John Brown

Week 7 vs. Seattle
John Brown has been hard to trust this year. He struggled the first few games of the season, then had 16 targets in Week 4 against the Rams, but has been quiet again since then. He had only 54 yards last week, although he did catch five passes. He’s a talented player, but hasn’t shown enough consistency to give him legit fantasy value.

Brown is fighting a hamstring issue this week also, so keep an eye on his status for the game before starting him. Against Seattle this week, it might be a better idea to look away from him anyway. Seattle is tied for second in the league in touchdown passes allowed – only four all year – and Brown may struggle to find room. He’s a low-end WR3 option at best in most leagues.

Update:
Brown was diagnosed with sickle-cell causing pain in his leg. He's doubtful and fantasy owners should make sure he's not in their lineups.

Week 5 at San Francisco
After not doing much in the first two games of the season, John Brown has had double-digit targets the past two weeks. He finished last week’s loss to the Rams with 10 catches on 16 targets for 144 yards. Brown is a talented playmaker who should be a solid WR3 option in most weeks, as he sees the field for over 50 percent of the offensive snaps in most games.

This week, Brown faces a 49ers defense that has allowed eight touchdown passes so far this season and should be a reasonable matchup for the Cardinals offense. However, QB Carson Palmer is in the concussion protocol. If Palmer starts, then Brown can be in your lineup. If Palmer is out, be ready for a last minute lineup change, because Brown becomes a risky WR3 option in most leagues with Drew Stanton at the helm.

Update:

With Palmer out Thursday night, Brown still has potential for targets, but he's a much riskier option and should be considered a low-end WR3 option in most leagues.

Week 2 vs. Tampa Bay

John Brown has more big play ability than the other WRs in Arizona, but playing out of the slot most of the time, he’s also the most volatile player in the rotation. He had only one catch for eight yards against the Patriots last week, but he was targeted four times. Brown should be better than he was last week, but he has some inconsistency in his production due to the other talented players on the roster.

The Bucs gave up 334 yards and a pair of touchdown passes to Matt Ryan last week, and the Cardinals should continue to throw the ball regularly with Carson Palmer under center. This gives Brown a fair amount of upside, but he’s too risky to count on. He’s a low-end WR3 this week in most leagues.