Team news: Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals TE Trey McBride was downgraded Saturday to questionable for Sunday’s game against the 49ers with an injury to his ribs.

McBride missed Week 4 with a concussion and had just came back from the concussion protocol. Elijah Higgins has three targets and just two catches in the 42-14 Week 4 loss to Washington.

Gannon injury update:
TE McBride good to go Sunday.
DL Tonga and K Prater “we will see.”
CB Garrett Williams “probably not” going to play

Related Players: Elijah Higgins

With McBride ready to go, he needs to be in lineups, having accrued 14-122-0 on 20 targets through three games. Higgins can readily be dropped back into waiver wires.

Gannon:

Trey McBride will be back at practice.

No Darius Robinson this week for practice.

Related Players: Elijah Higgins

If McBride's ready to go, he needs to be in lineups, having accrued 14-122-0 on 20 targets through three games. Higgins can readily be dropped back into waiver wires.

Gannon: TE Trey McBride will not play Sunday after concussion.

Related Players: Elijah Higgins

Elijah Higgins (4-41-1) is the only other tight end who has caught a pass this season, so he would presumably be the next man up, though some sort of rotation with third-round rookie Tip Reiman is likely in the cards. It would be nice to see Reiman carve out a bit of a role here for Dynasty managers in deep leagues, but no reason to start either of them in Week 4.

Arizona Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon says TE Trey McBride is in concussion protocol.

Related players: Elijah Higgins, Tip Reiman, Travis Vokolek

Gannon said the team will have to see how McBride goes throughout the week, and fantasy owners will need to monitor his progress as well. We list Higgins as next up on the depth chart, but Reiman was a fairly highly-rated rookie at the position for those who remember his name from dynasty leagues.

Marvin Harrison was missing for much of Sunday’s opener against the Bills, although he appeared to be open near the end zone on a play when Kyler Murray threw elsewhere near the end of the 34-28 loss.

On Tuesday, offensive coordinator Drew Petzing said “the plan” is to get the ball in Harrison’s hands more often.

We may see an over-correction in Week 2 where Harrison gets fed the ball early and often in an effort to get him going, but that remains to be seen. Harrison was targeted with three passes and caught one pass for three yards in Week 1.

The NFL has suspended Cardinals WR Zay Jones the first five games of the regular season for violating the personal conduct policy.

Related Players: Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch, Trey McBride

This likely eradicates any worries about Wilson being the WR2, but that may have been inevitable regardless. He should be in the WR4/5 range for fantasy drafters.

“I think from a mental and physical standpoint, right now where [Kyler Murray is] at, to even when he got back last year or even where he finished last year, I think he’s leaps and bounds ahead,” Jonathan Gannon said to Adam Schein of Mad Dog Sports Radio.

Gannon’s first year in Arizona was made more difficult by Murray’s return from the torn ACL he suffered during the 2023 season, the story said. So, Murray had to spend last summer rehabbing and missed the first part of the season. This summer has been much smoother, the story pointed out, and Murray can focus on football vs. rehabbing. As a result, Murray is seventh on our QB list.

For those thinking the RB2 battle was firmly between Michael Carter and rookie Trey Benson, Emari Demercado has something to say.

Throughout camp, Demercado has been a common occurrence subbing in for starter James Conner during first-team work.

It’s only been one day of pads, the story went on to say, but Demercado's pass-protecting ability, which earned him valuable playing time as a rookie, has been on display early on. The story went on to say keeping Murray upright is crucial to a successful season, and it’s clear the Cardinals are liking what Demercado is bringing to the table so far. It went on to say behind Conner and Demercado, Carter got first crack at second-team reps, with rookie Trey Benson subbing in for the veteran. Given the draft capital the team paid for Benson, it should only be a matter of time before he starts to make a move up the depth chart.

When the Cardinals signed veteran Zay Jones in the off-season, it created competition for second-year receiver Michael Wilson. But Wilson ran with the starters and led that group with three receptions. He is aiming to build off a rookie season in which he had 38 catches and 565 yards on 58 targets

Tight end Trey McBride and rookie WR Marvin Harrison Jr. are likely to absorb most of the Cardinals' target share, but if Wilson is playing over Jones, there still might be enough left to make him fantasy relevant. He is currently ranked as the WR60 on 4for4.