Fantasy Upside
By all accounts, John Brown has displayed a "speed and explosiveness" the Cardinals haven't seen from the fourth-year wideout since 2015. From OTAs, through mini-camp, through the first practice of training camp, Brown has shown off the hands and high-end speed that made him one of the league's toughest players to defend. "'Smoke' looks like John Brown," head coach Bruce Arians said following a recent mini-camp, referring to Brown's nickname. Adding to the interest, ESPN.com reports the extra 13 pounds of muscle Brown added over the offseason has him looking the part of a game-changing receiver. Brown said he weighed 185 pounds, up 12 pounds from last season. "That's a lot compared to last year," Brown said. "I feel good with the weight I've put on, so I'm ready to go." The key here lies in the fact he kept the one thing that made him who he is: his speed.
Fantasy Downside
Brown believes the added bulk will help him this season as he tries to rebound from the worst season of his career, which was marred by the October diagnosis of being a carrier of the sickle cell trait. He also had a cyst on his spine that was drained after the season. Fantasy owners need to monitor Brown and make an effort to determine if those issues are truly behind him. What appears to be a minor quad injury suffered the first week of training camp adds to the concern.
2017 Bottom Line
A year after his first 1,000-yard season, Brown had a career-low 517 receiving yards, 39 catches, and two touchdowns, as he fought the fatigue and injuries associated with his condition. Now, as NFL.com suggests, Brown's transformation looms large for a Cardinals team that needs help at the position. Brown is an integral part of a cast led by an aging Larry Fitzgerald. After the team parted ways with Michael Floyd, Brown and J.J. Nelson will be asked to pick up the slack, something Brown wasn't able to do last season. Drafting him at his current price (WR48) seems like a reasonable gamble with ample upside.