2022 NFL Betting Preview: Three Special Arizona Cardinals Wagers To Consider

The NFL season is quickly approaching, and DraftKings has us covered with a plethora of different betting opportunities.

One of the more interesting categories is called Team Specials, in which the sportsbook lays out some hypotheticals that can be wagered on.

Here are my three favorite special bets for the Arizona Cardinals heading into 2022:

3. Kyler Murray over 9.5 regular season rushing touchdowns and the Cardinals to make the playoffs (+650)

Murray had a down year running the ball in 2022, finishing with 88 carries for 423 yards and five touchdowns. But just two years ago, he had 819 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.

Murray will only be 25 this season and still has some of the most electric feet in the NFL, regardless of position. He has been injured in some capacity each of the past two seasons, and if he stays healthy, 10 rushing touchdowns is not out of the realm of possibility.

And now that there are three wild card spots, Arizona can get in with a solid campaign. While double-digit rushing touchdowns is not an easy ask, at these odds, it’s a worthy play.

2. Marquise Brown, Zach Ertz and Rondale Moore to combine for over 1,999.5 regular season receiving yards (-115)

This trio combined for more than 2,000 receiving yards a season ago, albeit spread between three teams. But Ertz’s best games came in an Arizona uniform following a trade from the Eagles, and Moore is largely expected to be a major cog in the Cardinals’ offense in 2022 after showing flashes as a rookie.

Ertz and Moore have both dealt with injuries the past few years, so that’s a concern, and Brown’s training camp is off to a bad start. He began it with a hamstring injury and then was arrested on suspicion of criminal speeding on Wednesday.

While there are reasons to be wary, I still think this wager will hit. Brown had 1,008 receiving yards last season with the Ravens and is now in an offense much more suited for his skillset. Ertz was targeted heavily by Murray last season and the departure of Christian Kirk means Moore should get major playing time in the slot.

DeAndre Hopkins is going to gobble up targets when he returns to the lineup, but this trio will have six early games without him to rack up the yards.

1. Kyler Murray over 3,999.5 regular season passing yards and 499.5 regular season rushing yards (+210)

Murray threw for 3,787 yards last season in only 14 games, so the passing total looks extremely attainable. The Cardinals won many games in blowout fashion last year, and the presence of a strong defense kept Murray from needing to air the ball out on a regular basis. The defense is expected to regress this season, which could make the Cardinals count more on Murray’s arm.

The bigger question: Will he run the ball regularly enough to reach 500 rushing yards? Murray has gotten there in two of this three seasons, missing last season by 77 yards. But again, he was out for three games with a sprained ankle and limited in others. The Cardinals are at their best when Murray is on the run. While he may do less of it later in his career, a la Russell Wilson, there should still be plenty of ground success for Murray in 2022.

While injuries are always possible, a healthy Murray is a great bet to reach 4,000 passing yards and 500 rushing yards in 2022.

Here are the other Arizona Cardinals special bets available at DraftKings:

• Cardinals to score over 410.5 regular season points and reach the NFC Championship Game (+1000)
• James Conner and Zach Ertz over 17.5 combined regular season touchdowns (+330)
• James Conner over 9.5 regular season rushing touchdowns and Cardinals to win NFC West (+750)
• James Conner to break the regular season rushing touchdown record of 28 (+20000)
• Kyler Murray over 4,249.5 regular season passing yards and Cardinals to win NFC (+3000)