Cardinals’ Kyler Murray giving fantasy football players reason to smile
Oct 27, 2020, 9:02 AM | Updated: 9:16 am
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) warms up prior to an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Who woke up to a Kyler Murray fantasy football trade proposal?
On the primetime stage for a second straight game, the Arizona Cardinals quarterback reigned supreme over MVP candidate Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks.
Completing nearly 72% (34-of-48) of his passes, the second-year pro racked up 360 yards and three touchdowns in the air. He turned on the ground game yet again, rushing for 67 yards and a score.
It was yet another strong performance that has fantasy football players reaping the rewards for selecting K1 as a QB1 in the fantasy drafts. That’s what happens when you have a fantasy football player who is on pace to throw for 4,222 yards and rush for another 999.
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Murray has yet to have a game under 23 fantasy points, per Fantasy Pros, recording seven straight “great” starts — games with more than 23 points. He’s been one of the most consistent passers in fantasy football and his 38-point effort on SNF was the icing on the cake this early in the year.
Only once this year has Murray not been a top-10 fantasy scoring quarterback. Outside of his 23 points in Week 4, Murray hasn’t dipped past seventh among signal-callers. His SNF showing was second to only Los Angles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert’s 347 yards and four total touchdowns.
It’s evident head coach Kliff Kingsbury wants the ball in the hands of his QB more often than not. One way to increase that in 2020 has been through the running game. Something Kingsbury has done effectively so far this season.
After rushing just 93 times for 544 yards and four touchdowns last season, Murray is on his way to obliterating those stats this year.
Through seven games, Murray has ran the rock 65 times for 437 yards and seven scores, tied with the Tennessee Titans’ Derrick Henry and the Atlanta Falcons’ Todd Gurley for the most among NFL rushers. He rushed for at least 60 yards in all but two games with a season-high 91 yards in the season-opening win over the San Francisco 49ers.
His 6.7 yards per attempt is second in the NFL among rushers and has tallied the most rushing yards for a quarterback this season. That’s more than the shifty Lamar Jackson and his 346 yards.
Now, for the not-so-great part of Murray’s first seven games of 2020.
Murray has taken a major leap forward in the air and on the ground, but about the only knock on the signal-caller this season is his interception rate.
Following the team’s SNF win over Seattle, Murray sits tied for third among NFL quarterbacks with seven picks. After recording 12 last season, Murray is on pace for 16 interceptions this year.
Luckily, the good certainly outweighs the bad. The stats speak for themselves.
If you have him, you’re thrilled — and most likely in the top tier of your league.
If you don’t, you’ve probably mapped out — at the very least — some kind of trade scenario to get him on your roster.
