When we think of the Arizona Cardinals, we think of the legend Larry Fitzgerald, the always explosive Andre Ellington, and last but certainly not least the future star of the team, Michael Floyd. It was only until just before the preseason that we began to hear rumblings of another name out of Arizona, and that name was John Brown: a 5’10”, 178lb wide receiver out of Pittsburg State that ran a blazing fast 4.34 40-yard dash time at the NFL combine. A player whom over the first 8 games of his NFL season has already accumulated four receiving touchdowns, and two of those just happened to be for game winners. In other words, the Arizona Cardinals trust him, a lot.
#Cardinals rookie WR John Brown has a been a stud so far, great fit for that offense. Has same number of TDs (4) as Fitz and Floyd combined
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) October 27, 2014
So what is John Brown’s role in the Arizona Cardinals pass game? To define it let’s take a look at the distribution of targets and their results amongst the “big 3”.
- Larry Fitzgerald – 55 Targets: 35 Catches, 513 Yards, 2 TD’s (14.8 YPC)
- Michael Floyd – 47 Targets: 23 Catches, 389 Yards, 2 TDs (16.9 YPC)
- John Brown – 45 Targets: 24 Catches, 326 Yards, 4 TD’s (13.5 YPC)
The distribution itself is very even when you look at each player’s targets over the past 8 games. What stands out the most other than the semi similar red zone targets (Fitzgerald 7, Brown 4, Floyd 2) has to be their receiving percentages.
- Larry Fitzgerald – 55 Targets: 63.6%
- Michael Floyd – 47 Targets: 48.9%
- John Brown – 45 Targets: 53.3%
Under the assumption that Larry Fitzgerald will not be a part of the Arizona Cardinals roster in 2015, let us focus on the future of the wide receiving core, and, the battle between Michael Floyd vs John Brown. By the overall numbers its hard to see the separation between these two, but when we dissect it further it becomes more apparent. Since the Arizona Cardinals week 4 bye John Brown has seen five more targets (30) than Michael Floyd (25) over the 5 game span. During that same period here is how the rookie John Brown has performed compared to Floyd.
- Michael Floyd – 21 Targets: 12 Catches, 130 Yards, 2 TDs (10.8 YPC)
- John Brown – 28 Targets: 15 Catches, 217 Yards, 1 TD (14.5 YPC)
This is not a cause for alarm if you are a Michael Floyd owner, but, more of motivational tool for a perspective John Brown buyer or seller. Its safe to say that John Brown is more than likely garnering coverage from defensive backs that teams wouldn’t dare put on Floyd, and, as a byproduct finding more room to work or exploit teams down field. Regardless, Brown is far more than just a situational deep threat or week to week “inconsistent” bet for solid production. He is clearly an x-factor in the Cardinals pass game, and, to see him producing on this level so soon just speaks volumes to what his ceiling could be. Arians praises him, Palmer trusts him, and if you have the chance to buy… you should own him.
This John Brown kid for Arizona can play
— Chris B. Brown (@smartfootball) October 26, 2014
Deep Sleeper: Deeper leagues should also be aware of Jaron Brown a 6’2″, 205lb WR who is currently sitting at WR4 on the Arizona depth chart. A good dynasty league add for a player on a team in the Cardinals that is ranked 12th in the NFL for pass attempts per game (35.9). With the near future exit of Larry Fitzgerald, fantasy players can expect to see Jaron on the field heavily by 2015, and, perhaps potentially sooner with an injury to someone in front of him. His current 2014 season line is: 5-37-1 on 7 total targets.
