Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rondale Moore was much improved in his sophomore season, but he couldn’t shake the injury bug. Without Kyler Murray and with DeAndre Hopkins gone, could Moore end up being a value? Should fantasy football managers draft Moore at his ADP this season?
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Rondale Moore’s Fantasy Outlook for the 2023 NFL Season
In full transparency, I wasn’t a fan of Moore as a prospect. At 5’7″, 181 pounds, he was unlike any prospect we’d seen. Of course, this was two years ago, before the influx of seemingly undersized receivers. Now, it seems as though this is the new normal.
As a rookie, Moore was only able to muster up 435 receiving yards. That is below the 500-yard threshold we look for in Day 1 or Day 2 picks. As a result, I was largely out on him heading into the 2022 season.
It’s difficult to evaluate how Moore performed last year. He averaged 11 PPR fantasy points per game but also only played eight games. And really, it was only seven.
Moore had four games with over 13 fantasy points — and even had one with 23.6. He saw at least eight targets in five of his seven complete games. Moore’s performance suggests he’s a good receiver, and that we should be intrigued by his prospects for the upcoming season. Unfortunately, I just can’t get behind that.
The Cardinals will be operating without Murray for at least a good chunk of the season. We don’t have a firm timetable on when he will be back, if at all. We just know he won’t be playing Week 1 (and likely all of September).
Moore’s 5.3 average depth of target was outside the top 100 last year. He only saw a 19.5% target share and was targeted on just 22.6% of his routes run. Despite his quality weeks, he hasn’t looked like a priority in this offense.
Although the Cardinals jettisoned DeAndre Hopkins, they still have Marquise Brown and spent a third-round pick on Michael Wilson. When it comes to third-rounders, they are far from a given to pan out. However, Wilson has impressed in training camp, and based on preseason usage, he has the inside track to the WR2 job opposite Brown.
Josh Dobbs (or Clayton Tune) is not about to support three fantasy-relevant WRs. I would be surprised if there were even two.
Is Moore a Good Fantasy Pick?
Moore’s ADP sits at WR66, No. 169 overall. He’s going to be one of the very least wide receivers drafted, if he gets taken at all.
Moore is my WR78, which is really just a placeholder so I don’t forget he exists during drafts. Anything outside the top 72 is all the same. Moore is the WR63 in our PFN Consensus Rankings.
MORE: 2023 Dynasty WR Rankings
I am out on Moore. Taking anyone on this offense other than Hollywood (or James Conner) is banking on Murray returning and being the rising tide that lifts all ships. I’m willing to take that gamble on the team’s WR1 — but not on their WR3.
I am far more intrigued by Wilson, who’s 18 spots above Moore in my rankings. If anyone is going to break through, I expect it to be him. Moore is not someone I will be taking in any league this season.