The Cardinals passing attack should be
on display Monday night against a porous Ravens secondary.
Grab a Helmet
John
Brown/ Larry
Fitzgerald v. BAL (MON): I might even throw Michael Floyd
into the mix to start this week! Fitz and JoBrown have provided
the fireworks for the Cardinals passing game this season. Brown
is being targeted on routes at all levels of the defense, and is
always a big play waiting to happen. He compiled a career day last
week with 10 catches for 196 yards on 14 targets. He’s on pace for
88 catches for 1300 yards and 5 touchdowns, numbers worthy of weekly
WR2 consideration. Fitzgerald is a weekly WR1 putting up the 2nd
most fantasy points per game among wide receivers. And the best
news of all is they get to face a Baltimore defense that can’t stop
the pass even if they wanted to. Get both these guys into your lineup
and hope gameflow doesn’t limit their opportunities; otherwise they
should be primed for big nights on Monday.
Jamison
Crowder v. TB: With an absolute ton of fantasy receivers
on bye this week, it’s time to dig deep for a possible starter.
Why not Crowder? With 19 catches for 192 yards (on 29 targets) over
the past three weeks, Crowder has been a part of the weekly game
plan. Sure he had a down week last week vs. the Jets, but this week
the hapless Bucs come to town. I’m a bit worried that Jordan Reed
might steal back some looks, but Crowder has shown a sure pair of
hands, and could get a chance to make some plays with little defensive
attention coming his way. He is definitely worth consideration as
a WR3 in PPR leagues as a guy you can get for a few bucks on the
waiver wire if you need a starter.
Willie
Snead @ IND: Yes, Willie Snead joins Brandin Cooks as
fantasy viable receivers. Sure he’s not going to win you the week,
but he’s another player that can be had for peanuts that might be
a surprisingly effective bye week fill in. This game could be the
biggest fantasy feast of the weekend, so Snead should get plenty
of opportunities to make plays. He won’t win you the week by himself,
but a solid PPR day could be on tap, as he’s caught at least 4 passes
in five straight games. With Colson (shoulder) out, Snead slides
into a starting outside slot. If he can avoid the gaze of Vontae
Davis, Snead could make some noise.
Grab Some Pine
Rueben
Randle v. DAL: Battling injury and ineffectiveness
for basically the entire season, the light just hasn’t come on
for Randle. Other than a 7-116-1 game in Week 3, he’s been barely
rosterable. Still plagued by drops and inconsistency, Randle faces
a strong Dallas defense at less than 100%. I expect the Giants
to focus on the quick short passing game to mitigate Dallas’s
rejuvenated pass rush. There is really only one Giant pass catcher
worth owning and he goes by the initials OBJ. Let Randle ride
some pine.
Jordan
Matthews @ CAR: Although you probably can’t afford
to outright bench him this week, it’s getting easier and easier
to consider it. Matthews is being targeted a ton, but drops and
a quarterback who has been woefully inaccurate has led to a very
slow start for the 2nd year breakout candidate. Matthews hasn’t
topped 60 yards or found the endzone since Week 2, and hasn’t
gotten anything going, even against some very suspect secondaries.
The matchup this week on the road vs. Carolina is dreadful, even
he if avoids the match-up with Josh Norman. Hope the production
catches up to the target volume, but don’t hold your breath.
Coby
Fleener/Dwayne
Allen v. NO: So Gary Barnidge in this spot last week
made me look silly with his two touchdown day. So I must attempt
a rebound! Fleener and Allen have been canceling each other out
for almost two seasons now, and those owners who keep plugging
these guys in have been disappointed. They’ve combined for
only 26 catches for 229 yards and 2 touchdowns, so even if you
gave them the Voltron treatment (you know, combining them into
one mega tight end) they’d barely be a TE1. 90 percent of
Fleener’s production came in Weeks 3 and 4 when Allen was
hurt. Sure, you can always plug one of them in and hope for a
spotty touchdown, but there are higher upside options and dice
rolls around the league.
