Arizona Cardinals Depth Chart
- NFC West
- Stadium
- State Farm Stadium
- Head Coach
- Kliff Kingsbury
- Offensive Coordinator
- Kliff Kingsbury
- Defensive Coordinator
- Vance Joseph
- Special Teams Coach
- Jeff Rodgers
- Defensive Scheme
- 4-3
The Cardinals Defense had a decent showing in Week 1, holding the San Francisco 49ers to 20 points. In Week 2, the Cardinals will host the Washington Football Team. The Cardinals are currently favored by about a touchdown in the game. The Washington Football Team didn't commit a turnover in Week 1, but they managed just 239 yards of offense in the game. The team scored 27 points in Week 1, but they were mostly fueled by their defense, which came up with three turnovers. The Cardinals should be able to hold the Washington Football Team to 20 or fewer points and they may be able to come up with a turnover or two as well as a few sacks, making them a low-end starting option in Week 2.
Arizona Cardinals tight end Dan Arnold is someone worth monitoring going forward. He was the only tight end to register a catch for the team in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers. Arnold caught both of his targets in Week 1 and went for a total of 21 receiving yards. The team's other primary tight end, Maxx Williams, went catchless on two targets in the game. In Week 2, the Cardinals face the Washington Football Team in a game where quarterback Kyler Murray should put up a decent amount of passing yards. If Arnold improves upon his Week 1 numbers this week, he could be a worthy target going forward. But for now, he should remain on waivers.
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Christian Kirk had a dreadful Week 1, catching just one of his five targets and gaining zero yards in the game. DeAndre Hopkins carried the passing game with 151 receiving yards on 14 receptions. All that is the bad news for Kirk. However, the good news is that Kirk tied with Larry Fitzgerald and Chase Edmonds for second on the team in targets in Week 1. Kirk has as good of a chance as any other Cardinals pass-catcher to be the second-most-targeted player in the offense behind Hopkins this year, provided he can be more efficient going forward. Keep him on your bench in Week 2, but try to avoid dropping him as he still has clear upside in a potent Cardinals offense going forward.
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald caught four of his five targets for 34 yards in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers. He was tied for second on the team in targets with Christian Kirk and running back Chase Edmonds. The team's No. 1 receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, soaked up a team-high 16 targets in the game. Fitzgerald averaged just 8.5 yards per reception in Week 1. He's the team's primary slot receiver and will be mostly looked at for short gains throughout the year. In PPR leagues, he has a relatively safe floor as he should regularly catch around four or five passes, but his ceiling is limited unless we see him become a frequent end zone target. He's worthy of starting as a WR3 or flex in PPR leagues in Week 2 against the Washington Football Team, but he should be avoided in non-PPR.
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was heavily featured in his Cardinals debut in Week 1, earning a whopping 16 targets while leading the team in receptions (14) and receiving yards (151). No other Cardinal earned over five targets in the game. While the target disparity might not always be as drastic as it was in Week 1, the game certainly proved that Hopkins will see more than enough targets this year to enable him to have a high-end WR1 season. The Cardinals host the Washington Football Team in Week 2. Expect quarterback Kyler Murray to have a strong game, leaning heavily on Hopkins yet again to fuel the passing game. Hopkins has a great chance to top 100 yards yet again and should see multiple opportunities to score his first touchdown of the year as well.