The Arizona Cardinals moved to 4-1 with a dominant 42-17 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday, and their offensive playmakers pleased fantasy owners in the process.
Carson Palmer didn’t play the full game because Arizona was ahead by a wide margin, but he found the end zone three times before exiting. One of his touchdown passes went to John Brown, and running back Chris Johnson did much of the heavy lifting when Palmer and Co. elected to keep the ball on the ground.
Here is a look at the final numbers and some fantasy reactions for the Arizona stars.
Carson Palmer
A healthy Palmer has made all the difference for this Cardinals team in 2015, and he led Arizona to its fourth victory in five tries with Sunday’s win.
The former USC Trojans star has topped 300 passing yards three times already this year, and he has thrown 13 touchdowns and only three interceptions. The Detroit defense sacked him twice, but the secondary never had much of a chance when he set his feet and fired downfield.
Palmer is a two-time Pro Bowler and appears comfortable in the Arizona offense. He threw for a career-high 4,274 yards in 2013 in his first year with the Cardinals. Last year, he threw for 11 touchdowns and only three interceptions in six games before he suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Fantasy owners should trust Palmer moving forward, given his track record and rapport with Larry Fitzgerald and Brown in the Arizona passing game. Believe in the signal-caller’s numbers and make sure he is part of your lineup this season.
Chris Johnson
Presumed starting running back Andre Ellington has dealt with injuries this season and played his second game of the 2015 campaign Sunday, but that didn’t stop Johnson from turning in another solid fantasy performance.
It is also encouraging for fantasy owners that Johnson carried the ball 11 times, compared to Ellington’s three, and Sports Illustrated suggested that won’t change anytime soon:
Johnson’s role as the main back may be a surprise based on preseason expectations, but the veteran has already topped 70 rushing yards in four of the team’s five games and cracked 100 rushing yards twice. For comparison, he eclipsed the century mark only once last season.
Johnson may not be the same back at 30 years old as he was when he racked up 2,006 rushing yards in 2009, but it is impossible to ignore these rushing totals, even if he isn’t much of a factor in the passing attack.
The fact that Arizona is rolling over opponents this season will also help Johnson’s fantasy value. The Cardinals will likely rely on the run game to close out victories, which means more carries for Johnson. All four of Arizona’s wins this year have come by double digits, and the offense has topped 40 points three times.
Johnson will continue to see the football this year. Make sure he does so in your lineup and not on your bench.
John Brown
It would be understandable if fantasy owners who are relying on Brown were worried about Fitzgerald’s impressive revival this season after an up-and-down 2014. Fitzgerald already has six touchdown catches in five games and picked up more than 80 receiving yards four times, but that isn’t a detriment to Brown’s value.
Opposing secondaries will increasingly pay attention to Fitzgerald, given his success this season and his overall track record as one of the best receivers of a generation. That should put Brown in single-coverage situations against No. 2 corners, which he can exploit with his speed and route-running abilities.
He did that Sunday and found the end zone.
While Brown is not an automatic start because he hasn’t topped 75 receiving yards once this year and has only two touchdowns in five contests, he is worth flex consideration with a red-hot quarterback throwing his way. Expect Brown’s numbers to improve as his second season continues and he becomes accustomed to the NFL level.
Read more Fantasy Football news on NerdyFootball.com
