Thursday Night Preview – Cardinals @ Seahawks

Well folks, we finally got a good one on Thursday Night! The Arizona Cardinals head to CenturyLink field to take on the Seattle Seahawks in their second matchup of the year. If we could get a repeat of Game 1, I think we would all go home happy.

Last time these two squared off, it was the Cardinals who ended the game on top with a narrow edge, winning via field goal in OT. The Cardinals were able to do what most teams find impossible, and that was rattle the cage of Russel Wilson, who they forced into throwing 3 INTs, something he has done very rarely over the course of his career. A lot of this was due to the pressure they were able to generate on him, forcing him to move around the pocket on seemingly every dropback.

None of this is to say that Wilson had a bad fantasy output though. If you played him you were likely ecstatic that he threw for 388 yards and 3 TDs, even with the 3 picks that is a solid enough fantasy day. But going forward, you will hope to see him limit those picks while maintaining the same success through the air.

Speaking of QBs who have had success, Kyler Murray is coming off an all time high from last week after being propelled to victory over the Bills on a last minute Hail Mary pass that DeAndre Hopkins was able to reel in. Just a once in a lifetime play. Murray continues to grow and develop as a passer, but the damage he is doing on the ground is putting the rest of the NFL on notice. He is on track to shatter NFL rushing TD totals for a QB, and is honestly on an impressive pace for most RBs!

DEANDRE HOPKINS CATCHES THE HAIL MARY FOR THE WIN! 🚨

(@AZCardinals)pic.twitter.com/6YoDckellc

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 16, 2020

Now as for the beneficiaries of these talented QBs, and there are many, they are all must-starts in fantasy this week. Even if Lockett hasn’t been living up to some of his early season outbursts, remember in their last matchup he had 200 yards on 15 catches and 3 TDs. And don’t get too cute and say “well last time they played, DK didn’t do anything!”. It doesn’t matter, because he could easily be the 200 yard and 3 TD guy this time around. Hopefully, for fantasy owner’s sakes, it’s more of a split and both receivers can turn in big numbers.

On the flip side, you have DeAndre “Always a Must Start” Hopkins, and Christian Kirk, who failed to put up a fantasy relevant day in Week 10, but will look to get back on track against the much maligned Seattle passing defense. I would expect him to return to form and reel in some big catches and probably end up with a score.

Finally, we have the rushing games to account for. Chris Carson is supposed to be making his way back from injury and multiple reports say this is the week he will return, so stay glued to those player updates, because if he plays the Seattle rush attack is much more of a threat. If he sits again, I am not sure I am confident in any one back due to the full RBBC approach they have been employing since he went down.

For Arizona, Kenyan Drake came back last week and went for over 100 yards for only the second time this season, but he failed to get in the endzone which is limiting some of his fantasy production. Really what we are seeing is a lot of read option looks on the goal line and Kyler is the true vulture to Kenyan Drake, and we have seen the same thing in the past with Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson in most recent memory, and it is quite the killer to RB value. However, the more Kyler sets up the keeper, the more dangerous Drake becomes, so keep starting him and expect those TDs to come. What’s equally encouraging is that in his first game back he outsnapped and outperformed Chase Edmonds, so Edmonds should no longer be the massive threat to Drake’s job that he once appeared to be. Not that he won’t be worked in, and not that he is not a great handcuff, but I think Drake’s return and solid output shows that Edmonds stand alone/startable value is very limited.

All and all, there are studs at every position in this matchup and it should make for an exciting game, especially considering the fact that both defenses are ranked towards the bottom of the league in yards and points allowed. The only problem is that this game is being played on a Thursday, which often leads to a limited game-plan install, but let’s hope these teams have enough in their repertoires to make this an exciting game despite the short week of practice.

Stay Fluid, Stay Loose.