Sam Bradford

Week 2 at Los Angeles Rams

Sam Bradford and the Cardinals' passing game looked awful against Washington last week, with Bradford throwing for only 153 yards and a pick. If not for a late touchdown from David Johnson, the Cardinals would’ve been shut out. Bradford is playing on borrowed time, as rookie Josh Rosen is likely to take over at some point. Against a tough Rams defense that forced Derek Carr into three picks on Monday night, Bradford should remain on the waiver wire.

Fantasy Upside

With the Cardinals trading up to invest the 10th overall pick on Josh Rosen, Bradford is the only thing standing between the rookie and a starting spot. And that could be good news for Rosen—unless Bradford can buck his injury history. If the veteran can do that, he'll benefit from the presence of David Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald. Bradford is an accurate passer capable of moving an offense. He just has to be on the field to do it.

Fantasy Downside

Did we mention that injury history? There was an ankle problem in 2010, a torn ACL in 2013, a re-tear of the ACL in 2014, a shoulder injury in 2015, and then a knee bruise that ultimately needed surgery in 2017. Bradford said his knee feels good, coming out of a season that might have been the most frustrating of his career. He starred in a three-touchdown game in Week 1 to open the 2017 season, but the knee problem basically cost him the rest of the season. He briefly returned as the starter in Week 5 but was unable to finish the game, although he was healthy enough to backup Case Keenum during the Vikings' playoff run. Since missing the entire 2014 season with the torn ACL, Bradford played in 14 games in 2015, 15 games in 2016, and those two games last season.

2018 Bottom Line

Cardinals head strength coach Buddy Morris said he has talked with "everybody that's ever trained" Bradford, as well as Bradford's current physical therapist, in preparation for Bradford's Arizona debut. We'll have to see if it is enough to keep the veteran in the locked and upright position for a 16-game schedule. Beyond that, Bradford must fend off Rosen, who is as pro-ready as any quarterback in this year's draft. We're betting on Rosen to get the nod at some point early on (perhaps even during camp).

Week 2 at Pittsburgh Steelers

Sam Bradford had arguably the best game of his career (it was his highest ever QB rating in a game) in Week 1, throwing for 346 yards, 3 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. It was a much different stat line from Bradford than what we were accustomed to seeing a year ago, as he only had five multi-touchdown games in 2016.

Oddly enough, he started out last year the same way with back-to-back 3-touchdown games before he settled into what he averaged out. So we'll have to see if he continues to be this productive, or if he falls off again.

He'll get a shot to do so this week in a decent matchup against the Steelers. We predict Bradford won't quite put up the numbers he did a week ago, and instead fall back to what he did most of 2016. He's a mid-QB2 play in Week 2.