With free agency underway and the draft right around the corner, I want to take a look at some of the teams who have made moves so far and give my thoughts on how it might impact their fantasy values. The Cardinals finished 5-10-1 last season, although it didn't help that they went 1-5 in the toughest division in the league. Despite the disappointing record, it was Kyler Murray's rookie season and they had only won three games the year prior so it was a step in the right direction and the last 3 games of the season their offense turned a corner. They ended the season 2-1 while scoring nearly 30 points a game and their newly acquired back, Kenyan Drake, rushed for over 120 yards per game during those games. Adding DeAndre Hopkins to the mix and factoring in a year of experience for Murray and this team could be poised for a big season.
Murray is a very intriguing fantasy prospect this season as he finished last season as QB8 and was only behind (way behind to be fair) Lamar Jackson in rushing yards for quarterbacks. Last year the top two receiving options for Kyler were Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk, who combined to catch 143 passes, which was six less than Michael Thomas had personally. Hopkins has averaged over 100 receptions per year for the past half-decade, so there's no reason for me to believe that Murray won't have another QB10 or better season. He will usually make up for any negative points from turnovers with his feet and now with a top 3 WR in the league at his disposal, I expect Murray to be around QB5 to QB7 during this year's draft. (Behind Jackson, Mahomes, Wilson, and Prescott)
For the running back situation, Kenyan Drake emerged as a fantasy superhero last year in Arizona as he dominated almost every week after coming over from Miami via trade. McCaffrey, Henry, and Elliott were the only running backs who had more fantasy points than Drake after he was traded to Arizona as he averaged over 20 points a game. I don't expect him to finish as a top-five back and probably won't even finish in the top ten, but last year he showed that he has the potential. He's never been given a full season to prove what he can do, with last year's 170 carries being his career-high in carries, which was only 26th in the league. I expect Drake to be drafted as a low-end RB2 or an RB3 going lay the end of round 3 or later. I think that's a perfect spot to draft a guy with a lot of potential, who doesn't have much competition in the backfield.
Unlike the backfield, there are a few more options in the passing game especially with the addition of Hopkins this offseason. Hopkins will be the clear favorite and should still get his typical 100+ receptions. The move from Houston is a little concerning for his value strictly because we knew what we were getting with him in Houston, but Deshaun Watson wasn't the only one throwing him the ball. DeAndre played 7 seasons in Houston and caught passes from 11 different QB's during his time there and he's finished as a top 10 receiver in four of the last five seasons. So although going to a new offense posses a lot of unknowns, Hopkins's successful track record despite who's under center gives me the comfort to still have him as a top 3 to 5 WR who should be a first-round pick. The jump from Hopkins to the next best receiver in Arizona is more of a fall than a jump. Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk should be the other starters with Andy Isabella also competing for some targets. Fitzgerald is a future HOF'er who might not be the playmaker he was a few years ago, but he is still a reliable receiver with great hands and is worth a late-round flier to help solidify your bench. Kirk at this time appears to be WR3 on the Cardinals depth chart, but I wouldn't be surprised if Andy Isabella lines up in the slot as he showed potential late in the season last year. With that being said, if you're in a larger league and you're looking for a late-round sleeper, I would be more inclined to grab Isabella than I would be Kirk.
The tight end position is a need for the Cardinals, as they currently have three on their roster who combined for a total of 24 receptions last season. All the big-name free agents are signed and this year's draft class doesn't appear to have any tight ends ready to make an immediate impact, at least in the fantasy world. So when fantasy season rolls around, I would stay away from whoever ends up being the Cardinals starting tight end.