It has been an interesting few months to be an Arizona Cardinals fan. They saw their franchise quarterback, Kyler Murray, suffer an ACL injury near the end of the 2022 regular season. The team traded back in the 2023 NFL Draft and then traded back up before selecting Paris Johnson Jr. to bolster their offensive line. And then the team cut and traded away several pieces that could have been used in 2023 on a lowly roster.
With a full reset in Arizona that is all but confirmed by some of these moves, there are limited options on the team from a fantasy football perspective. And now, one of the only solid assets, wide receiver Marquise Brown, has shown up on the injury report for Week 1.
What is the latest on Brown, and what impact will it have on the Cardinals and fantasy teams if he can’t go on Sunday? Let’s find out.
Editor’s Note: Marquise Brown is active for the Cardinals Week 1 game.
Latest News Surrounding Marquise Brown
Brown is entering his fifth year in the NFL and his second in Arizona with the Cardinals. Brown has had a moderately successful career thus far, with 3,070 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns in 58 career games.
But Brown has also been riddled by injuries throughout his career. Often being the excuse managers give for why Brown has not fully broken out in his career, the wide receiver has missed games three different times in his career and has played through injuries while on the field.
This latest is a hamstring injury for Brown, which has the team officially listing him as questionable for the opener in Washington, D.C., on Sunday against the Commanders. The Cardinals have a very unproven team and will likely have Joshua Dobbs under center in Week 1. They could use Brown and any other help they can get.
Will Brown Play This Week?
Brown was limited in practice the entire week, which is not a tick in the optimistic box. Hamstring injuries can be incredibly tricky, especially for skill position players. While there may be a possibility for Brown to go, he would likely not be fully healthy in the contest.
I am skeptical that Brown will start in Week 1. The team has been overly apparent that they are not concerned about 2023. I think they will be safe and make sure that Brown is completely mended before having him suit up in a game.
What Does This Mean for Brown’s Fantasy Ranking?
In redraft leagues, Brown is still a player you will want to roster on your bench for now. As long as he is not set to miss a long amount of time, he could still be a strong contributor to your team as the year moves along.
The Cardinals are going to be bad. But they are still a professional football team. They will still accumulate passing yards and score the occasional touchdown. It may not be pretty week-to-week, but we don’t need pretty in fantasy. We just need stats.
Brown is the best wide receiver option on this lowly team. He will get chances and targets throughout the season for this reason alone. Don’t discount a guy who was averaging 81 yards a game in the first six weeks of last season when DeAndre Hopkins was out with a suspension.
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For both redraft and dynasty, it is also interesting to note all those trades the Cardinals have made in the offseason. The team seems to be moving any talent they can for assets for the future.
Brown is in the last year of his current contract. If (and when) the Cardinals struggle this year, Brown could be a strong candidate to trade mid-season to a contending team. While things could look bleak now for Hollywood, it could look a lot better in a few months.
For now, Brown is a hold in all formats.