Tag: rondale moore

Sifting through the mess that is the Arizona Cardinals’ receiving corps

Arizona’s WR corps is underwhelming, and the QB situation is even bleaker.

A year ago, all the arrows were pointed up for the Arizona Cardinals. They’d made the playoffs in 2021, handed head coach Kliff Kingsbury a lucrative contract extension, and swung a deal with the Baltimore Ravens to acquire wide receiver Marquise Brown with the idea of pairing him with WR DeAndre Hopkins to bring quarterback Kyler Murray to the next level. Yeah, about all that…

As we sit here in late June, Hopkins is a free agent after having been released, Murray is rehabbing from a torn ACL, Kingsbury is an assistant coach at USC, and the Cardinals are the betting favorites in most spots to have the NFL’s worst record. Things change fast.

Fantasy owners looking to get a read on Arizona’s receivers should probably start with the quarterback situation, specifically when Murray will return and who’ll fill in for him. The second question is far easier to answer as the expectation is QB Colt McCoy will be the Week 1 starter. Beyond that, it gets dicey in a hurry. Murray tore his ACL on Dec. 12, and while there’s been some chatter that he could return before midseason it’s impossible to know.

What makes it even more difficult to project is we can’t know how the new regime views 2023. If the team is terrible, as many believe is possible, would they consider holding out Murray entirely for a shot at USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in 2024? If so, might they try one of the younger quarterbacks, such as rookie QB Clayton Tune, instead of McCoy once the season goes sideways? There are a lot of moving parts, but let’s see what the Cardinals at working with on the outside.

Cardinals offseason needs: Wide receiver

We take a look at the state of the wide receiver position.

With a new general manager and coaching staff, the Arizona Cardinals have a lot of work to do with the roster coming off a 4-13 season.

Virtually every position group has some level of need to be addressed.

Over the next few days in this offseason series, we will take a look at each position group, what the offseason outlook is, what questions they have what what level of need is there — critical, urgent or secondary.

Next up are the wide receivers.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

 

Cardinals place QB Kyler Murray, WR Rondale Moore on IR

Murray’s injury has him out for the rest of the season. Moore will not be able to play in the regular season again this year.

The Arizona Cardinals announced a number of roster moves on Wednesday, including the ending of two players’ season, barring a miraculous turnaround and unlikely trip to the postseason.

The Cardinals announced that quarterback Kyler Murray and receiver Rondale Moore were placed on injured reserve.

Players on IR must miss at least four games before they are eligible to return. The Cardinals have only four games remaining on the schedule in the regular season.

Murray tore his ACL in Monday’s game against the New England Patriots.

Moore had missed the last two games with a groin injury.

Moore’s season ends having played in only eight games. He had 41 receptions for 414 yards and a touchdown.

With Murray done for the year, Colt McCoy will start at quarterback, while Moore’s role will be balanced between the other receivers on the roster.

[vertical-gallery id=474329]

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Latest show:

Previous shows:

and

 

3 key positional matchups for Patriots’ Week 14 game vs Cardinals

3 key positional matchups could determine the Patriots’ Monday Night Football game with the Cardinals.

The New England Patriots (6-6) face an Arizona Cardinals (4-8) team that has struggled mightily this season in a Monday Night matchup at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

If the Patriots wish to make any noise this season, or to even make the playoffs, they’ll need to win the majority of the games remaining. However, they face a gauntlet of QBs and a few mobile QBs who could give them issues.

Matchups against Kyler Murray, Tua Tagovailoa, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Derek Carr offer issues for the Patriots due to their current offensive woes.

This week, the Patriots will need to contain Murray and capitalize on one of the league’s worst red zone defenses. Let’s take a look at some key positional matchups the Patriots need to win if they wish to control this game.

WR Rondale Moore to miss at least 1 game with groin injury

His groin injury will keep him out at least one week. Hopefully, he will be able to return after the bye week.

The Arizona Cardinals are not getting any help with their injuries. The latest is to wide receiver Rondale Moore. He suffered a groin injury two plays into the game against the San Francisco 49ers Monday night, exited the game and did not return.

Now he is going to miss some time.

“It does not look like he’ll be available this week,” Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters Wednesday. “We’ll see how he trends, but I think it’ll at least be a week.”

Moore’s replacement this weekend would be Greg Dortch, but he is also dealing with a thumb injury, which has him day-to-day.

The Cardinals signed receiver Pharoh Cooper, who played slot receiver and returned kicks and punts for the Cardinals in 2019, to the practice squad. He would be the backup plan to Dortch if he isn’t able to play on Sunday.

Moore missed three games earlier this season with a hamstring injury.

So far this season, in eight games, Moore has 41 receptions for 414 yards and a touchdown.

[listicle id=473988]

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Latest show:

Previous shows:

and

Rondale Moore injures groin in 1st quarter, questionable to return

He left the game having only gotten a single rushing attempt that lost six yards.

The Arizona Cardinals suffered an injury early in the game. Wide receiver Rondale Moore, who has been the team’s No. 2 option in the passing game since the return of DeAndre Hopkins, exited the game after only one play.

He opened the game with a rush that lost six yards. After the play, he was seen moving his leg.

It was a groin injury. The team announced his return was questionable.

Greg Dortch replaced him in the game.

The Cardinals led the Cardinals 3-0 in the first quarter when Moore left the game.

[listicle id=473941]

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Latest show:

Previous shows:

and

Fantasy Football: 11 utilization stats to know from Week 8

The most important utilization stats to know from Week 8 action.

With eight weeks of NFL action in the books, several intriguing players are starting to show signs of life as well as create developing trends.

Week 9 brings “bye-mageddon” with six squads on vacation, and gamers will be digging deep to fill key roles in their lineups. That means we’ll be forced to gamble a little more, and assessing some recent utilization data can help mine the waiver wire for a few unconventional plays.

8 sleepers to play in fantasy football for Week 7

Check out these eight sleepers to play in Week 7 of fantasy football.

The arrival of bye weeks has fantasy football managers scrambling to fill out lineups in Week 7, especially considering the talent that will be left on the bench.

Though only four teams are on a bye in Week 7, it includes immense fantasy firepower at almost every position. Finding production elsewhere from sleepers makes this endeavor risky and difficult. But we’re here to help with that decision-making process.

We will be using The Huddle’s weekly PPR projections and rankings as a reference to find some potential boom games this week.

Here are eight sleepers to play in fantasy football for Week 7:

Fantasy football waiver wire: Week 7 free-agent forecast

Here are the top waiver wire targets for fantasy football in Week 7.

Each week, fantasy football managers inch closer to the playoffs as the 2022 campaign rolls into midseason form. Now, they must navigate through a bye week that will leave a lot of fantasy firepower on the bench in Week 7.

Teams on a bye in Week 7 include the Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, and Philadelphia Eagles.

We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in ESPN leagues, using the 75% rostered mark as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on Twitter (@KevinHickey11). Your questions, comments, and roasts are always welcome!

Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated.

Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.

Rondale Moore is doing more than jet sweeps, screen passes

We take a look at Moore’s route breakdown from Week 5. You will be surprised to see what he is asked to do least.

With the return of wide receiver Rondale Moore to the lineup, many Arizona Cardinals fans have been critical of his usage. Last year, of course, he rarely got the ball down the field.

We have seen him be used on passes behind the line of scrimmage and some failed run plays.

Many have questioned why he doesn’t run downfield routes.

However, the fact of the matter is that he is running downfield routes.

I looked back at the Cardinals’ game against the Philadelphia Eagles and his assignments in the passing game. I separated his routes into three categories — behind the line of scrimmage, within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage and more than 10 yards down the field.

He ran a total of 39 pass routes on Sunday.

This was the breakdown:

Behind the line of scrimmage: 6

0-10 yards down the field: 18

>10 yards downfield: 15

Of the 18 routes within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, two were when the Cardinals were inside the 10. Three were actually routes to block on a screen pass to another player. Another turned into a deep route when Murray extended a play but it was originally within 10 yards.

Of his deeper routes, one looked like it might have been an intermediate route initially. He looked back and then went deeper.

What does it mean?

Moore, now with a major role in the offense, is not lacking in opportunities to get the ball farther down the field.

The issue is that, to target him farther down the field, it requires a correct read and being open.

Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury wants to make sure Moore gets the ball. One of the ways to ensure he does is to manufacture touches near the line of scrimmage where he is the first read or that is the designed play. Beyond that, there are more moving parts.

The more he runs these downfield routes, assuming he is getting open, he will get the ball more. But don’t expect the screen passes and jet sweeps to stop. He is the best option for those plays.

It is different than last season when his snap counts were far lower. With a full-time role on the offense as WR2 for another game and WR3 after DeAndre Hopkins returns, he will be on the field for far more than the gadget plays designed for him.

He will get opportunities down the field. He is running those routes. He just hasn’t been targeted much there yet.

The thing he is asked to do the least is the stuff behind the line of scrimmage this year.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Latest show:

Previous shows:

and