Latest news with #KylerMurray
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
John Mateer builds game by watching OU football greats Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray
ATLANTA — John Mateer didn't grow up rooting much for a specific school. But OU football's new starting quarterback, who grew up in the Dallas area, watched and rooted for specific quarterbacks. Former TCU star Trevone Boykin, who starred for the Horned Frogs from 2012-15, was at the top of that list. There are plenty of others, though. 'Lamar (Jackson), Baker (Mayfield), Kyler (Murray),' Mateer said Wednesday at SEC media days. 'There's a lot. Max Duggan, I liked him a little bit because some people said I was a little like him, just the way he plays — so tough. There's more but there's a lot. I like to take little things from everybody's game.' There are plenty of standout names on that list, but certainly Mayfield and Murray are the two that stand out most to OU fans. More: OU football announces details for Meet the Sooners Day The quarterback duo, who won back-to-back Heisman trophies — Mayfield in 2017, Murray in 2018 — are two of the best quarterbacks in Sooners' history. So what did Mateer take from each? First up, Mayfield, who threw for 4,627 yards and 43 touchdowns in 2017. 'I think Baker's toughness is just something that every quarterback needs to have,' Mateer said. 'I feel like if you're not giving everything you have then why should your other teammates when you're supposed to be the leader. So you've got to do it and he's so good. I go back and watch highlights because they're just fun to watch.' And what has Mateer taken from watching Murray, who threw for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns and ran for 1,001 yards and 12 scores in his Heisman season? 'When Kyler played I just felt like he was running,' Mateer said. 'He was outrunning everybody every play and I'd love to do that. I'm not quite that fast, but something like that would be awesome.' Mateer showed plenty of quickness last season, when he ran for 826 yards and 15 scores to go along with 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns through the air. More: Why OU football GM Jim Nagy says Sooners have NFL player at 'every position' Ryan Aber covers OU athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Ryan? He can be reached at raber@ or on Twitter at @RyAber. Sign up for the OU Sooners newsletter to access more OU coverage. Support Ryan's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: What John Mateer learned from OU legends Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kyler Murray named MVP sleeper for 2025 after ‘quietly' having one of his best seasons
Kyler Murray has long been seen as a player with MVP potential. But entering his sixth NFL season, the Arizona Cardinals quarterback is still searching for his first vote. That might finally change in 2025. Murray is coming off what quietly was one of the most efficient years of his career — and now that he's fully recovered from his 2022 ACL injury, signs point to an even bigger breakout looming. "I think Murray quietly had one of his best seasons last year, and he's reaching the peak of his career just as the Cardinals appear to be rounding into form,' Eric Edholm wrote. 'The key to building on that might be avoiding those handful of dud games Arizona seems to have offensively with Murray at the helm. Shed those, and he and the team should be in decent shape.' Those 'dud games' are what have plagued both Murray and the Cardinals in recent years, often killing momentum in the middle of otherwise promising stretches. Arizona briefly held first place in the NFC West last November but dropped five of their last seven games. And while the defense has received much of the offseason attention thanks to key draft additions like Walter Nolen and Will Johnson, the real story might be Murray. His 2024 stat line — 3,851 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 572 rushing yards and five rushing scores — was his second-best career-wise in most of those categories. He also played an entire season healthy. Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp Murray now has the best offensive arsenal he's ever worked with, led by tight end Trey McBride and No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr. If he stays on the field and maintains last year's pace, the numbers will take care of themselves. The Cardinals have built the roster for him to succeed. FanSided's Romell Williams wrote that 'there should be no excuse as to why Murray doesn't have a career year in 2025.' He added that if Murray doesn't show significant progress this season, Arizona could be in the quarterback market by 2026. But a career year doesn't just mean good stats — it means wins. Arizona has finished at the bottom of the NFC West two out of the last three years, and with head coach Jonathan Gannon also under pressure to deliver, expectations are rising. There's also the contract factor. Murray is playing under a five-year, $230.5 million deal signed in 2022, but his dead cap hit drops significantly after this season. If the Cardinals struggle again, Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr believes Arizona may look to recoup value via trade. The stakes are clear. But so is the opportunity. If Murray can string together consistency, stay healthy, and lead Arizona back to the playoffs in a winnable NFC West, he'll be hard to ignore in the MVP conversation — especially for a player who's never received a single vote. This is the window. It's now or never.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fantasy Football: Justin Boone's 2025 Strength of Schedule Matrix
The fantasy football strength of schedule matrix helps identify the overall difficulty of position players' matchups from Weeks 1 to 17. The team ranked No. 1 is expected to see the easiest slate, while No. 32 will encounter defenses projected to allow the fewest fantasy points to that position. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] My model factors in many variables, including historical defensive data, offseason roster changes, new coaching staffs, home/road splits, individual player matchups, dome games and more. However, let me be clear — you shouldn't decide whether to draft someone based on this table alone. Instead, let it serve as an additional data point to help break ties between players you're targeting. It's also important to note that the impact on players at the extremes (green or red) will be much more significant than the differences among those in the middle range (yellow). Fantasy Strength of Schedule Results Quarterback Findings It's nice to see Kyler Murray and C.J. Stroud holding down the two most favorable QB schedules, after a down year that saw both passers fall out of the top 12 in per game fantasy scoring at their position. The Texans have gone to great lengths to surround Stroud with more pass-catching talent, while Murray acknowledged that he needs to run more in 2025. Justin Fields is one of the best value fantasy picks at the moment, which I recently outlined in my first article for Yahoo Fantasy. His rushing production immediately puts him in the QB1 conversation, but he will also benefit from the third-softest grouping of opponents. With no one threatening him atop the depth chart, Fields is set up to be a strong fantasy starter this season. Before you panic about Joe Burrow and Dak Prescott being near the bottom of this list, just know that both passers are more than capable of overcoming tough matchups — especially considering their offenses feature two of the best receiver duos in the league. Even with the bad hand they've been dealt here, Burrow is a locked-in QB1 and Prescott is a solid QB2 who could easily flirt with top-12 numbers. Running Back Findings Bijan Robinson has moved ahead of Saquon Barkley as the top running back in my rankings and one of the reasons is a massive gap in terms of opponents. The Eagles' schedule isn't a major concern, but the Falcons' backfield will have the friendliest slate across the NFL. Robinson was the highest scoring fantasy back over the final 13 weeks, finishing as a top-12 fantasy back 10 times during that stretch. Get ready for him to dominate over the entire 2025 campaign. James Conner has been undervalued in fantasy for as long as I can remember and that trend is continuing in this year's drafts. Since arriving in Arizona, the veteran has been the RB6, RB10, RB9 and RB14 in fantasy points per game (half PPR). Now, he gets to run against the fourth-easiest schedule for running backs this season. If you're worried about Trey Benson, you can easily draft them both in the fourth and 11th rounds, respectively. Jahmyr Gibbs is the type of back who's matchup-proof, but should we be worried about his teammate, David Montgomery? The departure of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will certainly have an impact on the offense, as will the retirement of star center Frank Ragnow. On top of that, the Lions will battle with the worst fantasy schedule among RBs. Montgomery already dealt with a decline in carries, managing to overcome it by reaching the end zone 13 times. Unfortunately, with all the changes around him, banking on him getting home with touchdowns is becoming more risky. Wide Receiver Findings Garrett Wilson has been one of my favorite wideouts for a while and things are lining up for him to have a career year. Despite dealing with terrible quarterback play during his first two NFL campaigns and a bizarre Aaron Rodgers-led season this past year, Wilson has topped 1,000 yards on every occasion. Now, he'll get a chance to reunite with his college teammate Fields — who was responsible for DJ Moore's 96-catch, 1,364-yard, eight-touchdown effort with the Bears in 2023. The Jets lack high-end playmakers in the WR room, so having the No. 1 schedule for the position will help Wilson more than anyone. He's a strong fantasy WR2 with top-10 potential. It's surprising we haven't brought up the 49ers yet, considering they have the fourth-best schedule for QBs and fifth-best for RBs. We'll give them a mention here, since they have the third-easiest string of opponents for receivers. So, the real question is, how will fantasy managers capitalize? Brandon Aiyuk is recovering from a torn ACL and MCL suffered in October. That puts his early season participation in doubt and could affect his entire campaign. That's why I'm investing heavily in George Kittle, Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall and even deep sleeper, Jacob Cowing. As a George Pickens apologist, I never expected to be the one preaching caution about his fantasy outlook, but here we are. While the move from Pittsburgh to Dallas comes with a massive quarterback upgrade, it also lands him on an offense with an established and elite target-earner in CeeDee Lamb. To make matters worse, Pickens will have to contend with the most challenging fantasy schedule for wideouts. Though his presence will be a huge addition for the Cowboys' offense, he profiles as more of a fantasy WR3 — unless Lamb misses time. Tight End Findings It's hard to displace Brock Bowers as the TE1 overall, but Trey McBride isn't far behind. His 111 receptions, 147 targets and 1,146 yards put him one catch, six targets and 48 yards behind Bowers a year ago. The biggest problem — as we all know — was an often comical lack of touchdowns for a player with his kind of volume. The volatile nature of TD scoring should result in McBride getting across the goal line more regularly in 2025 and it doesn't hurt that he has the second-easiest fantasy schedule among tight ends. Did I mention he's also going almost a round later than Bowers? Darren Waller coming out of retirement to play for the Dolphins was one of the more shocking developments this offseason. There are plenty of pros and cons when discussing a former elite fantasy tight end who's coming off a year away from the game and is about to turn 33 during the season. However, let the record show his schedule should fall into the pro column. Waller is in the green with the 10th-best TE slate. We'll see where his ADP ends up, but I'm keeping my expectations in check and viewing him as a late-round sleeper and dynasty stash only. It's rare for players to have meaningful fantasy efforts after coming out of retirement and he still has Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle soaking up targets. Travis Kelce and his fantasy managers have had a great run, but the signs of decline are there and the soon-to-be 36-year-old is no longer in the mix as a top fantasy tight end. Father Time isn't the only thing stacking up against Kelce either. The Chiefs have made serious investments in their receiving corps in recent years with Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Marquise Brown and intriguing rookie Jalen Royals. If everyone is healthy and available, Kelce will struggle to get anywhere near the volume he once did. He'll also have an uphill climb against the second-hardest schedule for his position. There will be weeks Kelce finds the end zone and delivers — they just won't be nearly as frequent.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Arizona Cardinals updated mock draft: Training camp edition
The Arizona Cardinals are one of those teams that look better on paper than they ever seem to be on Sundays. Led by quarterback Kyler Murray, the offense made strides in 2024 in yards and points. The Cardinals are set to kick off training camp on July 22 and hope they have the pieces in place to compete in a crowded NFC. We have updated our three-round Cardinals mock draft with an eye on adding another playmaker for Murray as well as strengthening the defensive secondary and the offensive line. First round - WR Antonio Williams - Clemson We would love to see Marvin Harrison Jr. and Antonio Williams on the field together with Kyler Murray throwing them the football. Second round - CB Zeke Berry - Michigan Berry is one of those multi-taskers at cornerback who can work inside or outside and give the Arizona secondary a ton of scheme versatility. Third round - OT Spencer Fano - Utah The Cardinals have a pair of quality offensive tackles but we project Fano as more of an inside/outside player who is an immediate starter at guard. This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: Arizona Cardinals updated mock draft: Training camp editiona
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Arizona Cardinals to face many top QBs in final stretch of 2025 season
The Cardinals will face 4 of the top 12 QBs in the NFL five times in their final six games. As NFL training camp approaches for most NFL teams (the Los Angeles Chargers reported on Saturday), sites continue to publish lists, rankings and predictions. ESPN has been revealing player rankings at different positions, but with a twist. They are based on the votes of coaches, scouts and executives. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler revealed the rankings for quarterbacks — the top 10 and a pair of honorable mentions. Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray did not make the top 10 and did not receive honorable mention, but he did get top-10 votes. The Cardinals avoid most of the league's top quarterbacks in 2025. They will face just three of the top 10, although they will face one twice. They will also face both honorable mention quarterbacks. NFL top-10 QBs: Arizona Cardinals opponents in 2025 The Cardinals' schedule gives them their toughest quarterback gauntlet late in the season. They will face four of these quarterbacks five times in their final six games. Of course, it is notable that Mayfield has not beaten Murray in their head-to-head matchups so far. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
