Kyler Murray is Primed to be a Top-10 Quarterback in Fantasy Football Again

The Arizona Cardinals finished with an 8-9 record last season that left them in third place in the NFC West. They missed out on the playoffs, thanks in large part to their 2-6 record on the road. They will try to bounce back this year with QB Kyler Murray coming off one of the healthiest seasons of his career. Another offseason removed from his torn ACL, Murray comes with significant fantasy football appeal.

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Murray Plays All 17 Games

Murray played all 16 games in both of his first two seasons in the NFL. Injuries then became a problem. He played 14 games in 2021, 11 games in 2022, and eight games in 2023. After suffering a torn ACL in 2022, he didn’t return until Week 10 in 2023.

With a normal offseason under his belt, Murray remained healthy throughout 2024. He appeared in all 17 games, which resulted in him attempting 541 passes. That was the third-highest mark of his career. He finished with 3,851 passing yards and a 68.8% completion rate. However, he didn’t exactly air things out, posting an average target depth of just 7.3 yards. That put him behind players including Russell Wilson (7.6), Daniel Jones (7.6), and Cooper Rush (7.6).

Murray did add value with his legs, rushing 78 times for 572 yards. That marked the third time in his career that he ran for at least 540 yards in a season. His average of 7.3 yards per carry was the highest mark of his career.

Mediocre Touchdown Production

Despite playing the entire season, Murray finished with a modest 21 passing touchdowns. He only had four games all season with multiple touchdown passes. Of his 21 touchdowns, four of them came in Week 18 when many fantasy football championships had already been decided. This is not a new issue for him, considering that Murray has never had more than 26 passing touchdowns in a season during his career.

Murray did record five rushing touchdowns in 2024. That was the third time that he finished a season with at least five rushing touchdowns. In 2020, he had 11 rushing touchdowns. However, that season should be considered an anomaly. The Cardinals didn’t exactly give him a ton of opportunities to record rushing touchdowns last season, giving him just two total carries inside the 10-yard line.

Still, dual-threat quarterbacks are appealing in fantasy football. In games where they aren’t racking up a ton of passing yards, they can help offset the lack of production in that department with contributions on the ground. With Murray having that skillset, he has an ADP of 84, according to 4for4’s Multi-Site ADP. That makes him QB9 between Bo Nix (ADP 80, QB8) and Brock Purdy (ADP 97, QB10).

Cardinals Have Two Excellent Receiving Options

Not many teams can say that their tight end is their best receiving option. That’s the case with the Cardinals, who have Trey McBride at the position. After receiving 106 targets in 2023, he was given 147 targets in 2024. He thrived in his expanded role, recording 111 receptions and 1,146 receiving yards. The only negative was that he had just two touchdown receptions.

Murray also has a top wide receiver at his disposal in Marvin Harrison Jr., who had a bit of an up-and-down rookie season. He was given 116 targets, but he only caught 62 of them. However, his average depth of target of 13.1 yards helped him finish with 885 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. As he enters his second season in the league, his first 1,000-yard season could be on the horizon.

If McBride and Harrison stay healthy, both have a realistic shot at 1,000 receiving yards. There is also WR Michael Wilson, who has finished with at least 548 receiving yards in both seasons since being drafted. If Murray plays all 17 games, he is in a favorable spot to throw for at least 4,000 yards in a season for the first time in his career. Combine that with his rushing upside, and Murray should be a top-10 fantasy quarterback this season who also has top-five upside.

The Bottom Line

• Kyler Murray did not miss a game last season, throwing for 3,851 yards and 21 touchdowns. He also chipped in 572 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
• A dual-threat quarterback, Murray has thrown for at least 3,700 yards and rushed for at least 500 yards in the same season three times during his career.
• While Murray has yet to top 26 passing touchdowns in a season for his career, he has totaled at least five rushing touchdowns in a season three times.
• Murray who two excellent pass-catchers at his disposal in McBride and Harrison.
• He should be a top-10 quarterback this season (QB9 in 4for4's ranks). He has top-five upside, but he will need to rack up more passing touchdowns to get there. Murray is currently the QB9 with an ADP of 84 according to our Multi-Site ADP tool.