The Cardinals offense has been struggling for much of the season. Once viewed as the deepest receiving corps in football, WRs Michael Floyd and John Brown have dealt with recurring injuries and QB Carson Palmer has simply been bad at times this year. The offense has certainly shifted to a heavy focus on RB David Johnson and his has shown NFL fans on a weekly basis just how good he really can be.
The second-year back now has over 100 total yards in every game this season and 16 of his last 17 games since earning regular playing time late last season. Johnson may be just as good of a receiver as he is a runner and following the Week 13 game against the Redskins, Johnson now has eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards and 700 rushing yards for the season. As Rotoworld’s own Rich Hribar pointed out on Twitter, the only other player to accomplish that in his first 12 games of a season was former Rams RB Marshall Faulk in 1998. It seems safe to predict that Johnson will finish this week as the top-scoring RB, which would be the fifth time this season he’s accomplished that feat. Along with those five games, he also has five other games finishing as a top -2 back and just one game outside that range on the season, when he was RB19 against the Rams in Week Four. Johnson is the easiest plug and play starter for the remainder of the season and will be the favorite to be the 1.01 in 2017 fantasy drafts.
In Other News
After last week’s goose egg in the targets column, all eyes were on Saints WR Brandin Cooks. Prior to the game, there was a report that suggested the team could consider trading Cooks this offseason, which added even more intrigue to the game against the Lions. While the Saints as a whole struggled, Cooks did lead the team in targets with nine, catching seven of them for 73 yards.
49ers QB Colin Kaepernick has been one of the hottest players in fantasy football and we all finally seemed ready to crown him as a weekly fantasy starter heading into what many viewed as a soft matchup against the Bears. Maybe it was the snowy conditions or maybe Kap was just reminding us all how he ended up riding the bench in the first place, but the San Francisco starter was awful in the Windy City, completing just one pass for four yards before being benched in favor of former starter Blaine Gabbert. Kaepernick has boosted his fantasy numbers with his rushing ability, but he managed just 20 rushing yards in this game. He is still likely to reclaim his starting job, though a report that he has already decided to opt out of his contract and become a free agent could affect the decision making of HC Chip Kelly.
Steelers TE Ladarius Green has been back on the field now for a couple of weeks, but had yet to really make an impact. In his Matchups column, Evan Silva warned us that a breakout game was coming from Green and it happened this week against the Giants, a team infamous for giving it up to the tight end. Green led the Steelers with six catches on 11 targets, gaining 110 yards and his first touchdown as a Steeler.
Quick Hits
With QB Trevor Siemian out, rookie QB Paxton Lynch got his second career start. While the Broncos got the win, Lynch managed just 104 passing yards and no touchdowns... Lions QB Matthew Stafford broke out of his funk as he threw for 341 yards and two TDs in the upset win over New Orleans... The Packers’ backfield remains as confusing as ever. Veteran James Starks got just four carries for one yard, while newly acquired Christine Michael led the team with nine carries, but ran for only 19 yards. WR Ty Montgomery led the team with 40 rushing yards on six carries. All of these are players to avoid until there is some clarity... Rams RB Todd Gurley predictably had another down game, totaling 47 yards against the Patriots. He’s far from a safe starter in fantasy leagues... The Falcons disappointed on Sunday, but RB Devonta Freeman continued to be a major player, especially in the red zone. Freeman totaled 105 yards and two touchdowns against the Chiefs defense... For the second consecutive game, veteran Rex Burkhead led the Bengals in rushing, outdoing starter Jeremy Hill on fewer touches... The Ravens dominated Miami and a lot of that was due to the poor play of Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill, who threw for 226 yards, one touchdown and a trio of interceptions... Not much went right for the 49ers in Chicago, but RB Carlos Hyde had one of his better games since returning from injury, rushing for 92 yards on 20 carries... The Bills blew a big lead, but RB LeSean McCoy tore up the Oakland defense, totaling 191 yards, leading the Bills in both rushing and receiving... TE Cameron Brate came through on a day in which superstar WR Mike Evans (3/36) was struggling. Brate led the Bucs with six catches for 86 yards and a score... Veteran QB Carson Palmer looked like his old self, throwing three TDs and hitting the 300-yard mark on the dot… Giants WR Odell Beckham had just one target in the first half, but 15 looks in the second half turned his day around. OBJ finished with 10 grabs for 100 yards... In a surprise disciplinary move, Panthers QB Cam Newton did not start Sunday night. Instead, backup QB Derek Anderson threw an interception on the first offensive play of the game... Broncos rookie RB Devontae Booker again disappointed, rushing for 35 yards. Backup Kapri Bibbs led the team with 49 yards on just five carries, though he had to leave with an ankle injury... With WR Marvin Jones out, Golden Tate was once again the focus of the Detroit offense, catching eight balls for 145 yards and a TD... The Packers and Texans played in snowy conditions as well and QB Aaron Rodgers did just enough to get the win, throwing for 209 yards and two touchdowns. While WR Jordy Nelson (8/118/1) had another huge day, Davante Adams was held in check, catching only one of his seven targets for 17 yards... Patriots QB Tom Brady became the all-time winningest QB in league history on a day he easily dispatched of the Rams. Brady threw for 269 yards and one TD to WR Chris Hogan... It wasn’t enough to defeat the Chiefs, but the Matt Ryan/Julio Jones connection was alive and well. Ryan threw for 297 yards and a TD, while Jones caught seven passes for 113 yards. Jones was clearly bothered by a leg injury, but later claimed it was not a huge issue... Bengals QB Andy Dalton played one of his better games this year and Cincy destroyed the Eagles in a game that was not as close as the score appears. Dalton threw for 332 yards and two scores. His top WR targets continue to be rookie Tyler Boyd (4/66) and veteran Brandon LaFell (5/95/1) with A.J. Green still out of action... The Ravens’ running game is tough to figure. Rookie Kenneth Dixon saw just six carries, but outrushed veteran Terrance West, who scored twice on the day. Both RBs were involved in the passing game... The Steelers’ dynamic duo of RB Le’Veon Bell and WR Antonio Brown continue to produce at high levels. Bell totaled 182 yards, while Brown caught six passes for 54 yards and a touchdown... Jaguars QB Blake Bortles was again pathetic, managing 181 passing yards and a pair of picks. He did pad his fantasy numbers with a 22-yard rushing score... Texans RB Lamar Miller suffered an early injury and while he did return, he failed to make an impact, gaining 18 yards on 15 touches... With TE Rob Gronkowski done for the year, it appears the Pats will lean on a pair of WRs, veteran Julian Edelman (8/101) and rookie Malcolm Mitchell (8/82)... TE Travis Kelce continued his hot streak, setting a new career high with 140 yards on eight receptions... Bears WR Marquess Wilson enjoyed a breakout game last week, but in Week 13, he suffered an early groin injury and failed to record a reception... The Raiders were down early, but once again staged a second half comeback. QB Derek Carr finished with 260 passing yards and two touchdowns and his star WRs Michael Crabtree (7/74/1) and Amari Cooper (2/59/1) once again came up huge... Chargers RB Melvin Gordon had a nice game in a losing effort, totaling 138 yards and a touchdown against the Bucs... Eagles Zach Ertz matched a season high for all TEs with 15 targets, catching nine of them for 79 yards and a wide-open touchdown... WR Allen Robinson had seemingly turned things around a couple weeks ago, but is back to being a major disappointment. Sunday, he caught just three of 10 targets for 31 yards... Rookie RB Jordan Howard scored a trio of TDs, rushing for 117 yards against the weak San Fran defense... RB Latavius Murray was a key part of the Oakland comeback effort and finished with over 100 total yards and a pair of rushing scores... Mr. Reliable WR Larry Fitzgerald was again the go-to option for Carson Palmer, catching 10 of 11 targets for 78 yards... Bucs WR Cecil Shorts suffered a serious knee injury, tearing all ligaments in his right knee, along with a dislocation. This could sadly put his career in jeopardy... Pre-game reports suggested the Eagles would feature rookie RB Wendell Smallwood, but they didn’t have the chance after falling behind early. Smallwood finished with 19 yards on eight carries... QB Joe Flacco had a huge day in the Ravens’ blowout win over Miami, throwing for 381 yards and four scores. TE Dennis Pitta was the biggest beneficiary, catching nine passes for 90 and his first two scores of the season... TE Jermaine Gresham continues to carve out a meaningful role for Arizona, posting a 5/52 stat line... Despite getting waxed by the Ravens, both WRs for Miami put up nice games. Jarvis Landry led the way with 11 grabs for 87 yards, while DeVante Parker caught three passes for 34 yards and a TD... With WR Jordan Matthews out, some were expecting a breakout game from Dorial Green-Beckham. Instead, DGB caught just four of 10 targets before leaving the game with a rib injury... WR Jamison Crowder had a down game and also reportedly suffered a hip pointer... In a game that wasn’t close from the start, the Seahawks easily dispatched of the Panthers and RB Thomas Rawls went over 100 yards for the first time this year, rushing for a pair of TDs and being tested for a concussion along the way... Chargers WR Tyrell Williams (2/47/1) and Dontrelle Inman (2/49/1) stayed hot and made big plays for QB Philip Rivers... RB Doug Martin had a respectable game for Tampa, rushing for 45 yards and a TD, but missed the end of the game with a minor injury.
