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Zach Ertz Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Shark Bites are the latest fantasy football news & NFL updates. Draft Sharks has been in business since 1999. And when we started, redraft was the dominant form of fantasy football. Check out what we've learned about this most basic form of fantasy football along the way.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz led the team with 10 targets in Sunday’s loss vs. the Commanders, hauling in 6 catches for 21 yards. WRs Marquise Brown and Rondale Moore each saw 3 catches for 28 yards and 33 yards, respectively. Hopes for this Arizona offense aren’t particularly high as QB Kyler Murray continues to work his way back from a torn ACL. Still, a 33.3% target share from Ertz is a remarkable feat worth remembering for those in need of TE help out on the waiver wire. We’ll see if this usage continues in Week 2 vs. the Rams.

11:33am EDT 9/10/23

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz (knee) is active for today’s game vs. the Commanders. It marks an impressive return from last November’s torn ACL and MCL. We’d be surprised if Ertz was ready for a full slate of snaps, though. He’s not a viable Week 1 fantasy play.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz (knee) is expected to play vs. the Commanders today, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It'll be Ertz's first game action since November's multi-ligament knee injury. Ertz is not a viable Week 1 fantasy play. His presence should also knock TE Trey McBride out of fantasy consideration.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Commanders. He was limited in practice all week, after being activated from the PUP list in mid-August off his November ACL and MCL tears. Ertz should not be in your Week 1 fantasy plans. His absence would be a boost to TE Trey McBride’s fantasy value.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz (knee) was limited in Wednesday's practice. He was activated from the PUP list about three weeks ago, but it's still unclear if he'll play in the season opener vs. Washington on Sunday. Ertz should not be in your Week 1 fantasy plans. His absence would make TE Trey McBride a slightly more appealing play.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz (ACL rehab) said he’s unsure about playing Week 1. “Still some things I need to go through ... I need to see how I recover and practice consistent days in a row,” the 32-year-old said. “I gotta earn the trust of my teammates, the coaches, I don't expect them to just plug me in there and say 'this is Zach, for the past 10 years, he's gonna be the same in year 11,'" Ertz said. "I look forward to proving myself each and every day. And whether that's game one, game three, whenever I'm out there, I expect to be a difference maker.” Visit the TE rankings, and you'll see Ertz is currently projected for 13 games.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz has received full medical clearance to return from last November's torn ACL and MCL. That should put him on track to play Week 1. Ertz was sitting third among TEs in PPR points through Week 9 last season. We'll see how the 32-year-old bounces back from that knee injury -- and how Arizona plans on divvying snaps between Ertz and TE Trey McBride. For now, consider Ertz just a TE3 target in best-ball drafts.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz will open training camp on the PUP list. No surprise after his November 13 ACL tear. Ertz said early this offseason that his goal is to be ready for Week 1, but he wouldn't guarantee that he will be. He was excellent before going down last year, ranking third among TEs in PPR points through Week 9. But between the knee injury, his age (33 in November), and the presence of second-year TE Trey McBride, Ertz is just a TE3 in best-ball drafts and a waiver-wire watch-list guy in lineup-setting leagues.

The Cardinals will be signing TE Geoff Swaim, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Swaim -- who will turn 30 on Sept. 16 -- spent the past three years in Tennessee, after one with Jacksonville and four in Dallas. He caught just 12 passes last season, despite leading Titans TEs in playing time. Swaim caught a career-high 31 balls the year before and has reached double digits in just four of eight seasons. His arrival in Arizona could just mean early insurance against Zach Ertz's ACL return -- or it could signal doubt about Ertz's status. Either way, we're not moving Trey McBride down our TE rankings for this signing.

The Cardinals "intend on using a lot of two-TE sets this season," according to Jess Root of Cards Wire. That would mean significant time together on the field for second-year TE Trey McBride and TE Zach Ertz, once the vet's ready following his ACL recovery. But it would also potentially challenge the playing time for Arizona WRs not named Marquise Brown. The Cardinals already tied for ninth in the league in most "12 personnel" snaps (two TEs) last season. So we might not actually see an escalation this year. But we'll be watching the camp and preseason tendencies for the fantasy outlooks on WRs Rondale Moore, Greg Dortch and Michael Wilson. McBride and Ertz are both going late enough in best ball drafts to carry some upside, though we're not specifically targeting either player. See where all these Cardinals land in our PPR rankings.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Cardinals TE Zach Ertz is done for the season with the knee injury that knocked him out of Sunday's game. That makes room for rookie Trey McBride to lead the position in Arizona the rest of the way. Ertz's target shares have been variable since WR DeAndre Hopkins returned, so don't consider McBride a high-level fantasy option. But he's a talented pass-catcher who could present some value for deeper formats.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz is expected to miss "multiple weeks" with the left knee injury he suffered in Sunday's win over the Rams, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The team believes Ertz's ACL is intact, but he's scheduled for an MRI on Monday. We should get another update then, but Ertz owners need to start making other plans at least in the short term. Rookie TE Trey McBride will step in as Arizona's lead TE for however long Ertz is out. He's worth stashing in deeper fantasy leagues, although we wouldn't trust him in Week 11 fantasy lineups.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz exited in the 1st quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Rams with a left knee injury. He's officially questionable to return, but Ertz was carted back to the locker room, so don't expect to see him back out there. His absence leaves rookie Trey McBride as Arizona's lead TE.

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray (hamstring) is not expected to play against the Rams today, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. A final decision won't come until pregame warmups, but Schefter says QB Colt McCoy is "likely" to get the start. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport agrees, tweeting that Murray is "unlikely" to play. "He's still moving very gingerly," Rapoport adds. We won't get Arizona's inactives until 3 pm ET, but fantasy owners should operate under the assumption that Murray will not play.

A source "expressed skepticism" to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler about Cardinals QB Kyler Murray's availability for Sunday's game vs. the Rams. Murray is still slated to test that injured hamstring in pregame warmups, per Fowler. QB Colt McCoy will get the start if Murray is out.

Cardinals WR Rondale Moore drew a team-high 10 targets in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks. He caught 8 of them for 69 yards. TE Zach Ertz followed with 8 targets, catching 5 for 40 yards and a TD. WR DeAndre Hopkins claimed the team's other TD among his 4 catches for 36 yards on 5 targets. WR Robbie Anderson added 1 reception among 3 targets for a loss of 4 yards.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz scraped together 4 grabs for 34 yards and 1 score against the Vikings in Week 8. His TD showed off some remarkable sideline balance and power. But the key takeaway here is his 5 targets, which ranked 4th on the team. He’s now seen just a 12.5% target share in 2 outings alongside DeAndre Hopkins. Still, Ertz will remain in the TE1 mix for Sunday’s showdown with Seattle.

11:25am EDT 10/24/22

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz caught 2 of 4 targets for 21 yards in a Week 7 win over New Orleans. Ertz entered Thursday night with 6+ catches in 5 straight matchups. Week 7 did turn up the return of DeAndre Hopkins, although Arizona was without Marquise Brown (foot). Brown is set to miss several more weeks, while Ertz's lowly production can be chalked up to a strong Saints TE defense. He’s in a fine rebound spot this week at Minnesota.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz tied WR Rondale Moore for the team lead with 10 targets in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks. He caught a team-high 7 passes for a team-leading 70 yards. Moore caught 6 balls for 49 yards. WR Marquise Brown garnered 9 looks, catching 5 for 68 yards. RB Eno Benjamin and WR A.J. Green combined for the remaining 7 targets.

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