Chase Edmonds, Kyler Murray Fantasy Outlook After David Johnson's Injury

One of the Arizona Cardinal's primary offensive weapons, running back David Johnson, won't play on Sunday with an ankle injury, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. 

So the question remains how several other players will fare from a fantasy perspective in his absence. Namely, just how valuable will Chase Edmonds be, and will rookie quarterback Kyler Murray see a bump in value? How about wide receivers like Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk?

We'll start with Edmonds. Generally speaking, backup running backs always have value when starters miss time. In a few specific cases, those backups can become just as valuable as the starter was, though that's obviously rare and often dependent on the scheme they are fitting into.

Normally, however, you are looking at a pretty modest return when you start a player's handcuff, and they generally have a ceiling of being an RB3 or flex option.

But Edmonds has the chance to near Johnson's level of production.

During his rookie season, Edmonds was given 60 carries, turning them into 208 yards and two touchdowns. His 3.5 yards per carry wasn't all that impressive, though to be fair to Edmonds, he never received more than eight carries in a game. He also caught 20 passes for 103 yards. 

But he's averaged 5.6 yards per carry this season, an impressive number, posting 287 rushing yards, 20 receptions for 103 yards and four total touchdowns on the season in a backup role. And in Week 7 with Johnson barely playing due to injury, Edmonds rushed 27 times for 126 yards and three touchdowns.

So he's not only worth picking up, but should settle nicely in a RB2 designation. If he's somehow still available on the waiver wire, nab him immediately. Even against a tough New Orleans Saints defense he's worth a start.

Murray, meanwhile, shouldn't see a major difference in his fantasy value, especially with so much of his output coming from his rushing ability. The Cardinals may try to throw the ball a little more with Johnson sidelined, but more than likely they'll try to keep a balanced attack to prevent putting too much pressure on Murray's arm.

Keep him locked in as a low-end QB1.

In that same vein, Fitzgerald and Kirk shouldn't see their stock rise much. The Cardinals could get a bit creative with Kirk, finding more unique ways to get the ball in his hands, but that should be a priority regardless. If the passing game is prioritized a bit more, Fitzgerald and Kirk would be the pair to benefit, but for the time being, consider Fitzgerald a flex option and Kirk a WR4.