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The Arizona Cardinals were all over the place in terms of fantasy value last season. Carson Palmer disappointed, David Johnson dominated, and Larry Fitzgerald remained Larry Fitzgerald.
Not much has changed personnel wise for the Cardinals, but these guys are all being drafted in different spots than they were a year ago. This team still has plenty of fantasy value.
Here's a look at what the Arizona Cardinals' skill position players will offer fantasy football owners in 2017.
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Arizona Cardinals 2017 Outlook
Offseason Moves
Notable Additions: S Antoine Bethea, LB Karlos Dansby, K Phil Dawson, QB Blaine Gabbert, OLB Jarvis Jones, LB Haason Reddick, S Budda Baker, WR Chad Williams
Notable Losses: DE Calais Campbell, TE Darren Fells, S Tony Jefferson, LB Kevin Minter, OLB Alex Okafor, S D.J. Swearinger, LB Daryl Washington, G Earl Watford
Quarterback
Carson Palmer followed up a monster 2015 with a disappointing 2016 season, but there were still some positive takeaways that may hint at a bounce back year for Palmer. He managed to finish top 10 in both passing yards and touchdowns, and finished with at least 15 fantasy points in five of his last six games, including three games with at least 20 points. Assuming Palmer has more stability at wide receiver this season and the Cardinals bounce back across the board, he's a good candidate for a bounce back year and could wind up as a low end QB1 throughout the year. At worst, he'll have a similar season to last year, which was fine for a fantasy backup. Palmer is currently the 20th quarterback off the board and makes for a fine fantasy backup with starter upside. Owners who wait to draft a quarterback in deep leagues may want to target Palmer as a potential starter. Blaine Gabbert is fighting to ascend to the backup role instead of incumbent Drew Stanton. His track record suggests a serious lack of upside, even if he were ever to be thrust into the starting role due to injury.
Running Back
What more needs to be said about David Johnson? Last years leading scorer is likely to go number one overall in your draft and shouldn't fall past two in any leagues. Johnson has averaged 16 touchdowns a season despite not seeing double digit touches until Week 13 of his rookie season. He was just 121 receiving yards short of a 1,000/1,000 season in 2016, and it isn't unrealistic to say he'll reach that goal this season. He remains the number one overall player heading into 2017. There are a slew of options behind Johnson in the backfield, but none would come close to approaching Johnson's value if called upon. Kerwynn Williams is trying to take the RB2 position away from veteran Chris Johnson, who was recently re-signed. Andre Ellington was moved to receiver, then back to running back, but regardless of where he plays, he has no fantasy relevance.
Wide Receivers
Larry Fitzgerald enters his fourteenth season with the Arizona Cardinals and still remains very relevant from a fantasy perspective. He recorded his eighth 1,000 yard season in 2016 on 150 targets, his thirteenth straight year of over 100 targets and his highest since 2012. Fitzgerald tallied a total of 107 receptions for 1,023 yards and six touchdowns, and owners should expect a similar output from Fitzgerald again in 2017. Hovering around the 30th ADP among receivers, Fitzgerald is a safe pick for a reliable WR3/FLEX.
One of the biggest draft busts in 2016 was John Brown. Coming off a solid sophomore season in 2015, Brown was expected to continue to improve but instead nearly cut his numbers in half across the board. Still, somebody needs to catch the ball outside of Larry Fitzgerald in this offense, and Brown is the favorite to do so. He's the only receiver on the roster that's proven he can produce at a high level and should get plenty of looks opposite of Fitzgerald. As the 45th receiver off the board, Brown provides a high floor compared to the guys around him assuming he keeps his job, and could find himself as a high end WR3 option depending on how well Carson Palmer orchestrates the passing attack this year.
JJ Nelson came on strong with the departure of Michael Floyd at the end of 2016, scoring touchdowns in four consecutive games. Nelson's fantasy value was reliant on making a big play and it's hard to imagine he becomes a more consistent fantasy player given his current role in the offense. At this point, he's nothing more than a desperation dart throw on a week to week basis.
If you're somebody sitting here thinking "Fitzgerald is old, John Brown isn't good and JJ Nelson is too inconsistent, who's the dark horse to emerge as the breakout player in the passing game?" than your guy is third round rookie Chad Williams. The 6'2 receiver from Grambling State plays bigger than his size and managed 152 yards on 13 catches against Arizona last season. Williams is promising, but he's about as raw as they come and is going to be a project in Arizona. I wouldn't advise drafting him, but he may be a name to keep an eye on as the season goes.
Tight End
The tight end position has been a fantasy graveyard since Bruce Arians took over the team in 2013. They've only had one tight end record over 400 yards and one tight end to score three touchdowns during this time, and they weren't even the same player. The Cardinals paid Jermaine Gresham TE1 money in 2015, but even he hasn't been able to produce fantasy value. Gresham is talented to return to relevance as a fantasy zombie in 2017, but history doesn't suggest the Cardinals will rely on tight ends heavily this year. There's no reason to consider drafting an Arizona tight end this season, as usual.
Kicker
Arizona didn't attempt a ton of field goals last year, but they did finish sixth in the NFL in scoring, and high scoring teams provide a lot of extra points. Arizona signed a new kicker this offseason in Phil Dawson. Dawson has value strictly because of how much this offense finds the end zone and provides a high floor fantasy option at kicker. He's a veteran with a relatively high floor due to his experience and relative job security.
Defense
Arizona's defense remains a top option among fantasy defenses. The Cardinals led the NFL in sacks and forced fumbles last season, and finished third overall in defensive scoring on the season. Losing Calais Campbell on the defensive line hurts, but adding Antoine Bathea and Karlos Dansby helps ease the pain of the loss. They play a mostly favorable schedule, but an opening group of Detroit/Indianapolis/Dallas should help owners quickly figure out if Arizona is a weekly start. They're worth drafting assuming they're available when defense should be drafted.
