Falcons @ Cardinals Week 10 Game Preview
Jonathan Fuller breaks down the Week 10 matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals from a fantasy football and betting perspective.
Atlanta Falcons @ Arizona Cardinals
The main storyline for this game is the return of Kyler Murray as he makes his way back from the ACL injury suffered in Week 14 of last season.
This season may be lost for Arizona, but the new coaching staff will certainly want to evaluate their young passer as they assess how to proceed in next year’s draft.
Even if Murray isn’t all the way back to the player he was pre-injury, it should still be an upgrade for the Cardinals' QB play this season, especially compared to what Clayton Tune gave the team in Week 9.
Murray’s first game back will see him take on a Falcons’ defense that ranks in the top 10 for both rush and pass success rate allowed.
For the Cardinals pass catchers, Murray’s return should be a rising tide that lifts all boats. This should be particularly beneficial for Marquise Brown and Trey McBride, who have led the team in target share this season
The Cardinals may also get back RB James Conner and WR Michael Wilson this week, which would only further boost the offense.
None of these guys are smash starts this week, Brown (WR31) and McBride (TE11) are startable according to the Fantasy Life consensus ranks, but you may have better options. Be sure to utilize the start/sit tool for our most up-to-date recommendation on who should be in your lineup.
For the Falcons, pressure is mounting on Arthur Smith after his team lost at home to a Minnesota squad that had a QB who hadn’t even practiced with the team.
That makes three losses in their last four games, showing that Desmond Ridder wasn’t the only problem with this team.
From a fantasy perspective, it is getting increasingly difficult to trust any Atlanta players in your lineup. Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier have essentially been in a 50/50 split, while Kyle Pitts hasn’t finished higher than the TE15 in any of his past three games.
While the usage makes it difficult to trust any of these players, the matchup makes their ceiling enticing.
Arizona’s defense ranks poorly against all positions except opposing TEs. Their struggles against the RB position and the Falcons' run-first approach make both Robinson and Allgeier startable in Week 10. Robinson is the RB12 in the Fantasy Life consensus ranks, while Allgeier checks in as the RB32 on the week and is a suitable flex play.
The biggest question mark for the Falcons offense is whether or not Drake London will be back this week after he missed Week 9 due to a groin injury. He returned to practice and should hopefully be available on Sunday, but if he ends up missing again, it will mean a significant projections boost for Van Jefferson and KhaDarel Hodge, who ran the most routes in his absence last week.