Kyler Murray has quickly established himself as one of the fantasy elite quarterbacks. He enters his fourth season as an explosive and electric player through the air and on the ground. Murray comes off 2021 expected to have another tremendous season and lead the Arizona Cardinals in the very competitive NFC West. Kyler Murray fantasy football managers are looking forward to another strong season.
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2022 Fantasy Football Outlook: Kyler Murray
2021 Season Recap
Murray had a fantastic season in 2021 passing for 3,787 yards. He cashed in 24 passing touchdowns while adding 423 rushing yards with five touchdowns on the ground. Murray played 14/17 games placing top-10 in quarterback fantasy scoring and averaging 21.5 fantasy points. The stellar quarterback missed three games with an ankle sprain. He sustained the injury during the Cardinals Week 8 loss to the Green Bay Packers. He does not have a significant history of injury and should continue to stay healthy moving forward. If Murray can keep up his current pace he will be a lock for a top-10 finish at the quarterback position again in 2022.
Most accurate QBs on 10+ yard throws:
🎯 Kyler Murray
🎯 Matt Ryan
🎯 Kirk Cousins pic.twitter.com/AKoSXOI6BB— PFF (@PFF) October 23, 2021
2022 Outlook
Murray has his sights set on another top-10 fantasy quarterback finish. The young passer from Oklahoma has been a statistical giant since entering the NFL in 2019 with 11,480 total passing yards and adding 1,786 rushing yards. The Cardinals and Kliff Kingsbury have Murray surrounded with weapons in a very quarterback-friendly offense.
The Cardinals and Murray have seen a carousel of wide receivers since 2019 with great pass-catchers like Larry Fitzgerald, DeAndre Hopkins, and Zach Ertz. With Fitzgerald retiring, Hopkins quickly absorbed the alpha wide receiver role. Murray will have to look elsewhere early on in 2022 after Hopkins was suspended six games for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Hopkins only played in 10 games during 2021 while still racking up 572 yards and eight touchdowns.
With Hopkins sidelined to start the season, Murray will have to search for other pass catchers to keep up pace in the very competitive NFC West. Murray’s top wide receiver target should be Marquise Brown. The Cardinals acquired Brown from the Baltimore Ravens to expand the field. The former Raven has blistering speed and is a significant downfield threat. Brown reunites with Murray for the first time since their time at the University of Oklahoma. Ertz and Brown are most likely to benefit from Hopkins’ suspension. Ertz was a star tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles until the bottom fell out in recent seasons. Once traded, Ertz quickly burst onto the scene and became one of the Cardinals top pass catchers again.
Oklahoma ➡️ Arizona
Hollywood Brown & Kyler Murray reunite 🔥 pic.twitter.com/VzRQMUoIIy
— PFF (@PFF) May 5, 2022
Murray will have to spread the ball around and move the chains with his legs in the early part of the 2022 season due to Hopkins suspension. If he can find reliable pass catchers he should have another great season as a passer. Look for Murray to establish chemistry with Ertz and Brown early and often until Hopkins makes his return.
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2022 Average Draft Position
According to ESPN fantasy football, Murray is currently being drafted 69th overall. He is being selected as the sixth quarterback overall. He is being drafted around guys like Travis Etienne Jr, Marquise Brown, Michael Thomas, and Chris Godwin. Fantasy owners should be thrilled to come away with Murray at this tier of players. If owners are looking for a quarterback Murray in the sixth or seventh rounds is a home run pick given his major upside with his rushing potential.
Murray’s ADP is an absolute steal at 69 overall. Fantasy owners are able to get a quarterback for a pass-first offense led by Kingsbury at the end of the sixth round. Murray is also likely to lead the offense with a massive usage percentage given Hopkins’ suspension. The dual-threat quarterback could also vulture goal-line and red zone touchdown opportunities from the likes of James Conner, further adding to his fantasy allure. If owners have other positions locked up Murray could be a potential league winner this late in fantasy drafts.
