Will Cardinals WR J.J. Nelson hold fantasy value beyond his breakout week?
The Arizona Cardinals seem to be less a bird, more a hydra in 2015. No matter how many wide receivers they seem to lose to injury, they are able to grow another one from out of nowhere. This was evident on Sunday when, in the absence of Michael Floyd, rookie wideout J.J. Nelson dropped a 4-142-1 stat line on the Bengals, including a 64-yard touchdown.
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Nelson may not be widely known outside of the Cardinals, but one thing the NFL should know (if they didn’t already) is that this kid is fast. His 40-yard dash time at the Scouting Combine was 4.28, the second-fastest recorded (his Cardinals teammate Chris Johnson still owns that record). This was a big reason why the team selected him in the fifth round of this year’s draft.
It should be noted that prior to Sunday’s game, he had only three catches for 70 yards this season. But the health of his fellow receivers could offer him a path to extended playing time. John Brown has been hampered by a hamstring injury for over a month, and Floyd injured his hammy during the victory over the Seahawks two games ago. If there remain any lingering doubts about their fitness, and Brown’s ongoing struggles indicate that there are, Nelson is likely to see more looks. The Cardinals have targeted at least four wide receivers in seven of their 10 games this season. Even if both Brown and Floyd are fully fit, Nelson’s speed offers Carson Palmer a field-stretching deep threat. On the 14 passes on which he has been targeted, Nelson has on average been nearly 22 yards downfield, compared to Floyd’s 18.
Does Nelson offer any consistent fantasy value in the closing weeks of the 2015 season? It would seem unlikely. Larry Fitzgerald remains the one constant in a topsy-turvy receiving corps. While a player who can take the top off an opposing defense is a great weapon to keep around, he isn’t likely to see enough targets for him to threaten WR3 production.
But his is a name that should be remembered, especially if Floyd and Brown suddenly come up lame between now and January.
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Neil Dutton is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Neil, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @ndutton13.
