The Cardinals had a great start to the season last year, and then the Carson Palmer injury derailed their season. It also derailed the fantasy value of a lot of guys on this team, namely Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and to some extent Andre Ellington.
Carson Palmer, according to reports, has looked good in camp so far, and that should go along way to giving the Cardinal’s skill players some fantasy value.
Quarterback
In the six games Carson Palmer played last year, he had 1,626 yards and 11 touchdowns. If he had maintained that level of production, he would have ended the season with 4,300-plus yards and close to 30 touchdowns, which would make him a top 12 QB.
If we were to look at it from points per game (PPG) perspective, he averaged 21.3, which was .1 points below Tom Brady, yet for some reason Palmer is getter no love in fantasy drafts. In fact, Tom Brady, whom we still expect to miss a few games, is being drafted as QB No. 14 while Palmer is being taken as the 19th QB off the board even though he isn’t the one facing a four game suspnsion.
Obviously health is the big reason people are shying away from drafting Palmer, but from where he is being drafted, you could take him as a backup with QB1 potential. Position Grade: B-
Running Back
Andre Ellington did not live up to the preseason hype from last year. After his good rookie season in 2013 and the off-season comments by head coach Bruce Arians claiming Ellington to be a workhorse running back, his ADP shot up to ridiculous levels. Then he injured his foot before the first game of the season and he struggled the rest of the year. I’m of the mindset that he has a bounce back year. Anytime a speed guy, like Ellington, injures a foot or a leg it’s going to effect them. Now that he is healthy look for him to lead this backfield in touches.
Now there is the issue of a potential RBBC with rookie running back David Johnson. Going into the draft everyone assumed the Cardinals would take a big bruising type running back to complement the smaller — quicker — Andre Ellington. The experts were baffled by their selection of David Johnson, who is basically the same type of running back that Ellington is. A lot of fantasy people are looking at it like a bad thing, that David Johnson is going to take over as the lead back. I disagree.
Here is how I see it.
Andre Ellington is a big play type of back. He reminds me a little of Jamaal Charles in that he isn’t your typical every down running back. Ellington, like Charles, doesn’t need a ton of touches to make an impact on a football game, and in fact has shown that he is more effective when he gets less touches. So why not have two interchangeable guys that can rip off a huge play at any point in the game, but can also keep each other fresh by sharing touches? Yes, Ellington may not touch it as much as most fantasy owners would like, but the RBBC approach is just part of the NFL now, give me the guy with less touches but big play potential. Position Grade: B
Wide Receiver
The Cardinals have one of the better receiving cores in the league — on paper. There potential hasn’t translated to fantasy production yet. Fitzgerald had the worst season of his illustrious career. Michael Floyd disappeared for basically the entire year. In fact the only viable receiving option last year was their big play rookie receiver John Brown. The injury to Carson Palmer definitely put a damper on the entire offense, and if not for their great defense, may not have won another game after his season ending injury. Their backup quarterbacks are among the worst in the league — and it showed. In fact, in Week 15 against the Rams their two QB’s combined to throw for 131 yards!
Carson Palmer is back, and according to reports is healthy, so this passing game should get a jolt in the arm. Head coach Bruce Arians loves to throw the ball down the field, and that’s just what he will allow Palmer to do. The injury to Michael Floyd could set them back a little, but John Brown has the talent to step in as the No. 2 receiver and not miss a beat. Fitzgerald and Palmer have had good chemistry in the past, so look for that to continue.
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All three of these wide-outs are draftable, assuming Floyd takes the proper time to heal and comes back at full strength. Position Grade: B-
Tight End
The tight end position is a wasteland in this offense. In fact, it is so bad, I’m not even going to mention anything about it other than to say there is no reason you should be drafting a tight end from the Arizona Cardinals. Position Grade: F
Summary
The Cardinals are a team that should provide a lot of good fantasy options. Even their defense should be one of the higher drafted defenses in fantasy. Palmer is a middle of the pack No. 2 quarterback — with No. 1 QB potential. Andre Ellington, if he can stay healthy, is easily a No. 2 running back. And all three receivers should be owned in all formats. Let’s just hope Palmer can stay upright, otherwise the wheels may come off again.
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