Fantasy football, Week 2: Start or sit Christian Kirk?

While I doubt we can expect the Cardinals to run another 82 offensive plays this weekend against the Ravens, their uptempo style and deep-play tendencies on that side of the ball are a fantasy paradise. Give all the volume credit to a pair of overtime drives if you must; but know that Kliff Kingsbury’s offense was running a play every 21.4 seconds last week versus Detroit, a full two seconds faster than anyone else in football. That pace, mixed with Kyler Murray’s massive 10.7 aDOT, can only mean good things moving forward - especially for Christian Kirk.

Though it was teammate Larry Fitzgerald who exited that 27-27 tie with eight catches and 113 yards, it could have very easily been Kirk. The path was there. Kirk’s 12 targets were only one fewer than Fitzgerald’s total of 13 and despite finishing with a pedestrian 32 receiving yards, Kirk’s 139 air yards were the 11th-most at the position in Week 1. It would also appear that Kirk and Arizona’s passing attack will have game-script on their side as they travel to Baltimore. According to the DraftKings Sportsbook, the Cardinals are huge 13-point underdogs on the road this Sunday, meaning the squad’s pass ratio could look very similar to the Dolphins’ rate of 74.5% against the Ravens this past week.

Fantasy Impact: It was obviously disappointing when Kirk finished with fewer catches and receiving yards than the likes of KeeSean Johnson and Damiere Byrd in Week 1, but I’m more than willing to look at the opportunity over the raw results in such a small sample. I want exposure to this passing game this weekend and it doesn’t hurt that Baltimore corner Jimmy Smith is nursing a sprained MCL, either. I think Kirk bounces back with a far more efficient performance than we saw seven days ago.

Recommendation: Start