Kyler Murray won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019. How bright is the Arizona Cardinals quarterback’s future as a fantasy football player?
It was a risky proposition to trade away 2018’s first-round pick Josh Rosen and then draft another franchise quarterback in Kyler Murray. Fortunately for the Arizona Cardinals, it seems to be working out, as Murray went 5-10-1 as a starter, ending up as the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. How optimistic should we be about him as a fantasy football quarterback going forward?
The Fantasy Footballers are very optimistic about Murray in all aspects of football, fantasy or in actual NFL games. While the guys hail from the Valley of the Sun, Mike Wright believes that Murray’s ability to make plays with his legs, as well as being a top-two pick in his NFL Draft means it’s a sign of good things to come for him in 2020.
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Wright pointed out if a rookie starting quarterback makes the leap in year two, it usually happens when the guy is either first or second player taken in his respective NFL Draft. If a guy is drafted after that, it’s not as clear-cut as this delineation. So another year playing in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense, as well as another offseason worth of moves to get better should help him out.
Andy Holloway likes Murray’s upward trajectory but mentions one key thing that could get in the way of Murray’s development: Playing in the NFC West. Holloway said that players like Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers and Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams play in the same division as the Cardinals. So Murray will have to figure out how to handle them in the coming years.
Looking at Murray’s rookie stats, he completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 3,722 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. While his 6.9 yards per passing attempt needs to improve, Murray did make enough plays with his legs for that to be a factor in when he comes off the board in fantasy football drafts. He had 93 carries for 544 yards and four trips to pay dirt as a rookie.
Overall, Murray has a halfway decent chance to be the 2020 version of Lamar Jackson, a second-year starting quarterback who pops in his high-octane offense. Murray might be good enough to push for a Pro Bowl. If the Cardinals hit on all cylinders, then maybe they can shock the NFC and earn a wild card berth?