The Arizona Cardinals will face the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding QB Kyler Murray.
Is Kyler Murray Playing in Week 17?
Murray is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Cardinals’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Kyler Murray in Week 17?
Murray simply hasn’t been the fantasy asset we dreamt of this offseason. And while this matchup doesn’t scare me on the surface, the sheer fact that the Rams boast the fifth-best red-zone defense is enough for me to consider benching Murray if I have access to upside elsewhere.
We’ve seen Arizona’s signal-caller throw at least as many interceptions as touchdown passes in five straight games, and Murray’s TD pass rate over his past seven (2.2%) falls short of what passing savants like Daniel Jones and Deshaun Watson have put on film this season (both at 2.3%).
It goes without saying that Murray is always one long run away from saving his fantasy day, which is why he’s still hovering around that QB12 mark for me.
But even the numbers on the ground have been spotty. After reaching 45 rushing yards in five of seven games to open this season, he’s cleared 21 yards in just two of eight.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 17 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Kyler Murray’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 17
As of Saturday, Murray is projected to score 19.1 fantasy points in Week 17. This includes 225.2 passing yards, 1.3 passing touchdowns, and 0.6 interceptions. It also includes 5.6 rushing attempts for 34.1 yards and 0.3 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Rams' Defense
The Rams' defense will almost certainly finish the season as a bottom-10 unit. The slow start, coupled with the disastrous Week 14 showing against Buffalo, serves as a massive anchor on the overall season numbers.
However, the Rams had a solid 75.8 (C) grade and have now posted top-10 weekly finishes in consecutive weeks and three of the last four games. The run defense excelled against the Jets, averaging its second-highest EPA per play of the season (0.29). Since Week 9, the Rams rank 12th in EPA per rush allowed, a huge jump from their 26th-place ranking from Weeks 1-8.
The pass defense is still a question mark, as only the Bills rank lower in EPA per dropback or pass success rate among current playoff teams. That probably limits LA's playoff upside, particularly given the inconsistent game-to-game performance from the passing offense.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Kyler Murray’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 3:45 PM ET on Saturday, December 28. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 17 QB PPR Rankings
1) Josh Allen | BUF (vs. NYJ)
2) Lamar Jackson | BAL (at HOU)
3) Joe Burrow | CIN (vs. DEN)
4) Jayden Daniels | WAS (vs. ATL)
5) Baker Mayfield | TB (vs. CAR)
6) Sam Darnold | MIN (vs. GB)
7) Kyler Murray | ARI (at LAR)
8) Jordan Love | GB (at MIN)
9) Bo Nix | DEN (at CIN)
10) Jared Goff | DET (at SF)
11) Brock Purdy | SF (vs. DET)
12) Tua Tagovailoa | MIA (at CLE)
13) Matthew Stafford | LAR (vs. ARI)
14) C.J. Stroud | HOU (vs. BAL)
15) Justin Herbert | LAC (at NE)
16) Patrick Mahomes | KC (at PIT)
17) Caleb Williams | CHI (vs. SEA)
18) Aaron Rodgers | NYJ (at BUF)
19) Geno Smith | SEA (at CHI)
20) Bryce Young | CAR (at TB)
21) Cooper Rush | DAL (at PHI)
22) Joe Flacco | IND (at NYG)
23) Russell Wilson | PIT (vs. KC)
24) Michael Penix Jr. | ATL (at WAS)
25) Drake Maye | NE (vs. LAC)
26) Aidan O'Connell | LV (at NO)
27) Tyler Huntley | MIA (at CLE)
28) Mac Jones | JAX (vs. TEN)
29) Kenny Pickett | PHI (vs. DAL)
30) Mason Rudolph | TEN (at JAX)
31) Drew Lock | NYG (vs. IND)
32) Spencer Rattler | NO (vs. LV)
33) Dorian Thompson-Robinson | CLE (vs. MIA)
Cardinals at Rams Trends and Insights
Arizona Cardinals
Team: Arizona is 4-15 and has been outscored by 152 points (492-340) in their past 19 road games.
QB: Kyler Murray doesn’t have more touchdown passes than interceptions in a game since doing so against the Jets in Week 10 (Arizona has lost four of five games over that stretch).
Offense: James Conner has consecutive games with a 40+ yard carry – he had one such run in his career with the Cardinals prior (794 rush attempts).
Defense: The Cardinals allowed the Panthers to average 3.0 points per drive on Sunday – Arizona falls to 1-6 this season when allowing at least 2.0 points per drive.
Fantasy: Conner is the first RB aged 29 or older with 100 rush yards, a rush TD, and 25 receiving yards in consecutive games since Latavius Murray (2019) – he joined this list in the first half last week against the Panthers.
Betting: Since the start of 2022, overs are 4-0 when the Cardinals play on extended rest (1-0 this season: 28-27 win over the Dolphins with a game that closed with a 46.5-point total).
Los Angeles Rams
Team: The Rams have won eight of 10 games after a 1-4 start, but they’ve only outscored their opponents by 27 points during that run (235-20)
QB: Matthew Stafford has thrown one touchdown pass on 46 attempts over his past two games (one TD toss every 11.7 attempts over his four games prior).
Offense: Los Angeles has won four straight games, but they’ve been walking on thin ice over their past two by converting just two of their eight red zone trips into TDs.
Defense: Opponents have converted just eight-of-18 red zone trips into touchdowns against the Rams over their past six games.
Fantasy: Kyren Williams has a league-high 15 games with 20+ carries since the beginning of last season.
Betting: The Rams have covered seven consecutive short rest games (average cover margin: 11.4 PPG).