Friday, March 29, 2024

Fantasy Football

Ceilings and Floors: Arizona Cardinals

This is the 29th of 32 Ceilings and Floors, covering each NFL team’s QBs, RBs, WRs, and TEs. We move on to our final division, The NFC West, and the Arizona Cardinals. In case you missed it, here is the breakdown for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (Depth Charts courtesy of footballguys.com)

Ceilings and Floors: Quarterback

QB1: Kyler Murray

CEILING: Murray continues slinging it in 2020, and adding Hopkins elevates him into elite territory. He throws for 34 TDs and 4,600 yards, adding 700 yards and 7 TDs on the ground, continuing his upward trajectory after a great Rookie of the Year season. He went 349/542 for a 64.4 completion percentage in 2019, his weapons improved, and his arrow is definitely pointing up for 2020 and beyond.

FLOOR: Murray’s trajectory flattens. His 20:12 TD:INT ratio leaves something to be desired, and he was sacked 48 times in 2019. He and Hopkins don’t get on the same page, and Murray throws for 24 TDs along with 3,900 yards, adding 3 TDs and 400 yards on the ground.

PREDICTION: Murray’s rushing ability raises his fantasy floor and ceiling. The Arizona offense should be wide open in 2020, and Murray should continue developing and flourishing in this system. I like 30 TDs and 4,200 yards in the air, and 4 TDs and 500 yards on the ground. Kyler Murray is a phenomenal dynasty asset in all formats.

QB2: Brett Hundley

CEILING: Murray will have to miss time for him to play. He is a fantastic fit to backup Murray in this system, and he capitalizes on the weapons around him. His 16 game numbers would be 22 TDs, 3,100 yards, along with 5 rushing TDs and 400 rushing yards.

FLOOR: He probably also throws 34 INT since his TD:INT ratio sits at 9:13 for his career. He also has a 59.1 percent completion percentage for his career. He is only good as a short term fix, but his floor is zero stats.

PREDICTION: Zero stats. Hundley is a backup with some experience, he is not the worst option to have. handcuffing Murray with him might not be bad if you lack QB depth.

Ceilings and Floors: Running Back

Ceilings and Floors
RB1: Kenyan Drake

CEILING: A career 5.5 yard per touch guy, Drake has scored 17 TDs in the last two years. He eclipsed 1,000 total yards in both seasons. He enters 2020 primed to be the feature back. If you extrapolate his time in Arizona last year, he would have produced 16 TDs and 1,638 total yards. That’s his ceiling.

FLOOR: Arizona spreads the ball, Edmonds and Benjamin eat into Drake’s touches, and he finishes with 7 total TDs and 1,000 total yards.

PREDICTION: Drake is a solid option at RB. Arizona’s air-raid offense should open up defenses for the run. I see 10 TDs, 1,300 total yards, and the majority of RB touches. Drake averaged 5.2 yards per rush in 2019 in Arizona, but I don’t see him reaching his ceiling in this open offense.

RB2: Chase Edmonds

CEILING: Edmonds locks down RB2 status. He gets 30 percent of the RB touches and scores 7 TDs along with 700 total yards.

FLOOR: Edmonds loses touches to Benjamin, and is reduced to nothing more than a gadget back with minimal touches. 1 TD, 200 yards.

PREDICTION: Edmonds showed fantasy promise with his 5 total TDs last year, but Benjamin is waiting in the wings. I see 3 TDs, 400 total yards.

RB3: Eno Benjamin

CEILING: Benjamin swipes RB2 status from Edmonds, and responds with 6 TDs along with 800 yards. Benjamin averaged over 1,350 yards and 15 TDs over his last two seasons at Arizona State and serves as a viable second option out of the backfield.

FLOOR: Benjamin fails to unseat Edmonds, winds up seeing a lot of time on special teams, and only manages 1 TD and 200 yards.

PREDICTION: Benjamin could be special in this offense. He had 77 catches in his last two years of college ball. I see 2 TDs, 300 yards, and in dynasty, I like his upside as a handcuff to Drake over Edmonds. Arizona will be forced to give him some touches in the future.

RB4: D.J. Foster

CEILING: Kenyan Drake introduces Foster to Drake in Kenya, and they all become quick friends. Foster features as a background dancer in Drake’s next video.

FLOOR: He only plays on special teams due to the talent above him. And Drake does not know his name. Neither does Kenyan Drake.

PREDICTION: This guy is not playing. Or meeting Drake. Or going to Kenya. He might become a Deejay though.

Ceilings and Floors: Wide Receiver

Ceilings and Floors
WR1: DeAndre Hopkins

CEILING: 14 TDs, 1,600 yards. Hopkins gels with Murray, excels in this offense, and makes Texans fans cry. Hopkins’ work speaks for itself, and his superstardom meshes with Arizona’s offense to solidify Hopkins as a top WR for years to come.

FLOOR: Hopkins struggles to adjust to a new QB and a new playbook, and only manages 7 TDs and 1,100 yards. His yards per touch has decreased for three straight years. Defenses have slowly figured him out, and he loses credibility in the best WR in the league conversation.

PREDICTION: Hopkins floor is ridiculous. But his ceiling is not as high as other elite WRs. We know what he can do, but some of his peripheral stats have begun trending down. I am still all about Hopkins as a legit fantasy WR. 11 TDs, 1,400 yards.

WR2: Larry Fitzgerald

CEILING: Fitzgerald capitalizes on the defensive attention Hopkins gets, somehow defies father time for another year, and scores 8 TDs along with 1,100 yards.

FLOOR: Fitzgerald is 37 when the season starts. He has been fading for a while. His yards per catch numbers have not been above 12 since 2014, and he has had less than 1,000 yards in two consecutive seasons. We witness the end of a magnificent career as Kirk emerges as Arizonas WR2. 3 TDs, 500 yards.

PREDICTION: I love Fitzgerald. He is a surefire Hall of Fame guy. But his end is upon us. I expect one more year from the legend where he is fantasy viable. 6 TDs, 700 yards. Enjoy his classy greatness while he is still around.

WR3: Christian Kirk

CEILING: Kirk explodes in year three, tallying 8 TDs along with 1,200 yards as he emerges as the playmaker Arizona envisioned when they drafted him two years ago.

FLOOR: Kirk regressed in some aspects in 2019. His yards per touch dropped from 13.6 his rookie year to 10.3 in his second season. He can’t cut it in the NFL, is passed by the potential below him, and finishes with 1 TD along with 400 yards.

PREDICTION: Kirk’s upside is a visible thing. He posses a unique athletic profile that should translate into fantasy stats at some point. I like him for 5 TDs, 800 yards, and in dynasty, I think he is more valuable. He could be WR2 by as early as late this season.

WR4: Andy Isabella

CEILING: Isabella averaged 21 yards per catch in 2019. He becomes a solid WR depth option for Arizona and scores 4 TDs along with 500 yards.

FLOOR: Isabella had 9 catches in 2019. Before the addition of Hopkins. The weapons around him make him irrelevant, and he continues his bust trajectory into the future. Zero TDs, 100 yards.

PREDICTION: I think Isabella could become a quality WR, but I don’t think he is ever a good fantasy WR. 1 TD, 200 yards, sell him if you can.

WR5: Hakeem Butler

CEILING: Butler displayed his big-play potential in college, posting a 22 yard per catch average his senior year. The 6’5″, 227 lb weapon emerges as a real red zone threat and emerges as a real threat in Arizona’s pass-happy offense. 7 TDs, 500 yards.

FLOOR: Butler’s hand injury in 2019 cost him valuable chemistry time with Murray, and he is left on the outside looking in. 1 TD, 300 yards.

PREDICTION: Butler’s future ceiling is high, but the WR room is crowded and he will have to work hard to get touches. However, I like him a whole lot in dynasty and think this is the guy you want long term outside Hopkins. 3 TDs, 500 yards.

WR6: KeeSean Johnson, WR7: Trent Sherfield

CEILING: Johnson has potential, but 2019 was a letdown. Neither guy sees the field, but Johnson could pass Isabella in the pecking order if things break right for him.

FLOOR: Zero catches. Lots of Larry Fitzgerald pep talks.

PREDICTION: Don’t touch these guys in redraft, and Johnson is a stash candidate at most in dynasty. This offense is good, but so are the WRs ahead of them.

Ceilings and Floors: Tight End

Ceilings and Floors
TE1: Charles Clay

CEILING: 7 TDs, 750 yards, and Clay solidifies his position as TE1. The touches will be there.

FLOOR: 2 TDs, 300 yards, and Willams surpasses him for targets. He has yet to show elite upside.

PREDICTION: Clay will be serviceable depth at the TE position in fantasy, but I suspect he sees fewer touches as the year goes on and Williams hits his stride. 3 TDs, 400 yards.

TE2: Maxx Williams

CEILING: Williams has serious untapped potential, and he posted a career-high 13.5 yards per catch in his time in Arizona last year. He finally sees enough targets to get going and scores 7 TDs along with 800 yards.

FLOOR: Williams has disappointed thus far into his career, and what we see is what we get. He never gets going in the league and continues to disappoint from a fantasy perspective. Zero TDs, 150 yards.

PREDICTION: I think Williams has the potential to lock this starting job down. I see him getting more touches later in the year, and he could emerge just in time for fantasy playoffs. 4 TDs, 500 yards.

TE3: Dan Arnold

CEILING: Arnold averaged a whopping 17 yards per catch in his three games with Arizona in 2019. He wins the job during training camp and produces a 7 TD, 900-yard performance.

FLOOR: Arnold has 3 catches for 40 yards and zero TDs. The other two are bigger names, and more established. Arnold also struggles blocking.

PREDICTION: Arnold has big-play potential, but his single-dimension game doesn’t let him see the field enough to make any real noise. 1 TD, 200 yards. He has upside to be a matchup nightmare in this passing attack if he is ever able to see the field for any real amount of time.

Enjoy this Ceilings and Floors? Follow me on Twitter to get updates when new content is released @realryanhicks, including the rest of my Ceilings and Floors. Up next is The Los Angeles Rams. Also, check out what else Belly Up Fantasy is cooking up, and follow@BellyUpFantasy for all your Fantasy Sports needs.