The one Arizona Cardinals player that you need to start in Week 1 on DraftKings is WR Christian Kirk.
The former second-round draft pick for Arizona out of Texas A&M has another year of development under his belt. While many look to the acquisition of DeAndre Hopkins as a downside for Kirk, I believe it’s going to open up more opportunities for him in the passing game.
Consider that Kirk had over a 19% target share in the Cardinals offense in 2019, catching 68 passes for 709 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games played. Kirk also averaged 13.4 fantasy points per game which is more than big-name players like D.K. Metcalf and Odell Beckham Jr. did in 2019. Now, teams are going to put their top cover corners on Hopkins and Larry Fitzgerald. Kirk is going to be going up against more No. 3 corners than he will No. 2 corners.
In this particular game against the 49ers, Kirk will probably be facing K’Waun Williams in the slot most often. Kirk had the majority of his targets from the slot last season and that appears to be where he’ll get most of his work in 2020. Williams allowed just a 67.6 passer rating when targeted last season, but there’s reason to believe that Kirk could get the best of him this week. Williams suffered a Grade 1 calf strain just a few weeks ago in training camp. He returned to practice on Sept. 1, but those types of soft tissue injuries can linger, especially in defensive backs.
At $5,000 on DraftKings, there is no better value play in Arizona than Kirk in Week 1.
