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The preseason Christian Kirk hype took a while to come to fruition, but Week 10 against the Buccaneers was his coming out party. He caught six passes for 138 yards and three touchdowns, which was by far the best game of his short career.
In that same game, Larry Fitzgerald broke out of a three-game slump to catch eight passes for 71 yards. Fitzgerald is still reliable when getting targets, but his upside has taken a hit in his golden years. He hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 3 and hasn’t topped 100 yards since Week 2.
Fantasy football analysis: Arizona Cardinals WRs Christian Kirk, Larry Fitzgerald
If we look at how Kirk and Fitzgerald fared against the 49ers two weeks ago, you will likely go running to the hills. Fitzgerald caught 4-of-4 targets for 38 while Kirk caught 2-of-5 targets for eight yards and had one rushing attempts for another eight yards. Kyler Murray’s 88-yard touchdown pass to Andy Isabella and Kenyan Drake’s 52 receiving yards made up the bulk of Murray’s 241 yards passing.
The 49ers haven’t gotten worse defensively against wide receivers over the last two weeks, so there’s no reason to believe the Cardinals have developed an edge since their previous meeting. Murray did throw two touchdowns to wide receivers in their last meeting, just not to Fitzgerald or Kirk. The duo were No. 1 and two on the team in targets and remain the two most likely receivers to have fantasy value.
Kirk’s big game last week does help boost his role on the team. He was already the top target, but now there will be more trust to give him more work deep and extra looks all around. Fitzgerald has sunk into a possession receiver role without much upside. He remains useful in PPR leagues as a flex option, but that’s about the extent.
Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation
Start Kirk as a WR3.
Start Fitzgerald as a WR4 in PPR leagues.