straight game against a playoff-level opponent, there might just be too much going against Arizona to make the postseason this year.

Watch the trade deadline to see if they make a few moves to add future draft capital for expiring contracts. Veterans like Greg Dortch, Zay Jones, Kelvin Beachum, Will Hernandez, and Calais Campbell would all cost very little in draft capital and dollars, making it easy to move them. It might be best for Arizona's long-term outlook.

In the fantasy football world in Week 7, McBride is the only guy who I'm really excited about putting in my lineup. Harrison is worth a look but might be better left on the bench given the matchup; your roster will determine that call.