The Arizona Cardinals’ historic team struggles against the Carolina Panthers — 6-15 all-time and 1-4 since drafting quarterback Kyler Murray — have been well-documented, but The Athletic predicted that four offensive individuals will go off for fantasy football owners on Sunday.
On a scale of matchup favorability with 1 as least favorable and 100 as most favorable, The Athletic’s KC Joyner handed Murray, running back James Conner, tight end Trey McBride and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. all at least 92 points.
Conner, who will be up against the second-worst rushing defense in Week 1 (200 yards for the Jacksonville Jaguars), was given a perfect score of 100. Though he took the fourth-fewest snaps (31) all of 2024 against Carolina, Conner broke through for 117 yards and a touchdown on just 15 carries.
Joyner leaned on the Panther’s terrible track record against the run as justification for the high fantasy regard of Conner.
Carolina was terrible at stopping the rush last year, which carried over into the Week 1 game against Jacksonville. The Panthers allowed 24.6 fantasy points on planned rush plays last week, ranking 28th. The matchup should afford Conner an outside chance to tally 20+ points in PPR leagues this week.
Murray earned 95 points, with the signal caller having had success threw the air in four career games against the Panthers. He’s posted eight touchdowns to four interceptions and a 70.3% completion rate and averaged over six yards per completion in his last two outings.
With a 93 matchup favorability score, Joyner has McBride getting into “double-digit target territory” at home versus Carolina. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence found tight end Brenton Strange — who similarly has an 100 favorability against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 — four times for 59 yards, the most for a Jacksonville pass catcher against the Carolina defense.
McBride didn’t quite live up to expectations last week with six catches for 61 yards and no touchdowns. That should change this week with a matchup against Carolina. The Panthers allowed 17.5 PPR points to the Jaguars’ tight ends last week. McBride could get in double-digit target territory and an upper-tier TE1 ranking.
McBride surprisingly has had a quiet presence against the Panthers in two career games (six catches, seven targets, 44 yards, no touchdowns), but his high target rate last in 2024 (eight-plus times in 10 games) and chemistry with Murray will likely help him turn the corner.
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As for the second-year Harrison, he received 92 points for a Carolina pass defense that surrendered 19 catches and 178 yards in Week 1. The former No. 4 overall draft pick showed flashes of the more developed connection between he and Murray against the New Orleans Saints with five receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown.
Like McBride, Harrison was held in check in last season’s 36-30 overtime loss at Carolina, as he only accounted for 39 yards on four catches.
Joyner suggested this high favorability with Carolina cornerback Mike Jackson most likely to keep tabs on Harrison throughout the game.
Jackson was tied for the eighth-highest PPR PPG mark in 2024 and allowed a 104.2 passer rating when targeted in Week 1. That plus factor comes with a negative: The Panthers’ secondary fared well on vertical passes last week (only 1.16 points allowed), which could be a problem given Kyler Murray’s long track record of subpar vertical pass production. Even with the caveat, the Jackson matchup makes Harrison a quality start candidate this week.
In contrast, Carolina quarterback Bryce Young was among those with the least favorable matchups against Arizona, the third-year player getting just 19 points.
Kickoff for Cardinals-Panthers is at 1:05 p.m. and can be heard on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.
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