In support of: National Kidney Foundation
Fueled by passion and urgency, National Kidney Foundation is a lifeline for all people affected by kidney disease. As pioneers of scientific research and innovation, NKF focuses on the whole patient through the lens of kidney health. Relentless in our work, we enhance lives through action, education and accelerating change.
Nominated by Crusade Creator (@vandygrad92)
“After getting diagnosed with MS in 1998 and diabetes in 2004, I was told by my nephrologist in 2017 that I had severely declining kidney function and would need to get tested for placement on the deceased donor list at Vanderbilt in Nashville. After passing all of my testing, I was placed on the waiting list in December.
Being on the list is just the beginning. Unless you are lucky enough to get a living donor, your wait is typically 5-7 years. Along with that, my kidney function was declining rapidly and fell below ten percent. My wife Sarah saw a FB post from Annette McNamara. She had founded a non-profit “Beautiful Strength” and on 2/26/20 was needing a podcast guest (my first pod). Four hours later, we were on the pod. @DuaneFouts wife Jacie heard this pod and the next day, she reached out to my wife Sarah to say “you don’t know me, but I’m with you the rest of the way.”
After doing initial testing in Arizona, Duane and Jacie flew to Nashville in May (of course during Covid) for additional testing. After passing everything, we had transplant on 8/11. NKF was founded to help patients awaiting transplant pay their insurance premiums. They rely solely on contributions to help families avoid financial ruin caused by high costs of dialysis (I was on for 17 months), loss of income, etc. With Duane and Jacie living in Phoenix, and us forever friends (really family), the Cardinals were the only choice for this nomination!!
Having met so many wonderful people and making such an extended loving family, our goal is to pay it forward as best we can.“
#Project32 Menu
2020 Recap
Division: NFC West
2020 Finish: 8-8 (3rd in NFC West)
2020 Tendencies:
- Passing Ratio: 55% (25th)
- Neutral Game Script: 55% (22nd)
- Offensive Scheme: Air Raid
Personnel Groupings:
- 11 Personnel (1RB, 1TE, 3WR) = 46%
- 12 Personnel (1RB, 2TE, 2WR) = 30%
- 10 Personnel (1RB, 0TE, 4 WR) = 20%
- 21 Personnel (2RB, 1TE, 2WR) = 2%
- 13 Personnel (1RB, 3TE, 1WR) = 1%
- 20 Personnel (2RB, 0TE, 3WR) = 1%
Coaching Room
Head Coach: Kliff Kingsbury
Kliff Kingsbury was not a popular hire when the Arizona Cardinals hired him prior to the 2019 season. The Cardinals had taken Josh Rosen with the 10th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and finished the season 3-13 under then coach, Steve Wilks. Rosen finished the year with 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while only completing 55% of his passes. It was time to go a different direction. This is where Kingsbury made sense for the Cardinals. He had built a reputation for developing young quarterbacks like Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M), Patrick Mahomes (Texas Tech), and Case Keenum (Houston) and the NFL was in love with young offensive minds like Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan. With the first pick in the NFL Draft and a new head coach that has a talent for developing young quarterbacks, the Cardinals selected Kyler Murray who they believe is the perfect quarterback to run this offense. In 2019 the Cardinals finished 21st in total yards, 24th in passing yards, 10th in rushing yards and 16th in total points scored. In 2020, they added DeAndre Hopkins and finished 6th in total yards, 17th in passing yards, 7th in rushing yards, and 13th in total points scored. They improved dramatically in year two and now add A.J. Green, Rondale Moore, and James Conner to the mix. This offense could be special in 2021.
Overall Rank: 20th/32
OL Room
LT D.J. Humphries – PFF 88.3, Pass Blocking 79.9, Run Blocking 90.8
D.J. Humphries may have made the Pro Bowl in 2020 if he wasn’t playing in the same conference as Trent Williams and David Bakhtiari. Humphries finished the 2020 season ranked fourth in overall PFF Grade at 88.3 which was a massive leap from 2019 (65.4) and 2018 (70.1), not to mention, he was ranked third out of 76 tackles graded with a 90.8 run block grade.
LG Justin Pugh – PFF 64.8, Pass Blocking 74.4, Run Blocking 62.7
Justin Pugh was drafted 19th overall in the 2013 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. During his eight-year career he has played every position on the offensive line except for center. He’s played a key role over the last two seasons in the Cardinals finishing in the top ten in rushing yards.
C Rodney Hudson – PFF 73.6, Pass Blocking 70.0, Run Blocking 72.7
Rodney Hudson is now a member of the Arizona Cardinals after they acquired him from the Las Vegas Raiders via trade. He comes into 2021 as the highest ranked center by Pro Football Focus and has graded as the best at the position in pass blocking from 2015-2019. For comparison, he replaced Mason Cole who was ranked 42nd among all centers graded in 2020. The Cardinals offensive line just got better in both the run and passing game.
RG Justin Murray – PFF 56.7, Pass Blocking 73.7, Run Blocking 45.6
Justin Murray played 602 snaps in 2020 and improved as a pass blocker with a PFF grade of 73.7 compared to 67.3 in 2019. He did struggle in the run game ranking 75th out of 79 players graded at the guard position so he will look to improve in that area entering the 2021 season.
RT Kelvin Beachum – PFF 69.0, Pass Blocking 76.8, Run Blocking 59.0
Kelvin Beachum is entering his 10th season in the NFL and his second in Arizona. He previously played for the Steelers, Jaguars, and New York Jets. Beachum played well in the passing game but like Murray had his struggles in the run game.
New Toys: Brian Winters
Old News: Mason Cole (14/14)
Overall Rank: 11th/32
QB Room
Kyler Murray (QB3)
Kyler Murray was the number one overall draft pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma where he played for Lincoln Riley. In his last season at Oklahoma he completed 69% of his passes for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns while running for an additional 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns. He capped his college career off by winning the Heisman Trophy and entering the NFL Draft. In his two years in the NFL he has been just as explosive with 1,100 yards rushing and 7,693 yards passing with a total of 61 touchdowns. He capped off the 2020 season as a passer ranked in the top ten in pass attempts (558), deep ball attempts (70), and play action completion percentage (70.4%) while also finishing in the top five in several rushing metrics including carries (133), red zone carries (3), rushing yards (819), and rushing touchdowns (11). With the NFL adding a 17th game to the schedule, Murray has a chance to be the first NFL player in history to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in the same season. With the additions of Rondale Moore and A.J. Green in the passing game the Cardinals will be even better at spreading teams out and creating running lanes for James Conner, Chase Edmonds and Kyler Murray. Defenses are going to have to pick their poison when choosing how to defend this offense. Good Luck.
Fantasy Outlook
Passing: 627 attempts, 65.1%, 4375 yards, 31 touchdowns
Rushing: 148 attempts, 1004 yards, 7 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 417.5
New Toys: Colt McCoy
Old News: Brett Hundley
Position Fantasy Rank: 4th/32
RB Room
James Conner (RB33)
James Conner signed a one-year deal to become a member of the Arizona Cardinals during the off-season and looks to play a key role in this offense. There is some familiarity for Conner in Arizona, as their running backs coach, James Saxon, held the same position in Pittsburgh during the 2017-2018 seasons. Conner has never played a full season during his four years in the NFL and hopes a change of scenery will change that. He had his best season in 2018 when he finished with 1,470 total yards and 13 touchdowns while being selected to his one and only Pro Bowl. Conner and Chase Edmonds should make a good 1-2 punch in this backfield and I can only assume that Edmonds will take on more of the passing down role while Conner provides a little more of the early down and goal line work as a hard-nosed downhill runner. It is worth noting that Conner was 7th in breakaway runs in 2020 with nine on only 169 carries. Conner is capable of being a three down back so it will be interesting to see how the shares are distributed in this offense.
Fantasy Outlook
Rushing: 187 attempts, 767 yards, 8 touchdowns
Receiving: 38 targets, 26 receptions, 166 yards, 1 touchdown
Total Fantasy Points: 173.6
Chase Edmonds (RB32)
Chase Edmonds split time in the backfield in 2020 with Kenyan Drake and saw a 13% target share in the passing game and 20% in the run game. You can expect a similar role with James Conner replacing Kenyan Drake in 2021. Edmonds had a career high in both rushing attempts (97) and receptions (53) for 850 yards from scrimmage and 5 touchdowns. He finished sixth in targets (68) and receiving yards (402), and seventh in yards per touch (5.7). Edmonds is a solid complimentary piece that can fill in as the starter if needed.
Fantasy Outlook
Rushing: 108 attempts, 477 yards, 3 touchdowns
Receiving: 81 targets, 57 receptions, 411 yards, 2 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 175.7
New Toys: N/A
Old News: Kenyan Drake (15/13)
Position Fantasy Rank: 27th/32
WR Room
DeAndre Hopkins (WR6)
DeAndre Hopkins was everything and more for the Arizona Cardinals in 2020. In his first season with Kyler Murray, he racked up 115 receptions for 1,407 yards and 6 touchdowns on 160 targets. With the additions of A.J. Green and Rondale Moore to the receiving room I expect an even bigger season from Hopkins in year two. Hopkins is coming off of four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons where he has averaged 162 targets, 108 receptions, and 1,381 yards receiving. Hopkins is elite and it would not surprise me to see him hit 200 targets over 17 games. Hopkins is not only a threat to catch the rock, but also what he can do after the catch. He racked up 547 yards after the catch in 2020 finishing second in the NFL.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 182 targets, 120 receptions, 1463 yards, 10 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 326.3
Rondale Moore (WR69)
Rondale Moore is fast. The second-round draft pick out of Purdue ran a 4.32 at his Pro Day and you can see every bit of that speed when you watch his film. In his freshman year at Purdue, Moore had 114 receptions and totalled 1,471 yards from scrimmage with 14 touchdowns. Unfortunately, in his sophomore year (2019) he suffered a grade 1 hamstring tear and only played in four games amassing 390 yards and 4 touchdowns. In 2020, he only played in three games after suffering another grade 1 hamstring tear that cost him the beginning of a condensed season due to COVID-19 restrictions. With that said, it was clear on film and his Pro Day, he is ready to play and should make an immediate impact in his rookie season. He fits the air raid concepts that Kingsbury likes to run with his ability to catch the ball in space and make people miss. The Cardinals believe Moore is not just a gadget player, but someone that can be a big part of this offense and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him used in motion and out of the backfield at times.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 75 targets, 49 receptions, 552 yards, 4 touchdowns
Rushing: 20 attempts, 122 yards, 1 touchdown
Total Fantasy Points: 146.3
Christian Kirk (WR67)
Christian Kirk has been a nice complimentary piece in the Cardinals’ offense since entering the league in 2018. The question is, can he be more than that? Just when you thought he might get the opportunity to be a true WR2, the Cardinals draft Rondale Moore and add A.J. Green to the roster. Both could make an immediate impact leaving Christian Kirk on the outside looking in. With that said, he could be a steal at his current ADP if Rondale Moore struggles to make an impact and A.J. Green looks closer to retirement than he does an impact player in 2021.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 88 targets, 54 receptions, 647 yards, 5 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 149.1
AJ Green (WR70)
AJ Green has been plagued by injuries over the last few seasons including an ankle injury that cost him the entire 2019 season and some toe sprains that cost him the majority of the 2018 season. He hasn’t played a full season since 2017, which was the last of his seven consecutive Pro Bowl selections. In 2020, he was targeted 104 times, but was only able to convert that to 47 receptions for 523 yards and 2 touchdowns. He had a career worst 45.2% catch rate with a primary role as the deep threat in Zac Taylor’s offense. He was seventh in deep targets with 25 and finished 12th in air yards with 1,376 yards. Temper expectations and proceed with caution.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 81 targets, 51 receptions, 646 yards, 5 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 145.2
New Toys: N/A
Old News: Larry Fitzgerald (13/13)
Position Fantasy Rank: 4th/32
TE Room
Maxx Williams (TE46)
Maxx Williams does not have much relevance in this offense at all, but I didn’t want to leave the room empty. His best season as a pass-catching tight end came in his rookie season (2015) when he had 32 receptions for 268 yards and 1 touchdown. In the five seasons since, he has a total of 54 receptions and four touchdowns.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 44 targets, 29 receptions, 237 yards, 1 touchdown
Total Fantasy Points: 58.2
New Toys: N/A
Old News: Dan Arnold (16/5)
Position Fantasy Rank: 32nd/32
2021 Full Player Projections
Make Your Own Projections With Our Template!
Strength of Schedule (SOS): #15 (.496 127-129)
2021 Predicted Finish: 8-9 (Last NFC West)
Note: all projections are PPR scoring
