Football Daily Dose: Dose: Cardinals Sack Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings gave a much improved effort on Thursday night after being decimated by Seattle in Week 13, but ultimately fumbled away their chance at forcing overtime before losing 23-20 to the Arizona Cardinals. The Vikings held the Cardinals to just two touchdowns after coughing up 38 points last week, but weren’t able to capitalize after a late field goal put Arizona ahead for good.
Arizona was led by quarterback Carson Palmer, who turned in a solid effort against a hurting Minnesota defense by throwing for 310 yards and two scores. The effort marked the fifth time Palmer has thrown for 300 or more yards in his last six outings, and marked the third-consecutive game Palmer has registered zero interceptions. Palmer’s top target of the night was Michael Floyd, who has begun to live up to his lofty potential over the last month, catching five of nine targets for 102 yards and a touchdown. Floyd has now topped 100 receiving yards in four of his last five games and finally appears to be living up to the hype the fantasy world bestowed upon him prior to the 2014 season. Floyd has earned his place among trustworthy receiver options for the remainder of the fantasy playoffs.
On the Minnesota side of the ball, Teddy Bridgewater threw for 335 yards in unexciting fashion, as his leading target was Kyle Rudolph, who tallied just 67 yards. The 335-yard effort was a season-high for Bridgewater and just the second time this season he cracked the 300-yard barrier. Bridgewater deserves only deep league and two quarterback league consideration moving forward. Adrian Peterson got off to a quick start with a first quarter touchdown but finished with 69 rushing yards on the night. Peterson should have an easier time next week at home against Chicago.
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Vikings at Cardinals Quick Slants
Cardinals running back David Johnson stacked up 123 total yards on Thursday night, his second-straight game with over 100 total yards. Johnson will remain a difference making running back for the remainder of the season. … Mike Wallace found the end zone for the first time since Week 4, but will remain a bench worthy wide receiver moving forward. … John Brown hauled in a long touchdown reception and finished with 78 yards and a score on four receptions. … Larry Fitzgerald turned in his worst performance since Week 7, catching five passes for 41 yards. Fitzgerald had hauled in eight or more passes in five-straight games prior to Thursday night however, so he will remain a WR1 option in coming weeks.
In Other News…
The New Orleans Saints have been a thorn in the side of fantasy owners this week, first announcing that Mark Ingram is done for the season, then making Brandin Cooks a late addition to their injury report. Cooks apparently suffered a concussion in practice at some point this week, and did not practice on Thursday. The late announcement likely means that Cooks is a long shot to play on Sunday, a tough blow for fantasy teams hoping to count on Cooks in playoff matchups. With both Ingram and Cooks gone, the New Orleans offense is trending quickly in the wrong direction and will be led by Tim Hightower and Brandon Coleman on Sunday, as receiver Willie Snead was limited in practice on Thursday as well. The Saints may not be capable of keeping up with Tampa Bay this week, who are expected to shred through the New Orleans defense as many teams have done this season. Official word on Cooks’ status will be released this weekend, but this is tough news in Week 14.
The Denver backfield is becoming a messy, with coach Gary Kubiak expecting both Ronnie Hillman (foot) and C.J. Anderson (ankle) to practice on Friday, but also stating that Juwan Thompson could draw the start against Oakland. Anderson left Denver’s Week 13 game early with the injury, leaving many to assume Hillman was the healthiest option in this backfield, but now we have a new contender in Thompson. Thompson handled eight carries last week, but had only six touches on the season prior to that game. More information on this situation should come from Denver on Friday after practice, but fantasy owners in desperate need of running back help should snag Thompson and see what is announced in coming days.
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (knee) missed practice on Wednesday, but got in limited work on Thursday ahead of New England’s Week 14 matchup with Houston. More news on Gronk’s status should surface on Friday, but he appears to have at least an outside shot of playing on Sunday. If Gronk and the Patriots decide to give his knee one more week of rest, the practice appearance gives the impression that he should have a real chance at playing in Week 15 at the latest. If we don’t see the All-Pro tight end on the field this week, Scott Chandler will resume tight end duties in the New England offense. Chandler was targeted seven times last week in Gronk’s absence, catching four passes for 61 yards and a score. Chandler and Danny Amendola are likely the best bets for receiving action if Gronk sits, with running James White a candidate for another big workload depending on how the game script shakes out in Houston.
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Injury Quick Slants
Tyler Eifert (neck) practiced on Thursday and is ready to play this week after missing Week 13, giving fantasy owners a reliable option back at the tight end position. … Matt Schaub (chest, shoulder) did not practice on Thursday, increasing the chances that the Seattle defense gets to face Jimmy Clausen this week in what would be an extremely lopsided game. … Both Stevie Johnson (groin) and Dontrelle Inman (neck) missed practice for San Diego on Thursday, leaving Philip Rivers with limited options for Sunday’s game against Kansas City. … Allen Hurns (thigh) got in a full practice on Wednesday, but was limited on Thursday with a thigh issue. Hurns should be able to play this week but the downgrade makes him worth monitoring this weekend. … Ryan Mathews (concussion) has not played since Week 10, but appears ready to go this week after practicing on Thursday. The Philadelphia backfield is a bit of a mess at the moment, but Mathews should play a big role against Buffalo. … Heath Miller (ribs) should regain his starting spot this week after missing Week 13, as he was limited in practice on Thursday. … Matt Hasselbeck (neck, ribs) practiced again on Thursday, meaning the world will miss out on a chance to watch a Charlie Whitehurst start this week. … Travis Benjamin (shoulder) got in some practice work on Thursday and should be ready to play against San Francisco on Sunday. … Crockett Gillmore (back) missed practice again on Thursday, leaving the Ravens thin at tight end. Maxx Williams (concussion) may be the closest to suiting up this week but this will likely be a game-time call situation. … Karlos Williams (shoulder) is still not practicing and will likely miss Week 14, leaving LeSean McCoy to handle all the Buffalo running back work against his former squad. … Vernon Davis (concussion) practiced on Thursday and should be ready to play this week. … Marquess Wilson (foot) did not practice on Thursday, while Eddie Royal (knee) was a limited participant. Expect Wilson to sit, but Royal may have a shot at playing for the first time since Week 8. … Kendall Wright (ribs) has not practiced this week and is in serious danger of missing Week 14.
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