Arizona, Team Mood and Players We're In or Out On

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As we race toward August, Footballguys.com will look at one team per day with our extremely in-depth Team Reports and our quick-hitting Team Mood and Players We're In and Out On, where we check out the overall mood of each team's offense and let you know the players we are in on (because they are great values at the cost it takes to acquire them) and who we're out on (because they are too expensive and won't have a good return on that investment).

Here are all of the Team Mood and Players We're In and Out On articles:
Arizona | Atlanta | Baltimore | Buffalo | Carolina | Chicago | Cincinnati | Cleveland | Dallas | Denver | Detroit | Green Bay | Houston | Indianapolis | Jacksonville | Kansas City | Las Vegas | LA Chargers | LA Rams | Miami | Minnesota | New England | New Orleans | NY Giants | NY Jets | Philadelphia | Pittsburgh | San Francisco | Seattle | Tampa Bay | Tennessee | Washington

Quick Hits

Want a brief overview? Here it is:

• Mood - Neutral
• We're In On at Cost - RB James Conner
• We're Out On at Cost - WR DeAndre Hopkins and TE Zach Ertz

Want a longer breakdown of how it's going in Arizona? Read on.

Arizona, Team Mood

• Good - 4
• Neutral - 13
• Bad - 0

Staffers in a Good Mood

• Craig Lakins: There are fantasy starters sprinkled all throughout the Cardinals' offense.
• Zareh Kantzabedian: The Arizona Cardinals' offense creates great fantasy production at every skill position.
• Jonathan Morris: Dynamic playmakers at each of the skill positions should yield multiple top fantasy producers.
• Phil Alexander: The Cardinals produced a top-10 scoring offense in 2021 and should do so again this season (or at least come close).

Staffers in a Neutral Mood

• Andy Hicks: The absence of DeAndre Hopkins for six games hurts the whole offense. How much remains to be seen.
• Christian Williams: Replacing Christian Kirk with Marquise Brown is a net positive, but DeAndre Hopkins' absence will be felt.
• Ryan Weisse: As a whole, nothing feels different. They spread the ball around so much, so the loss of Hopkins for six games will hardly affect this offense.
• Jason Wood: Expectations are rising but the offense hasn't.
• Jeff Haseley: Kyler Murray fell off last year, mostly due to his ankle injury, but even when he returned, things didn't come easy
• Ben Cummins: The offseason issues between Kyler Murray and the Cardinals appear over for this season and Murray projects to lead an above-average Arizona offense that is sure to put up fantasy points.
• Jeff Bell: An elite fantasy quarterback and top ten in scoring and yards but major struggles to end 2021.
• Dave Kluge: Despite a few off-season moves on the offense, nothing feels like a dramatic win or loss either way. Kirk being upgraded to Brown is negated by Hopkins' suspension.
• Kevin Coleman: Murray struggled at the end of last season, and they lost DeAndre Hopkins to a six-game suspension. There are still question marks around Kliff Kingsbury’s scheme.
• James Brimacombe: If DeAndre Hopkins doesn't get handed a suspension I might say the Cardinals belong in the Good category.
• Victoria Geary: Hopkins is suspended for six weeks and Murray struggled to find a groove in the second half of the season. They still have top-tier talent at most offensive positions.
• Sam Wagman: Operating without DeAndre Hopkins for the first six gamess is going to be difficult.

Staffers in a Bad Mood

• None.

Players We're In On at Cost

• James Conner - 7
• Zach Ertz - 6
• Marquise Brown - 4
• Rondale Moore - 1
• Darrel Williams - 1

Reasons to be In on James Conner

• Andy Hicks: Conner only had 200 carries last year and with the departure of Chase Edmonds can handle more work. Underrated at his current price.
• Ben Cummins: Conner has one of the best roles in all of fantasy.
• Ryan Weisse: Last year's No. 5 running back has a third-round price tag. Even if the touchdowns regress, we could see an increase in passing work.
• Chad Parsons: Darrel Williams is a notable addition to a weak depth chart, but expect Conner to have a top-five weekly ceiling within his range of outcomes.
• Craig Lakins: Conner is being drafted as an RB2, but could easily reach RB1 status with less backfield competition than last season.
• Jonathan Morris: With Chase Edmonds out of the picture, I love Conner as an RB1 this year.
• Jeff Haseley: Conner can be had fairly cheap for RB1 standards, plus Williams can be a round 10+ target after you have cemented your starters.

Reasons to be In on Zach Ertz

• Jeff Bell: A top-five tight end in PPG after the trade, his 14 red-zone targets led the team after week 7.
• Dave Kluge: Ertz has churned out top-five seasons his entire career and was the TE4 from the time he joined the Cardinals through the end of the season.
• Zareh Kantzabedian: Ertz in the tenth round is a beautiful value. His market share of targets should only increase during DeAndre Hopkins' suspension and still maintains value once he returns.
• Phil Alexander: Ertz finished third among tight ends in targets after coming over in a mid-season trade from Philadelphia last year. Trey McBride won't cut into Ertz's role just yet.
• Victoria Geary: Ertz is criminally undervalued right now at TE10 ADP. He was the TE5 overall Weeks 7 through 18 last season.
• Sam Wagman: Ertz is being extremely undervalued and should be the primary red-zone target until Hopkins returns.

Reasons to be In on Marquise Brown

• Christian Williams: The building chemistry stage is complete, and Brown should dominate targets to begin the season.
• Jason Wood: Watch what he does with an aggressive, accurate passer.
• Ben Cummins: Brown’s vertical skillset pairs well with Kyler Murray’s strength as a downfield passer. Brown will benefit from DeAndre Hopkins’ suspension.
• James Brimacombe: Brown is a guy to continue to believe in, and a rebirth in Arizona makes a lot of sense to me.

Reasons to be In on Rondale Moore

• Jeff Haseley: Moore figures to see an increase in volume with a very low draft cost.

Reasons to be In on Darrel Williams

• Kevin Coleman: Williams had over 1,000 yards last season for the Kansas City Chiefs and showed last season he could lead a team as their RB1.

Players We're Out On at Cost

• Zach Ertz - 5
• DeAndre Hopkins - 5
• Kyler Murray - 3
• James Conner - 2
• No One - 1
• Marquise Brown - 1
• Darrel Williams - 1

Reasons to be Out on Zach Ertz

• Andy Hicks: Ertz will be 32. The Cardinals drafted a receiving tight end high in Trey McBride, and last year's early surprise packet, Maxx Williams, returns from injury.
• Christian Williams: Trey McBride should see the field early.
• Ryan Weisse: I do not like mid-round tight ends in fantasy. Ertz was all they had at the position last year. That changes in 2022, and his volume will suffer.
• Ben Cummins: I find myself drafting Tight Ends at ADP before and after Zach Ertz.
• James Brimacombe: Ertz is one of my favorite players of all time but I just don't see it happening for him this year at his current ADP.

Reasons to be Out on DeAndre Hopkins

• Ben Cummins: With the suspension in mind, I’m drafting very little DeAndre Hopkins.
• Jeff Bell: Seven weeks lost due to bye and suspension, Hopkins could return to a new primary target in Brown and Ertz as the main red-zone weapon.
• Jonathan Morris: Hopkins is set to miss seven weeks if you include the bye. Add that to a tough second-half schedule, and I'm avoiding him.
• Victoria Geary: Hate to start a fantasy season with a player you simply can't use for six weeks, limiting your bench and your upside at wide receiver.
• Sam Wagman: Hopkins is still a star name, but with last year’s injury and this year’s suspension in mind, it’s fair to wonder if his best days are behind him.

Reasons to be Out on Kyler Murray

• Chad Parsons: An average-ish NFL passer in his career, Murray swings wildly with his rushing preferences depending on his health.
• Craig Lakins: Murray took a step backward as a runner in 2021 and will be without Deandre Hopkins to start the season.
• Zareh Kantzabedian: Lamar Jackson is being selected seven spots ahead of Kyler Murray, while Jalen Hurts is being selected five spots after Murray. Both offer better fantasy value.

Reasons to be Out on James Conner

• Dave Kluge: Conner was thrust into a three-down role when Chase Edmonds was injured last year, but will cede touches to a healthy Darrell Williams. Touchdowns should also regress.
• Kevin Coleman: Conner is being overdrafted right now in redraft and best-ball leagues. He won't score 18 touchdowns next season, and Williams will take away his receiving work.

Reasons to be Out on No One

• Jason Wood: I'm in on almost every piece of the Cardinals puzzle.

Reasons to be Out on Marquise Brown

• Jeff Haseley: I'm in the minority here, but I'm not sure if he can duplicate his lofty numbers from 2021.

Reasons to be Out on Darrel Williams

• Phil Alexander: Are we sure he makes the roster out of camp after signing for a measly $1.19 million at the tail-end of free agency?