The Arizona Cardinals will face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 18. 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 18?
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 18?
This season hasn’t gone nearly the way fantasy managers had hoped for Murray, and Saturday was a pretty good reflection of that.
Despite 52 opportunities (pass + rush attempts) against a reasonably vulnerable Rams defense, Murray managed just 16 fantasy points. For the season as a whole, he has more sub-12-point games (five) than games with 21+ (four), something that I would have told you was close to impossible if you gave me the facts of him completing 68.6% of his passes while averaging a career-high 7.3 yards per carry.
Despite those rate stats, it’s been the “hows” of him getting those numbers that have been the problem, and that is what scares me for 2025. His aDOT this season is a career-low 6.9 yards and, more impactful for our purposes, the rushing volume is in steady decline.
Kyler Murray, completions per rush attempt by season:
- 2020: 2.82
- 2021: 3.77
- 2022: 3.87
- 2023: 4.00
- 2024: 4.63
Murray has at least three more years on his contract, and this is the sort of usage that doesn’t reverse with age. The Marvin Harrison Jr. connection should develop with time, and Trey McBride is a special playmaker, but if we are trending four-ish carries per game as opposed to the 6.7 he averaged through his first season, we need to rethink the upside case significantly.
As for Week 18, Murray relied on his legs to produce in the Week 5 meeting with the 49ers (83 rush yards and a touchdown), something that I’m not sure sticks. The Cardinals have no motivation this week, but without a developmental QB to give snaps to on the roster, I’m projecting a full game from Murray; that’s enough to land him inside my top 10, a ranking I’m not positive he enters next season with.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 18 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Kyler Murray’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
As of Sunday, Murray is projected to score 18.5 fantasy points in Week 18. This includes 218 passing yards, 1.3 passing touchdowns, and 0.6 interceptions. It also includes 5.4 rushing attempts for 33 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.
Kyler Murray’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.
Conference Championship QB PPR Rankings
1) Josh Allen | BUF (at KC)
2) Jalen Hurts | PHI (vs. WAS)
3) Jayden Daniels | WAS (at PHI)
4) Patrick Mahomes | KC (vs. BUF)
