Arizona Cardinals - Fantasy News

Cardinals at Seahawks Start 'Em / Sit 'Em

by Aaron Bowers

12/29/17

NFL

Arizona Cardinals

J.J. Nelson

The Seattle Seahawks will be fighting for their playoff lives when they host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon.

Despite losing Carson Palmer, David Johnson and Adrian Peterson for the season, Arizona has scratched and clawed its way to seven wins with an outside chance at a .500 season. Arizona lost 22-16 at home on a short week the last time these teams met.

The Seahawks have been snake-bit this season with injuries to several key contributors on both sides of the ball. They’ve stayed afloat due to super-human efforts from Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner and the Seattle pass rush. With a win and a Falcons loss, the Seahawks will be the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs.

Arizona Cardinals Week 17 Projected Fantasy Points
Larry Fitzgerald: 12.0 PFP
Drew Stanton: 10.5 PFP
Phil Dawson: 6.5 PFP
John Brown: 6.0 PFP
J.J. Nelson: 5.5 PFP
Kerwynn Williams: 5.0 PFP
Jaron Brown: 5.0 PFP
Ricky Seals-Jones: 5.0 PFP

Seattle Seahawks Week 17 Projected Fantasy Points
Russell Wilson: 20.5 PFP
Doug Baldwin: 11.5 PFP
Paul Richardson: 9.5 PFP
Jimmy Graham: 9.0 PFP
Mike Davis: 9.0 PFP
Tyler Lockett: 7.5 PFP
Blair Walsh: 7.0 PFP
J.D. McKissic: 6.5 PFP

Start 'Em: Larry Fitzgerald (12.0 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 13.43

This game could be the last of a Hall of Fame career for Fitzgerald, who is one of the greatest receivers in NFL history. Ranked third in career receptions and receiving yards, Fitz has put together another tremendous season at age 34. He’s scored more than 12.0 DFP six times this season, including 16.3 DFP against these Seahawks in Week 10. In Drew Stanton’s three starts, Fitzgerald has 24 receptions for 302 yards and a touchdown. Look for him to put an exclamation point on a fantastic career by putting up big numbers this week.

Sit 'Em: J.J. Nelson (5.5 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 5.18

Nelson hasn’t been a relevant fantasy contributor since Week 5 when he put up 11.4 DFP against Philadelphia. He ranks fourth on the team in receptions and has caught two passes or fewer in 10 consecutive games. Though they’ve suffered devastating injuries to their secondary, the Seahawks still have one of the best pass rushes in the league. As a result, Stanton—already conservative by nature—probably won’t get time to take deep shots. If Nelson isn’t catching deep passes, he won’t provide an ounce of fantasy value, making him a good candidate to fade on Dober Play Cards this week.

Start 'Em: Russell Wilson (20.5 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 22.1

Make no mistake: this Seattle offense is broken. The running game has been a disaster all season and seemingly every play that yields a positive result starts with Wilson running for his life for 10 seconds behind the line of scrimmage. Even so, he is on pace to break the record for highest percentage of offensive yards accounted for in a single season. He’s also responsible for 35 of the 36 offensive touchdowns the Seahawks have scored in 2017. The 20.5 DFP figure is a big number for anyone, but Wilson is the only Seattle offensive player we feel good about recommending at this point in the season.

Sit 'Em: Jimmy Graham (9.0 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 9.1

After a streak in which he scored nine touchdowns in eight games, things have dried up for Graham. In his last three contests, he has a total of two receptions for two yards, though he did score a touchdown on one of those catches. In games in which he hasn’t scored a touchdown, Graham has averaged 4.6 DFP. Scoring could be limited against an Arizona defense that has allowed 9.0 points per game in its last three while the Seahawks have averaged just 17.3 points per contest over the same span. Arizona has held tight ends to fewer than 6.7 DFP in six of its past nine games, meaning sledding could be tough for Graham.