The Cardinals believed they resolved the sickle-cell issue that ruined John Brown's 2016 season. But Brown is now sidelined with a different injury, and his absence -- and other receiver ailments -- have Bruce Arians feeling frustrated.
Larry Fitzgerald is healthy and good to go. But Brown has been sidelined with a quadriceps strain and is only practicing on a limited basis. “I understand the situation that’s going on with the receivers and all that, but I’m just going to come back when I’m ready,” said Brown.
The other noteworthy receivers seem to be J.J. Nelson and Jaron Brown. Brown is coming back from a torn ACL and being eased in, so Nelson looks like the clear No. 3 -- No. 2 if John Brown can't get healthy. Nelson has a catch in each of the first two exhibitions.
Further down the list are Brittan Golden, who caught a touchdown last week, and rookie Chad Williams, who got some preseason hype (most notably being called the heir apparent to Fitzgerald). But Williams' most notable media report has him being called out by Arians for his conditioning.
"Until he gets in better condition he won't have a role," said Arians last week. I'm wondering if I can better use the roster spot I've devoted to him in a dynasty league.
Some of this is Arians trying to motivate players; he suggests as much in the linked story. But the sleeper appeal of John Brown is lessened by the fear he's always going to be battling some kind of soft-tissue injury that has his practice and game-day status uncertain and could limit his role in actual games. A player I was eager to draft a few weeks ago now looks like he has more risk than reward.
Fitzgerald, in contrast, looks great. Yes he turns 34 in two weeks, but he appears to be the one sure thing in this receiving corps.
The future Hall of Famer will likely be on a lot of my teams. Nelson might be worth a very late-round pick. With Brown, you need to see him on the field before considering him too strongly.
--Andy Richardson