Fantasy Stock Up, Stock Down: Arizona Cardinals

Welcome back to the “Fantasy Stock Up, Stock Down” series (offseason edition). We are just a few months away from all of the offseason madness, as teams prepare for free agency and the NFL Draft. Meanwhile, we as dynasty managers need to be preparing as well. Who are we going to target in rookie drafts? Who are we going to go out and trade for? Who are we willing to give up in return? Will you go all in this season to bring home a championship? Or should you go young and prepare for the future? There’s so much to think about before September. The “offseason edition” of this series is an early look at whose stock is up and whose stock is down as we head into free agency and draft season. We will break down each NFL team one by one. Today is all about the Arizona Cardinals. 

STOCK UP – ENO BENJAMIN 

If you’re in need of adding running back depth to your team this offseason, Benjamin is probably not at the top of your list. The former seventh-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft is the only running back contracted through next season with Arizona for right now. Jaylen Samuels has a reserve/future agreement for 2022, but both Chase Edmonds and James Conner are currently unrestricted free agents. Surely, the Cardinals will likely re-sign one of those two and possibly add more depth to the position in either free agency or the draft. But for now, we have to assume Benjamin’s role will increase during the 2022 regular season. 

The second-year pro only received minimal action when Edmonds or Conner missed a contest due to injury. That happened quite a bit as Edmonds missed five games while Conner missed two of his own. The problem with Benjamin is that he wasn’t very efficient with his opportunities, as he carried the ball for an unremarkable 3.5 yards per attempt. On top of that, he only hauled in six receptions for 42 yards in nine games played. With the assumption that either Conner, Edmonds, or both walk in free agency, Benjamin should have a chance to bolster those numbers in 2022. Here’s why we can believe that to be true. 

In three seasons played at Arizona State, Benjamin was impressive on the ground, as he scampered for 2,867 yards on 576 carries in 34 games. His career average of 5.0 yards per attempt doesn’t paint the picture for his pro outlook. But his receiving numbers tell you that he could be a viable receiver out of the backfield. He hauled in a combined 77 receptions for 610 yards and four touchdowns during his sophomore and junior seasons (25 games played). If Edmonds were to leave Arizona, Kliff Kingsbury will be searching for a gadget back to replace him. With the speed and versatility already on Arizona’s offense, Benjamin could be overlooked and rewarded with plenty of opportunities next season. 

Other Notables: Rondale Moore, Zach Ertz (UFA)

STOCK DOWN – DEANDRE HOPKINS

It pains me to write this, but we may have seen the end of WR1 production from DeAndre Hopkins. Now, he could turn things around and finish inside the top-12 again in 2022, but we need to be thinking about life without him on our dynasty teams sooner rather than later. His stock is certainly the lowest it’s been going into an offseason since he entered the league. He’s coming off an injury-riddled season for the first time in his career, as he was held to a career-low 10 games played. There are rumors that Kyler Murray isn’t happy. And there are a ton of skilled position players entering free agency (A.J. Green, Christian Kirk, Zach Ertz, Maxx Williams, Conner, and Edmonds). This offense could look a whole lot different next season, and that’s not necessarily a good thing for Hopkins and his dynasty value. 

Think about it. It’s a lot easier to shut down one player than it is to shut down multiple talented players. If Green, Kirk, Ertz, Williams, Edmonds, and Conner all leave this offseason, Hopkins will be on an island, and Rondale Moore will have to do a ton to create space for him in the open field. Surely, some of those names will be back, but some likely won’t. For Hopkins’ sake, let’s hope the Cardinals bring back one of those running backs and at least Kirk or Ertz. Here’s another reason why Hopkins’ dynasty stock is down. HE’LL BE 30 YEARS OLD IN JUNE! If he’s your WR2 on your dynasty team, that’s fine, but I would be a little worried if he were my top guy. With so much young talent in the league nowadays (Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, D.K. Metcalf, A.J. Brown, CeeDee Lamb, etc.), it’s hard to be excited about Hopkins as your WR1. According to our rankings here at DFF, Hopkins is slated as the WR19 in dynasty formats heading into the offseason. 

Hopkins’ 2021 season wasn’t all bad. Although he finished with career-worst numbers in games played, receptions, and receiving yards, his 17-game pace was interesting, to say the least. He was on pace to finish with about 71 receptions, 972 yards, and 14 touchdowns (13.6 to be exact). So what we were seeing was that Hopkins was going to have a down year in receptions and receiving yards, but even that’s hard to judge considering he played some of those games hurt. But his touchdown numbers were terrific. Eight touchdowns in 10 games are very impressive numbers, and if he can keep that going next season, he’ll make you feel like keeping him was worth it. But here’s the thing, if you have any Hopkins shares, look to get value out of him now. Someone going all in next season will give up assets for him, in hopes that he returns to form. And if he does, don’t panic, it’s more than likely not going to last more than a season or two. 

Other Notables: Andy Isabella, Maxx Williams (UFA)

Teams Broken Down Already: Bears, Bengals, Bills, Broncos, Browns, Buccaneers

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