#Project32 provides in-depth breakdowns, projections, and rankings of all 32 teams coupled with promotion of some charitable organizations (a ‘My Clause My Cleats’ charity from some of your favorite fantasy players on each team)
In support of S.M.O.O.O.T.H, the 2021 ‘My Cause My Cleats’ pick of DeAndre ‘Nuk’ Hopkins.
The Smoooth foundation’s mission is to empower, educate, and equip survivors of domestic violence through acknowledging, preparing, and affirming their whole selves.
#Project32 Menu
- Division: NFC West
- 2021 Finish: 11-6
- Divisional Record: 4-2
- 2022 Projected Finish: 9-8
- 2022 Strength of Schedule: 24th
Arizona Cardinals Offense
Play Caller: Kliff Kingsbury
Kliff Kingsbury has come a long way since his college coaching days at Texas Tech. Once an Air Raid phenom, Kingsbury has converted to a modified spread offense in Arizona, and it’s starting to come together. The goal is to create as many pass-catching options as possible, forcing the defense to respect the passing game, which can create space in the run game. The Cardinals finished 8th in total yards, 11th in points scored, 10th in yards passing, and 10th in rushing yards. This has become a balanced attack that can beat you in multiple ways. They use tempo to stress the defense and maintain personnel advantages while protecting the football. They were fourth in the league in turnover rate (7.8%) and sixth in scoring rate (44.7%). That bodes well for the playmakers in this offense.
From a personnel standpoint, they lost DeAndre Hopkins for the first six games of the season due to the use of PED’s but were able to acquire Marquise Brown from the Baltimore Ravens. They also lost Chase Edmonds, who signed with Miami but added Keaontay Ingram (NFL Draft) and Darrel Williams (Free Agency) to the backfield to complement James Conner. They also drafted Trey McBride in the second round to pair with Zach Ertz at the Tight End position. The Cardinals have improved in the last three seasons but have yet to make a splash in meaningful games and play in one of the toughest divisions in football.
2021 By the Numbers
- Points Scored: 449 (11th)
- Total Yards: 6,352 (8th)
- Total Plays: 1,126 (8th)
- Yards Per Play: 5.6 (15th)
- 1st Downs: 367 (8th), 214 Passing (9th), 127 Rushing (10th)
- Scoring Rate: 44.7% (6th)
- Turnover Rate: 7.8% (4th)
- Offensive Plays/Game: 65.6 (5th)
- Pace of Play: 27.6 Seconds Per Play (5th)
- Passing Ratio: 56% (21st)
- Neutral Game Script: 57% (14th)
- RPO: 220 Snaps (38.2% Success Rate)
- Motion: 312 Plays (41.4% Success Rate)
- No Huddle: 413 Plays (45.0% Success Rate)
- Play Action: 202 Plays (44.1% Success Rate)
2021 Target Distribution
WRs: 359 Targets (12th)
RBs: 103 Targets (22nd)
TEs: 108 Targets (18th)
2021 Personnel Groupings
11 Personnel: 662 Plays
OVR: 56% (49% Success Rate)
Pass Rate: 63% (47% Success Rate)
Run Rate: 37% (52% Success Rate)
12 Personnel: 254 Plays
OVR: 22% (47% Success Rate)
Pass Rate: 46% (50% Success Rate)
Run Rate: 54% (45% Success Rate)
10 Personnel: 148 Plays
OVR: 13% (55% Success Rate)
Pass Rate: 58% (57% Success Rate)
Run Rate: 42% (53% Success Rate)
Offensive Line Projected Starters
LT: #74 D.J. Humphries
Age: 28 HT: 6’5 WT: 307 College: Florida Draft: RD1 Pick 24
OVR PFF: 67.5 Pass: 65.7 Run: 69.8
Contract: 1 year / $14,750,000 per year (15th at position) – Expires 2023
LG: #67 Justin Pugh
Age: 31 HT: 6’5 WT: 311 College: Syracuse Draft: RD1 Pick 19
OVR PFF: 64.5 Pass: 73.4 Run: 57.5
Contract: 1 year / $5,500,000 per year (10th at position) – Expires 2023
C: #61 Rodney Hudson
Age: 33 HT: 6’2 WT: 315 College: Florida State Draft: RD2 Pick 55
OVR PFF: 57.4 Pass: 64.6 Run 54.7
Contract: 2 years / $10,000,000 per year (7th at position) – Expires 2024
RG: #76 Will Hernandez
Age: 26 HT: 6’2 WT: 335 College: UTEP Draft: RD2 Pick 34
OVR PFF: 55.9 Pass: 56.0 Run 57.5
Contract: 1 year / $1,187,500 per year (35th at position) – Expires 2023
RT: #68 Kelvin Beachum
Age: 33 HT: 6’3 WT: 308 College: SMU Draft: RD7 Pick 248
OVR PFF: 60.8 Pass: 69.4 Run: 56.0
Contract: 1 year / $2,000,000 per year (25th at position) – Expires 2023
“(he) was a front-runner for the MVP award until he injured his ankle”
QB Room
#1 Kyler Murray
Age: 24 HT: 5’10 WT: 207 College: Oklahoma Draft: RD1 Pick 1
Contract: 7 years / $46,100,000 per year (2nd at position) – Expires 2029
Kyler Murray had the Cardinals rolling to a 7-0 start in 2021 and was a front-runner for the MVP award until he injured his ankle and missed three games. The Cardinals never looked the same as the dual-threat quarterback was unwilling to run as he had in the past, and the team lost four of the last five games and got destroyed by the Rams in the Wild Card Round. Even with the late-season skid, Murray was still able to post the best completion percentage of his career (69.2%) while throwing for 3,787 yards and 24 touchdowns to go along with 423 rushing yards and five scores on the ground. The rushing output was the lowest in his three years in the NFL, coming on the heels of his 2020 season when he totaled 819 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. If he can stay healthy for an entire season, Murray has a chance to be only the second player behind Josh Allen (2021) to finish with 4,000 yards passing and 750 yards rushing in the same season.
2022 Fantasy Outlook:
Passing: 578 Attempts, 68.0% Comp Rate, 4,217 Yards (7.3 YPA), 30 Touchdowns (5.2%)
Rushing: 103 Attempts, 5.7 YPC, 590 Yards, 7 Touchdowns
PROJECTIONS TEMPLATE – GET NOW!
RB Room
#6 James Conner
Age: 27 HT: 6’1 WT: 233 College: Pittsburgh Draft: RD3 Pick 105
Contract: 3 years / $7,000,000 per year (10th at position) – Expires 2025
James Conner was everything the Cardinals had hoped for and much more in 2021. In his first season in Arizona, he played a career-high 15 games and turned that into 1,127 total yards and 18 touchdowns with an average of 4.7 yards per touch. He was targeted 39 times and turned that into 37 receptions (95% catch rate) for 375 yards and three scores through the air. The downside was he only averaged 3.7 yards per carry and had just five games over 60 yards rushing. There is no question he earns his paycheck in short yardage and goal-line situations. If Conner can stay healthy, he will continue to lead this backfield, but I wouldn’t expect him to parlay 202 touches into 15 touchdowns again. That is insane efficiency with a TD rate of 7.4%. He also finished fourth in fantasy points per opportunity (1.07) and seventh in fantasy points per game (17.2). I expect him to be in the mid RB2 range with weekly RB1 upside.
2022 Fantasy Outlook:
Receiving: 6% Target Share, 35 Targets, 29 Receptions, 233 yards (8.0 YPR), 2 Touchdowns
Rushing: 44% Rush Share, 217 Attempts, 910 Yards (4.2 YPC), 12 Touchdowns
#24 Darrel Williams
Age: 27 HT: 5’11 WT: 224 College: LSU Draft: UDFA
Contract: 1 year / $1,187,500 per year (63rd at position) – Expires 2023
Darrel Williams is in line to take on the pass-catching role left vacant by the departure of Chase Edmonds. He is not Chase Edmonds, but he can be serviceable in the Edmonds’ role. As a member of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021, Williams started seven games and parlayed that into 558 yards rushing and 452 yards receiving, with a total of eight touchdowns. He took advantage of injuries to Clyde-Edwards Helaire and Jerick McKinnon, who missed a total of 11 games. Before 2021, Williams had never had more than 57 total touches in a season. He totaled 191 last season, which gave the Cardinals a good enough sample size to feel comfortable bringing him in to compete with Keaontay Ingram and Eno Benjamin as the RB2 in this backfield.
2022 Fantasy Outlook:
Receiving: 8% Target Share, 46 Targets, 37 Receptions, 311 Yards (8.4 YPR), 2 Touchdowns
Rushing: 21% Rush Share, 103 Attempts, 466 Yards (4.5 YPC), 4 Touchdowns
WR Room
#2 Marquise Brown
Age: 25 HT: 5’9 WT: 180 College: Oklahoma Draft: RD 1 Pick 25
Contract: 2 years / $2,946,835 per year (70th at position) – Expires 2024
Marquise Brown improved in his three years since being drafted in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. Brown finished the 2021 season with 146 targets, 91 receptions, 1008 yards, and six touchdowns. With injuries to J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, the Ravens became more pass-happy, giving Brown WR1 volume. With the DeAndre Hopkins suspension, he should be able to maintain similar volume in Arizona to start the season. Once Hopkins returns, this offense becomes even more explosive. It’s not out of the range of outcomes for Brown to finish around 1200 yards receiving and 10+ touchdowns in this system at his ceiling.
2022 Fantasy Outlook:
Receiving: 21% Target Share, 121 Targets, 79 Receptions, 1042 Yards (13.2 YPR), 8 Touchdowns
#10 DeAndre Hopkins
Age: 30 HT: 6’1 WT: 212 College: Clemson Draft: RD1 Pick 27
Contract: 3 years / $27,250,000 per year (3rd at position) – Expires 2025
Hopkins will miss the first six games of the 2021 season due to his PED suspension. Hopkins missed eight games in 2021 due to hamstring and knee injuries, compounding the worst season of his nine-year career. He was on pace for only 102 targets, which would have been his lowest output since his rookie season in 2013. When he’s healthy, and on the field, he still flashes as an elite wide receiver in the NFL. Through 10 games last season, he was still 13th in fantasy point per route (0.51) and sixth in fantasy points per target (2.34) while scoring eight touchdowns in just ten games.
2022 Fantasy Outlook:
Receiving: 14% Target Share, 81 Targets, 53 Receptions, 689 Yards (13.0 YPR), 6 Touchdowns
“If he can prove himself and stay on the field, he could be more boom than bust”
#4 Rondale Moore
Age: 22 HT: 5’7 WT: 180 College: Purdue Draft: RD2 Pick 49
Contract: 3 years / $1,731,064 per year (97th at position) – Expires 2025
To say Rondale Moore struggled during his rookie season would be an understatement. Expectations were high coming into an offense that featured Christian Kirk and Hopkins. The Cardinals gave him every opportunity to be the WR3 in this offense, but it never happened. With Hopkins missing the first six games and Kirk now in Jacksonville, Moore will once again get a chance to prove he was worthy of a second-round pick. He has sub-4.4 speed and showed the ability to separate from defenders and create yards after the catch. If he can prove himself and stay on the field, he could be more boom than bust.
2022 Fantasy Outlook:
Receiving: 11% Target Share, 64 Targets, 51 Receptions, 412 Yards (8.1 YPR), 2 Touchdowns
TE Room
#86 Zach Ertz
Age: 31 HT: 6’5 WT: 250 College: Stanford Draft: RD2 Pick 35
Contract: 3 years / $10,550,000 per year (10th at position) – Expires 2025
Zach Ertz arrived in Arizona after spending the first six games with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021. In the 11 games for the Cardinals, he finished with 81 targets, 56 receptions, 574 yards, and three touchdowns. That projects out to 125 targets, 86 receptions, 887 yards, and five touchdowns over a 17-game season. The Cardinals ranked 19th in the NFL last season with only 108 targets to the tight end position. That means they only targeted the tight end 27 times before Ertz arrived in the desert. Over the last five games of the season, with Hopkins in the lineup, Ertz was targeted nine times or more. With Hopkins set to miss the first six games, Ertz provides TE1 upside.
2022 Fantasy Outlook:
Receiving: 14% Target Share, 81 Targets, 55 Receptions, 567 Yards (10.3 YPR), 5 Touchdowns
#85 Trey McBride
Age: 22 HT: 6’4 WT: 250 College: Colorado State Draft: RD2 Pick 55
Contract: 4 years / $1,574,910 per year (44th at position) – Expires 2026
Trey McBride won the John Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end after finishing his senior season at Colorado State with 90 receptions for 1,121 yards. He was targeted 134 times in 12 games and finished with a dominator rating of 46.3%, which put him in the 99th percentile at the tight end position. He comes to an offense that already features Ertz, Hopkins, and Brown, so targets may be hard to come by in his rookie season. The Cardinals only ran multiple tight end sets 23% of the time, but with Hopkins set to miss the first six games, that could increase early in the season.
2022 Fantasy Outlook:
Receiving: 8% Target Share, 46 Targets, 31 Receptions, 321 Yards (10.4 YPR), 2 Touchdowns
**Advanced Stats & Metrics provided by Yards Per Fantasy, Player Profiler, Sharp Football Analysis, Fantasy Pros, Team Rankings, Pro Football Focus, Over the Cap and Pro Football Reference**
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