Dynasty Capsule: Arizona Cardinals

Bruce Matson

cardinalscapsule

Every year we give our premium content members a team-by-team, player-by-player look at the NFL season that was. The coverage will be in-depth, but because the Dynasty Capsule series begins immediately after the regular season, we won’t use it to discuss free agency or the draft. Come see us in early May once Mr. Irrelevant is off the board for another 32-article series giving you the same detailed discussion you’ll see below.

Buckle up dynasty fans, because you’re about to be reminded why our motto is, “There is no off-season.”

Quarterback

Carson Palmer

He finished fourth in the league in passing with 4,671 yards, which is remarkable considering he suffered a torn ACL during week ten of the 2014 season. He’s a great fit for Arizona’s offense, and he’s surrounded by a lot of lucrative weapons at the skilled positions to help fuel his production. This was the best season of his career as he finished first in yards per attempt (8.7), yards per completion (13.7) and QBR (82.15).

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If you are in need of a quarterback, Palmer can be had for a palatable price due to his age and injury history. Injuries should be the only thing that we deem as a threat to his fantasy production, because his situation isn’t going to change. He’s not losing any of his weapons and his offensive scheme is staying the same, so we should expect similar production as long as Arizona doesn’t get bit by the injury bug.

Drew Stanton

He will be a UFA going into the 2016 off-season. There’s a good chance that he gets resigned with the team because Bruce Arians likes him and he shouldn’t cost much to re-sign. He is a backup quarterback you can find on the waiver wire in most leagues, and he should stay on waivers unless your league has ultra-deep rosters. My interest level in him will rise if he re-signs with Arizona, because if Carson Palmer would go down with an injury then he would become startable in fantasy due to the weapons he would have at his disposal.

Matt Barkley

The Cardinals acquired Barkley via trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for a conditional seventh-round pick that turned into a sixth-round pick since he was on the roster for more than six games. He appears to be a journeyman backup quarterback at this stage of his career. The odds of him putting it together and becoming an everyday starter are not good.

Running Back

David Johnsonjohnson

He had a phenomenal finish to his rookie season. From weeks 13 through 17 he led all running backs in PPR scoring averaging 22.56 points per game. He’s one of the best receiving backs in the league, and caught 36 receptions for 457 yards and four touchdowns last season. The Cardinals tend to split him out in five wide receiver sets because he’s a very good route runner with great hands. This is great for his fantasy value because he stays on the field for third and long situations.

Johnson is a hot commodity right now. Many people have him ranked as the RB3 in dynasty, behind Todd Gurley and Le’Veon Bell. In DLF’s January ADP, Johnson is currently being selected at 20.50 overall as the third running back coming off the board. He’s a dynamic player and I would love to have him on all my teams, but I don’t think it’s wise to buy him while his value is at its ceiling. There are other players you could select who would be a lot safer options than selecting Johnson at a premium. It’s okay to hold Johnson if you currently own him, but it’s going to cost you an arm and a leg to acquire his services.

Chris Johnson

No one expected this much output from him this season, rushing for 814 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 4.2 yards per carry. He’s going to be a free agent during the off-season, but there’s a good chance the Cardinals will resign him since he’s familiar with the offense and he played well for them last season. He would be sharing touches and playing second fiddle to David Johnson if he resigns with Arizona. The window to sell him is over, and his dynasty value is next to nothing right now.

Andre Ellington

Many many fantasy owners had high hopes for him going into the season, but this was another injury-plagued season for Ellington. He played in ten games, rushing for 289 yards and three touchdowns. It appears he’s going to be the odd man out when it comes to touches next season unless there’s an injury. His dynasty value is at its lowest point, and if you are still a believer in his talents then now is a great buying opportunity for you.

Kerwynn Williams

Williams is a small, explosive running back who hits the hole hard and when he gets through he’s very dangerous with the ball in space. He hasn’t been given much of an opportunity, as he’s only managed 388 yards and one touchdown during his last two seasons. He has enough ability to become a decent fantasy option if he was given an opportunity. Unfortunately, the depth chart is clogged in front of him with talented players, making it very difficult for him to see the field. Consider Williams an end of bench stash and nothing more, but feel free to cut him if you need to make room for rookies or a player off the waiver wire that you like.

Stepfan Taylor

The Cardinals selected Taylor in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He has rushed for 381 yards and one touchdown, and averaged 3.3 yards per carry during his career. He is signed through 2016 on his original rookie deal, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he got cut during the off-season. Since his upside is very limited, feel free to cut him from your dynasty rosters.

Wide Receiver

Larry Fitzgerald

This is the first season that he eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving since 2011. Before this season, Fitzgerald’s dynasty stock was at an all-time low making him a cheap target in startup drafts. Those who bought him at a discount last year are more than likely very happy customers as Fitzgerald finished seventh in PPR scoring averaging 18.00 points per game. He was Carson Palmer’s favorite target and took over 25.80 percent of the team’s passing targets. Fitzgerald has also dropped only three passes in the last three years.

Even though his play doesn’t reflect it, he will be turning 33 in August. His price tag is weird, because he’s a buy low for win-now teams and a sell high for dynasty teams that are going through the rebuilding process. His current production is more valuable than what his price tag indicates, as he’s the forty-fifth wide receiver off the board in DLF’s January ADP rankings. The best time to sell him was during the season when he was most beneficial for teams making a championship run, but you should be able to get a little more for him in a trade then what you would have this time last year. If you are planning to trade him, then I would start kicking the tires with your league-mates now before the price of rookie draft picks increase.

Michael Floyd

The Cardinals picked up Floyd’s fifth-year option on his contract, making him an Arizona Cardinal for 2016. He was very productive despite dealing with a brutal hand injury during the beginning of the season. He ended up with 52 receptions for 849 yards and six touchdowns and averaging 11.52 fantasy points per game in PPR scoring formats, and proved he would be a potential WR1 if given more targets.

He’s 26 years old and has plenty of years left in the tank to be a productive asset for your dynasty team. If you are not very fond of the rookie class this year, you might want to think about trying to trade for Michael Floyd with your first round pick. He has the athletic ability and the skill set to become a top fantasy wide receiver. He will also be a free agent in 2017 and he could land on a team that might provide him more targets.

brownJohn Brown

Brown quietly caught 65 receptions for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns this season as he finished as the WR24 in PPR scoring averaging 14.13 points per game. He is the prototypical slot receiver who also has the speed and explosiveness to play on the outside. He has great hands and runs really crisp routes. While Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd eat up a lot of the targets that could potentially go to him, being paired with talented receivers allows him to get favorable matchups against the defense.

Brown isn’t as young as you would expect as he turns 26 years old in April. His age shouldn’t affect his dynasty value as he has plenty of years left ahead of him. Brown’s price is a little bit high as he’s being drafted around the early fourth round in startup drafts. He’s a very dependable player because he gets a large volume of targets, but you are buying him at his ceiling if you are purchasing him at his current price point.

Jaron Brown

He is a very explosive player, which is why he was a trendy stash last off-season. Brown only caught 11 receptions for 144 yards while averaging 1.43 targets per game last season. He is a better football player than fantasy football option because he doesn’t get enough opportunity within the offensive scheme to generate enough output to become fantasy relevant. Consider him droppable if you need to make room on your roster.

J.J. Nelson

Nelson is a blazing fast wide receiver whose primary role is to return kicks and punts. He’s very explosive and has the ability to burn past the defense and make big plays. The depth chart is log jammed with tons of talent and opportunities will be limited for him. He is a flier worth stashing at the end of your bench, but is droppable if you need to make room for another player.

Brittan Golden

Arizona had him stashed away on their practice squad this season and they called him up to play in a few games. He’s a long shot, and not worth a roster spot on your dynasty team.

Tight End

Darren Fells

Fells caught 21 of his 28 targets for 311 yards and three touchdowns last season. His biggest game was during week one against the Saints where he caught four receptions for 82 yards and one touchdown. The entire group of tight ends for Arizona only accounted for 11.87 percent of the market share in the passing game. With only 11.63 percent of the passing targets going to the tight ends, there was little opportunity within the offense for any of the tight ends to make an impact in the box score.

Jermaine Gresham

He is going to be an UFA going into the 2016 off-season, and age and injures are starting to mount up on him. The odds of him providing enough fantasy production to be a reliable asset for your team is highly unlikely. There’s not enough upside in his game for me to want to stash him on the back end of my roster.

Troy Niklas

Arizona drafted Niklas in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft with the expectation he could be their future starting tight end. His production was limited during his first two seasons due to an assortment of injuries that led him to just catching seven receptions for 71 yards and two touchdowns. He’s a player you can stash at the end of your bench with the hopes that he could eventually develop into a starter one day.

Gerald Christian and Ifeanyi Momah

Momah, an undrafted free agent from the 2012 draft class, and Christian who was Mr. Irrelevant during last year’s draft are both considered long shots to do anything in the NFL. Momah is currently making the transition from wide receiver to tight end, and he needs to develop sooner than later or he will be cut. Christian doesn’t excel at running routes or catching the football and he doesn’t have the size and skill set to be a dependable pass blocker. He will need to develop in both of these areas for him to be a viable asset to the team. Since he was the last pick in the seventh round last year, the Cardinals don’t have much stock invested in him which makes it easy for them to move their separate ways if he doesn’t develop.

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bruce matson