Should You Start Cardinals WR Marquise Brown in Fantasy Football Week 8?

Marquise Brown was a highly touted draft prospect coming into the 2019 NFL Draft due to his speed and playmaking ability deep downfield. He had a few impact years in Baltimore — the team that drafted him — before being shipped off on a draft-night trade during the 2022 NFL Draft to the Arizona Cardinals.

In Week 8, Brown finds himself matching up against his former team. Is this setting up as a massive revenge-game narrative for Brown? Or should fantasy managers have some hesitation plugging him into their starting lineups?

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Marquise Brown’s Fantasy Outlook in Week 8

Brown has had mixed results as a member of the Cardinals over the past season and a half. While he hasn’t delivered on the cost that former GM Steve Keim sent away to bring Brown into the organization, he’s been a solid receiving option for the multiple QBs that Arizona has been forced to play recently.

This season, it’s been a bit hit-or-miss for Brown from a fantasy football standpoint, but he does currently sit as the WR21 on the year in half-PPR scoring. From Weeks 3 to 5, Brown was a top-20 WR every single week, and he was averaging nine targets per contest over that stretch.

However, over the past two weeks, Brown’s production has taken a nosedive, despite seeing 18 total targets. In fact, opportunity has not been an issue at all for Brown over the course of the 2023 NFL season.

The veteran speedster sits with 59 total targets on the year, which is tied for the 11th most in the league at the WR position. Unfortunately, the state of the offense in Arizona — combined with his role as a deep threat — has prevented those targets from turning into top-tier production.

Looking ahead to Week 8, the volume should continue to be there for Brown, with Zach Ertz now sidelined for the foreseeable future as he was placed on injured reserve this week. However, Arizona is about to face a very difficult opponent with the Ravens’ defense.

MORE: Katz’s Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Picks for Week 8

Through seven weeks, Baltimore is allowing the second-fewest passing yards with just 176.0 allowed on average. While they haven’t necessarily played a gauntlet of top-tier opposing offenses, they’ve passed the eye test on tape, and they appear ready to hang with the best of the best.

Unfortunately, Arizona — led by Joshua Dobbs — doesn’t fall into that category, and it could be a rough day at the office for this passing attack. Brown may struggle to find room to operate in this one, and Baltimore is going to be familiar with his strengths and weaknesses and how to keep him in check.

Should You Start Brown in Week 8?

Brown lands as a low-end WR3/high-end Flex play in Week 8 due to the matchup. As mentioned above, he may very well see a significant target workload this week as Arizona plays from behind and Ertz watches from the sideline.

However, the matchup is too daunting to view Brown as a solid option for fantasy lineups this week with zero teams on bye. If you’re looking for who to start this week between Brown and another wide receiver, make sure to visit the Start/Sit Optimizer and find out our thoughts!

He has the talent to be a viable WR2 week in and week out, and he may get there once Kyler Murray returns to the lineup, but for the time being, he needs to be viewed as a low-upside option.