Fantasy Football Player Notes
2024 Half PPR Draft Rankings
|
15.
Marvin Harrison Jr.
WR - (vs . SF)
Marvin Harrison Jr. quickly ascended at Ohio State, transitioning from a freshman backup behind stars like Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson to a dominant force by his sophomore year. His breakout game came in his first start during the Rose Bowl, where he tallied 6 catches, 71 yards, and 3 touchdowns. Harrison's junior year was stellar, amassing 67 receptions for 1,211 yards and 14 TDs, which led to him being a Heisman Trophy finalist and winning the 2023 Fred Biletnikoff Award. Now as the Arizona Cardinals' WR1 with Kyler Murray throwing to him, Harrison is positioned to be a high-impact player, offering a strong, consistent target share. His collegiate performance, highlighted by a 44% dominator rating, underscores his capability as a top-tier fantasy wide receiver.
|
|
50.
Trey McBride
TE - (vs . SF)
Trey McBride had an impressive second-year breakout in 2023, finishing with 81 catches for 825 yards and three touchdowns, good for a TE7 fantasy finish in PPR scoring. McBride's 2023 season got off to a slow start. He had two or fewer catches in each of his first five games, and after seven weeks he was TE30 in PPR fantasy scoring. Then, Cardinals TE Zach Ertz went on IR with a quad injury, and McBride caught fire in an expanded role. From Week 8 on, McBride was TE3 in PPR scoring, averaging 6.6 catches and 65.5 receiving yards per game. McBride became the go-to receiver for an Arizona offense thin on talent at the WR position. The Cardinals took WR Marvin Harrison Jr. with the fourth overall pick of the NFL Draft, but the talented McBride figures to be the No. 2 target in the Arizona offense and a high-end fantasy tight end for years to come.
|
|
59.
Kyler Murray
QB - (vs . SF)
A dangerous dual-threat quarterback, Kyler Murray will enter the 2024 season more than a year removed from the torn ACL that prematurely ended his 2022 season and delayed his first start of 2023 until Week 10. Since entering the NFL in 2019, Murray has averaged 20.9 fantasy points per game. We saw his ceiling in 2020, when Murray averaged 24.4 fantasy points per game and finished QB2 in fantasy scoring behind only Josh Allen. Murray is a decent passer, with a career completion percentage of 66.6% and a career average of 7.0 yards per pass attempt. But he is an exceptional runner who's averaged 37.7 rushing yards per game over his career and has 26 touchdown runs in 65 games. The Cardinals bolstered a below-average WR corps by spending the No. 4 pick in the NFL Draft on Marvin Harrison Jr., and the 2023 emergence of TE Trey McBride as a pass catcher should help give Murray sufficient pass-catching firepower.
|
|
60.
James Conner
RB - (vs . SF)
James Conner is like a finely aged bourbon. He keeps getting better as the years are piling up. Since he arrived in Arizona, he has finished as the RB7, RB9, and RB13 in fantasy points per game. On a per-touch basis, last season might have been his best year to date. Despite ranking 21st in rushing attempts, he was sixth in rushing yards in the NFL. Conner showed no signs that Father Time was starting to creep in as he ranked seventh in explosive run rate, eighth in missed tackles forced per attempt, and fifth in yards after contact per attempt. Conner will likely lead this backfield in snaps in 2024, but, with the addition of Trey Benson to the fold, don't be shocked if the team splits the work more evenly this season. Conner is an RB2.
|
|
133.
Trey Benson
RB - (vs . SF)
Benson will have to contend with a still-spry James Conner for touches all season. Yes, Conner hasn't played more than 13 games in a season over the last two years, so Benson could get some run as the team's starter in 2024. It's impossible to project that with the uncertainty of injuries, but it has to be mentioned. Even in a 1B role to Conner, Benson could make some noise with big plays. Over the last two collegiate seasons, Benson has ranked 10th and third in breakaway percentage and 42nd and first in elusive rating (per PFF). With an offense that ranked fourth in neutral script rushing rate last year, there should be enough rushing volume weekly for Benson to have flex viability. He's a priority handcuff this season with some standalone value.
|
|
164.
Michael Wilson
WR - (vs . SF)
The highlight of Week 18? Rookie Michael Wilson.
6 targets (21% target share) and 6 receptions for 95 yards. 68 air yards and 40% air yards share. The rookie posted a very under-the-radar campaign as a highly involved Cardinals WR. He ran a route on 80% of the dropbacks (35th among all WRs) which locks him into a full-time role in this offense next season, as long as he can fend off Zay Jones. Wilson also finished his season on a high note, averaging 15.5 points per game after his last two contests with Marquise Brown out. |
|
238.
Greg Dortch
WR - (vs . SF)
Greg Dortch does what he does every single year when the team puts him on the field. He produces when called upon. However, he doesn't play more. Go figure.
From Week 11 onward in 2023, Dortch was WR50 overall averaging over 5 targets per game. With a full-time slot role well within reach in 2024, Dortch could be in for a career year especially with Zay Jones sidelined for the first 5 games due to a suspension. |
|
285.
Zay Jones
WR - (vs . SF)
Zay Jones' 2023 season was marred by injuries, limiting his impact to just 34 receptions for 321 yards and 2 touchdowns in 9 games. Despite the challenges, his performance in the final four games hinted at his potential when healthy, averaging 8 fantasy points and just south of 10 targets/game. His signing with the Arizona Cardinals after being released presents a fresh opportunity, and if he can maintain his health, he could become a valuable asset in their offense as No. 3 option. Alas, that opportunity will have to wait at least 5 games, as Jones was suspended for the first 5 games of the NFL season after violating the personal conduct policy.
|
|
293.
Emari Demercado
RB - (vs . SF)
|
|
317.
Michael Carter
RB - (vs . SF)
|
|
356.
Matt Prater
K - (vs . SF)
|
|
423.
Elijah Higgins
TE - (vs . SF)
|
|
474.
DeeJay Dallas
RB - (vs . SF)
|
|
503.
Arizona Cardinals
DST - (vs . SF)
|
|
517.
Tip Reiman
TE - (vs . SF)
|
|
530.
Zach Pascal
WR - (vs . SF)
|
|
543.
Chad Ryland
K - (vs . SF)
|
|
571.
Xavier Weaver
WR - (vs . SF)
|
|
717.
Tejhaun Palmer
WR - (vs . SF)
|
|
725.
Clayton Tune
QB - (vs . SF)
|
