Fantasy Football 2017: So you want to wait on wide receivers?
By Dan Thomas
4. John “Smokey” Brown, Arizona Cardinals
Fantasy Football Calculator ADP: 10.06
Last year was a down-year for Cardinals wide receiver John Brown as he finished as the 74th PPR wide receiver. However, his disappointing season was due to unusual circumstances. Brown was suffering from the sickle-cell trait. Due to this abnormality, Brown couldn’t stay healthy. To take it one step further, he also had a cyst on his spine, which was later removed in January. With these issues either under control or out of the way, Brown should look more like the receiver we saw in 2015.
If you recall, Brown had a great season in 2015 finishing with 65 receptions, 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns across 15 games. He finished the season as the 26th PPR wide receiver. Going into 2017, Brown has a lot working in his favor other than his health.
When Brown had his breakout season in 2015, the team’s third-leading wide receiver, Michael Floyd, finished with 52 receptions, 849 yards and six touchdowns. With Floyd now on house arrest somewhere in Minnesota, Brown should see more targets coming his way. Remember, the Cardinals finished third in the NFL last year in passing attempts after finishing second in 2015. With Arizona expected to throw a bunch, Brown will get plenty of opportunities to bounce-back in 2017.