With Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown, the Arizona Cardinals have one of the best receiving units in the NFL, giving quarterback Carson Palmer plenty of options to spread the ball around on offense. But when there are that many weapons, not everyone will be able to bask in the statistical glory. Someone’s numbers will dip. Whose will that be?
Michael Floyd
ESPN Fantasy Projection: 937.7 yards, 6.6 TDs
Over or under: I'm taking the over on both. Floyd should have had 1,000 yards last season, but a gruesome hand injury in training camp limited his action through the first five games. If he stays healthy, I think Floyd will explode this year, surpassing 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’ll be helped by Fitzgerald getting a ton of attention and leaving Floyd in single coverage. He’s lost some weight, toned up and has the motivation that accompanies a contract year to boost his output in 2016. The way he can use his body to maneuver along the sideline makes him one of the better deep-ball receivers in the NFL and it’ll show up in his stats.
Larry Fitzgerald
ESPN Fantasy Projection: 945.4 yards, 6.8 TDs
Over or under: This one is tough but I’m going to take the under on the yards and over on the touchdowns. I think Fitzgerald will be a victim of his own success this season. He hadn’t hit 1,000 yards since 2011 before blowing up last season with 1,215, so teams weren’t giving him the type of respect he deserved. Well, that’s about to change. I think defensive game plans will be keying on Fitzgerald this year, which will allow Floyd and Brown to go wild early in the season. But in the second half of the season, I think Fitzgerald’s numbers will hit a spike because teams will realize how much damage Floyd and Brown are creating.
John Brown
ESPN Fantasy Projection: 955.7 yards, 5.9 TDs
Over or under: I’m going over on both yards and touchdowns. I think Fitzgerald will attract a lot of attention in the first half of the season, which will create openings for Brown, and his speed will allow him to have massive games. Coach Bruce Arians will utilize Brown’s speed and his relationship with Palmer will be evident as the two will connect on a significant amount of deep balls. And Brown learned last year, as he pressed to get 1,000 yards, what it takes mentally to be a top-tier receiver in this league and that experience will help him dominate corners early.
