2016 Fantasy Football Breakout Candidate: Michael Floyd

WR Michael Floyd | Arizona Cardinals | 5th Year

2015 Stats: 52 receptions for 849 yards, 6 TD

Michael Floyd’s 2015 started badly, with three dislocated fingers in training camp, and he was slow to recover with one or zero catches in the four of the first five games. Cardinals’ head coach Bruce Arians said in January that Floyd could have had a 1,500 yard season if he had been healthy, which points to breakout potential for the former first-round pick entering a contract year in 2016.

Starting in Week 6 last season, Floyd had a touchdown catch in four straight games (five total) with back-to-back 100-yard games to end that stretch. Starting with four catches for 106 yards against the Cleveland Browns in Week 8, with a Week 9 bye and a hamstring injury taking him out of Week 11, Floyd had over 100 yards and/or at least five receptions in five of seven games (both four times). At playoff time in a lot of fantasy leagues (Week 13-Week 16), Floyd totaled 23 receptions for 387 yards and one touchdown with three 100-yard games over the most important stretch of the season.

Larry Fitzgerald (109 receptions for 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns last year) is a prime regression candidate this year, so the door is open for Floyd to finally become Arizona’s No. 1 wide receiver. Even after a 1,000-yard season (on 65 catches) in 2015, I still don’t buy into John Brown as a consistent producer for the Cardinals as their No. 3 wide receiver or fantasy owners at-large.

As with any Arizona receiver, Floyd’s production is tied to the health of quarterback Carson Palmer. In eight starts made by Drew Stanton in 2014, Floyd had one 100-yard game, a two-touchdown game and five games with two or fewer catches that included the two-touchdown contest. So there’s downside risk if Palmer misses significant time again in 2016, but I still like Floyd as a strong breakout candidate.

2016 Projection

80 receptions for 1,225 yards, 10 TD

Breakout Percentage

90%

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