Cardinals@Rams
Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, December 29th at 4:25 PM ET
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
Betting Odds: LAR -7, 49 total via Oddsshark
Network: FOX
Sleeper Spotlight: Malcolm Brown
Arizona Cardinals
Quarterback:
- Kyler Murray
Kyler Murray tweaked his hamstring in Week 16 and has been limited in practice this week, making him questionable for the Cardinals meaningless regular-season finale. This will hopefully be decided well before kickoff, as Murray appears to be healthy enough to play, it’s just a matter of if the team wants to risk his health with Arizona already eliminated from the playoffs. Murray faces a Rams defense allowing the 12th fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks on the season, a tough matchup in a normal week. The Rams seem inclined to rest many of their stars, however, making this a tough game to predict. I would be looking for options with better health and a better matchup than Murray, as he struggled in the last matchup against the Rams with just 163 yards passing, and Murray hasn’t topped 250 yards passing since Week 10. With a hamstring injury, it would be unreasonable to expect a high rushing total to bail out owners, so stay away from Murray for Week 17. Brett Hundley would be the starter if Murray were to sit.
Running Backs:
- Kenyan Drake (Start)
- David Johnson (Sit)
- Chase Edmonds (Sit)
Kenyan Drake’s free agency audition could not have gone better after his trade to the Cardinals, who are now interested in resigning the versatile running back. Known for his pass-catching ability, Drake has dominated solely on the ground lately, rushing a combined 46 times for 303 yards and six touchdowns over the last two games against the Browns and Seahawks, while catching just 4 passes for 27 yards. With nothing to play for in Week 17, and either an injured Murray or a backup in Hundley under center, the trend of feeding Drake on the ground seems likely to continue. Unless we hear murmurs from the coaching staff about limiting his reps, start Drake with confidence in your fantasy championship. The Rams defense poses a tough challenge, but they could rest their stars this week, and there aren’t many running backs around the league as locked in as Drake right now. Behind drake last week, David Johnson saw 22% of the offensive snaps, while Chase Edmonds was limited to special teams. We would need Drake to be ruled out ahead of time to give either back any fantasy usefulness, and even then it would be an unknown as to who the lead back would be.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends:
- Christian Kirk (Sit, WR3)
- Larry Fitzgerald (Sit)
- Charles Clay (Sit)
Jalen Ramsey will sit this one out for the Rams, greatly improving a tough matchup for the Cardinals receivers. There remain too many concerns to trust these receivers, however. With Kyler Murray’s health in question, there’s a chance that these receivers could be relying on Brett Hundley. Also, the offense has changed as of late, as Murray’s passing attempts have decreased and the Rams have become ore focused on the running game. Since his Week 12 bye, Murray has attempted 34, 30, 25, and 18 passes, a clear decline from his early-season pass-happy ways. Finally, the play of the Cardinals receivers has left a lot to be desired. Christian Kirk did not catch a single one of his five targets in Week 16, only contributing two carries or nine yards, and has been extremely up and down since his mid-season ankle injury. You have to wonder if the injury is still affecting him, as he has shown up on the injury report from time to time, and with Murray hobbled Kirk isn’t a recommended play. He gets labeled as a WR3 for me this week simply for being the primary option in a passing game, but I would look elsewhere if possible. Larry Fitzgerald has provided a decent enough floor in most games this season but since his Week 12 bye has a high of 56 yards receiving and just one touchdown. If eight or nine PPR points is what you need, you can use Fitzgerald, but you likely need to be chasing a higher ceiling in a fantasy championship. Charles Clay and the rest of the Cardinals’ tight ends have been non-factors all year and should be left on your waiver wire.
Los Angeles Rams
Quarterback:
- Jared Goff (Sit)
Jared Goff draws an excellent matchup in the season finale, playing a Cardinals defense that has given up the most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. Coupled with the fact that Goff plays at home would make this a start nearly any other week. With the Rams eliminated from playoff contention, however, and coach Sean McVay hinting at resting starters, even Goff isn’t guaranteed to play the whole game. There’s a chance that we see Blake Bortles in this game, which would be a fitting end to this lost Rams season. Ultimately, this could be a big spot for Goff if the game remains close. But a big Rams lead would likely result in them bleeding the clock on the ground, while I don’t think the Rams would subject Goff to unnecessary hits if the Rams were down big and in garbage time. I wouldn’t fault you for playing Goff, but with the Rams potentially resting Ramsey, Rob Havenstein, Bobby Evans, and potentially Troy Hill, Todd Gurley, and Gerald Everett, the writing on the wall seems to be that we don’t see Goff very far into the second half.
Running Backs:
- Todd Gurley (Start*, RB2)
- Darrell Henderson (Sit)
- Malcolm Brown (Start*, RB2)
Todd Gurley would be an obvious start in Week 17 if we knew he was in for a full workload, with his last matchup against Arizona resulting in 19 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown, while also chipping in a 20-yard reception. With McVay hinting at resting starters in a meaningless Week 17 game, however, Gurley would be among the most logical starters to be held back in the last week of the season. You’ll need to follow news from Gurley and McVay closely this week, hopefully, they tip their hand somehow. You may ultimately be deciding between a half of Gurley or a full game of a lesser player, a tough choice in fantasy championships. I’m calling him an RB2 with the information that we have right now, but I have a feeling we don’t see a lot of Gurley in Week 17. With Darrell Henderson dealing with an ankle injury and set to hit IR, things are opening up for a big workload for Malcolm Brown. While Brown has been far from impressive this year in his limited usage, he could have this backfield to himself if and when Gurley is sent to the sidelines for the remainder of the game. It would be a bold move inserting Brown into your lineups at this point, but hopefully, we will get some hints from McVay as to his plans before Sunday. In a matchup against a poor Cardinals defense in a game that could see backup quarterbacks from both teams, there appears to be a large rushing workload in store for the Rams running backs. If Brown gets the backfield to himself, he could put together a strong fantasy performance. He’s certainly not without risk, but if you need to take a swing for the fences in Week 17, Brown could be your guy.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends:
- Cooper Kupp (Start, WR2)
- Robert Woods (Start, WR2)
- Brandin Cooks (Sit)
- Josh Reynolds (Sit)
- Tyler Higbee (Start)
Here is where things get complicated for fantasy owners. There has been no indication that McVay would rest any of the receivers, but in a meaningless Week 17 game, it would make sense, especially with the injury history involved. Let’s get the easy one out of the way, sit Brandin Cooks, as his concussion history and lack of fantasy dominance in 2019 makes him an easy player to avoid. Cooks would be an obvious candidate for reduced snaps in Week 17 as the Rams make sure he enters the offseason healthy. Cooper Kupp is healthy, but coming off an ACL injury the Rams would likely want to ensure that he has a healthy offseason ahead of him. I’d imagine Kupp plays, and he should provide a decent floor with a few receptions, but it’s hard to see him getting a massive workload, especially if Goff is benched and the Rams just try to salt this game away on the ground. Kupp has scored a touchdown in each of the last four games but has averaged just five targets a game over that span, and hasn’t reached 60 yards receiving since Week 8. All of that makes him a low upside WR2, and make sure to keep an eye out for news of a reduced role. Robert Woods has received nine or more targets in each of the last six games and has put together five 90+ yard performances during that span, making him the Rams top fantasy receiver. He has all of the playing time concerns mentioned above, except he has less of an injury history for McVay to worry about. I don’t expect a ton of passing from the Rams, making Woods a higher-end WR2. But somebody has to play receiver for the Rams, and Cook should see his share of snaps barring a last-minute coaching decision. Josh Reynolds would be the next man up if any one of the Rams’ receivers is benched, putting him on the fantasy radar this week. He’s shown some production in the past when given the opportunity, so he isn’t a complete dart-throw. Keep Reynolds on your watch list or bench if you are separate for a WR3 or flex option, and if some clarity comes from McVay on which starters will be rested, Reynolds could be in line for a large snap count. Tyler Higbee has seen ten or more targets in each of the last three games and has produced a 100-yard game in each of the last four, making him an excellent start against this bad Cardinals tight end defense. While playing time concerns are certainly there for Higbee as well, there are very few tight ends that offer this upside, making Higbee worth the gamble. Last time out he produced seven catches on eight targets for 107 yards and a touchdown against this Arizona defense.
-Erik Smith (@ErikSmithQBL on Twitter, truebest on Reddit)