Fantasy Football: 8 Sleeper Wide Receivers to Target in 2017
J.J. Nelson, Arizona Cardinals
The 2016 campaign was a down year for the Arizona Cardinals, as the team missed the playoffs. While quarterback Carson Palmer slipped all the way to 19th among quarterbacks in standard fantasy scoring, there's reason to buy in on Palmer as a bounce-back candidate.
And if Palmer can rebound, there's optimism for the offense as a whole. We're all aware of the fantasy goodness of David Johnson and his 80 receptions. Larry Fitzgerald led the NFL in receptions last year (107), and he's still gonna eat, but who's next up?
Why not J.J. Nelson? Especially considering that John Brown appears to still be dealing with a sickle-cell trait issue, Nelson's finish to 2016 should have our attention. To round out the year, Nelson turned 30 targets in Weeks 15 through 17 into 12 catches for 245 yards and 2 touchdowns. And if we broaden that sample, Nelson hit paydirt with 4 scores over his last 5 games.
As part of a Cardinals air attack that ranked third in the NFL with 646 passing attempts, Nelson's current ADP at pick 186 in standard leagues seems far too low. —Matt Kupferle
