Three Things to Watch for Dynasty Managers Week 3: Concern for Cardinals WRs

Well. No one can say that wasn’t an eventful week in the NFL.

Multiple backups have been thrust into starting roles. A few sleepers announced themselves as future stars while some supposed stars look destined for the scrap heap. (More on Marvin Harrison Jr. below.)

But, as always with this article, the question is not simply “what happened?” It’s “what do we look for now?” Because THAT’S how we can get ahead of our leaguemates.

Here are three things to keep your eyes on this week in dynasty leagues…

Thing No. 1: YOUR LEAGUEMATES’ RECORDS!

Sorry to yell.

But given that you could fill the waiting room of a large hospital’s ER with the players injured this past weekend, now is absolutely the time to poke around the other rosters in your league to assess the damage.

Think of yourself as a home inspector. Whose ceiling has a leak? Whose foundation has started to crack? What does each team’s plumbing look like? Whose pipeline to a championship is now clogged with… well, you know.

Some folks probably flipped the switch from Contender to Rebuilder over the last few days. You’d probably be shocked how many dynasty managers have already turned their attention toward next year’s first overall pick in the rookie draft. And if you count yourself among the rebuilders, there’s really no excuse for not seeking out some of these recently-injured dynasty assets.

Other managers who were on the fence about their championship prospects might’ve gotten nudged off it. Contenders, a new world of possibilities has opened up for you now, as well.

The point is, this is not a time to sit on your hands, regardless of where you sit in the standings. Go explore these fresh trade opportunities now!

Thing No. 2: Can Any Cardinals WR Separate from the Pack?

Through two weeks, the Arizona passing attack looks confusing at best, and lackluster at worst.

Over the offseason, Marvin Harrison Jr.’s stock dropped off a cliff. And in Week 2, you could actually hear it hit the ground.

Adam Pfeifer called Marv a drop in redraft, and that’s hard to dispute. He looks completely lost out there. It’s like watching a flamingo try to tie its own shoelaces. But dropping a mid-round pick in your redraft league is obviously a much different beast than moving on from a former rookie 1.01 in dynasty.

And it’s not just Harrison who is struggling. No Cardinals receiver is averaging double-digit fantasy points. And here’s how the core Cardinals trio ranks in our key utilization metrics:

Routes: Michael Wilson, Harrison, Kendrick Bourne
Target Share: Wilson and Bourne (tied), Harrison
Targets Per Route Run: Bourne, Wilson, Harrison

Wilson has a slight edge in the numbers, but he’s not beating the allegations that last year’s fantasy dominance was a fluke. Bourne popped off the page in Week 1, but might’ve come crashing back to reality. Harrison has done nothing, yet still has the full confidence of his head coach.

You can blame some of this murkiness on the Cardinals facing a shutdown Seattle defense last week. But if we’re going to trust any of these receivers moving forward, they have to show something in those situations. This week’s game against San Francisco will provide another key data point.

Thing No. 3: Does Javonte Williams Improve His Efficiency?

Anyone who scooped up Javonte Williams last offseason (perhaps thanks to a handsome, enterprising analyst) was able to bask in the sunshine of his rebirth. He looked like the rookie we all got so excited about in the first place. But now I’m wondering… has the sun already set on his comeback?

It might not seem like it, thanks to his “workhorse” status and a couple of touchdowns, but Williams has looked rough lately. Not just these first couple of weeks, but really going back to the closing weeks of the 2025 season.

So let’s pull up the carpet and see why things smell so musty in here.

While it’s true that Williams is “the guy” in the Cowboys backfield, he’s still outside the top 15 backs in total touches. That by itself wouldn’t be so bad if he wasn’t so woefully inefficient. But Williams also sits outside the top 50 in yards per touch.

It’s also telling that in both versions of the Dallas offense we’ve seen—the downright poopy version in Week 1 and the smooth, comfortable offense of Week 2—Williams’ overall usage has remained stagnant.

It might be nothing. It might fix itself once Tyler Smith works his way back into the offensive line. But it might be a pretty concerning something, especially if we don’t see better efficiency against Baltimore.