This post comes from Justin Becker of FantasyFootballOverdose.com. You can follow him on Twitter@NBAandNFLInfo or on the Fantasy Football Overdose Google+ Page, and for more Arizona Cardinals Rumors and News visit Fantasy Football Overdose.
The Arizona Cardinals have yet another injury under center. As if Carson Palmer succumbing to a torn ACL didn’t put their offense in a blender enough, Drew Stanton exited last night’s Thursday Night Football game with a knee injury, as well.
Set to undergo an MRI on Friday, Stanton could be looking at a knee injury that either puts him in question for week 16, or ends his season, altogether.
While you hopefully weren’t relying on Stanton for much in fantasy football leagues, that possibility certainly exists in deep fantasy leagues - specifically ones requiring you to start two quarterbacks.
If that’s the case, many a fantasy owner could be wondering if Stanton’s replacement (even if for a week) can help them out in the fantasy realm.
The short answer is probably not. Or most definitely not.
Stanton himself was bordering on pathetic in fantasy circles, as he had just two touchdowns in his past four games and twice turned in sub-150 yard performances. That’s not what you want out of your fantasy quarterback. Heck, that’s not something you want out of any quarterback.
Naturally, dropping from Stanton to Ryan Lindley or Logan Thomas is scary. The first question is, which guy is the better option for the Arizona Cardinals to roll with on a "let’s try to actually win games" level.
Lindley was the guy who replaced Stanton, so while Thomas has the edge in just about every physical category (size, athleticism and arm strength), Lindley has been in this system longer, has been with the Cardinals his entire career (save for briefly being cut) and has actually started an NFL regular season game before.
Of course, Thomas did relieve an injured Stanton against the Denver Broncos back in week five, and even had a touchdown. Upon closer look, that touchdown pass was 99% on Andre Ellington, and it was the only completion of eight pass attempts from Thomas.
Needless to say, Thomas doesn’t really seem to be an option right now. Head coach Bruce Arians even admitted as much, saying the rookie quarterback should eventually be a good passer, but right now just "isn’t ready".
That leaves the Cardinals (and you) with the ever depressing Lindley, who looks nothing like an NFL quarterback and proceeded to complete four of 10 passes in relief on Thursday night.
His teammates said he did a great job under the circumstances, and you can take that however you’d like. He was on the road in a hostile environment and didn’t turn the ball over against a really good defense. That’s not bad. But he also completed just 40% of his passes and finished the game with the Cardinals scoring just 12 points.
Arizona won, though, so it’s entirely possible he gets the start in week 16. You needn’t get excited. Lindley is a sorry quarterback and while he does possess some experience, it’s forgettable, regrettable experience. More specifically, during his rookie season back in 2012, the San Diego State product got thrown into the fire and put up exactly zero touchdowns against seven picks. He also completed a blistering 52% of his passes. The Cardinals weren’t very good that year.
The hope would be that the Cards’ give Logan Thomas the nod if Stanton is out, but the harsh reality is that they were already in a tough spot and things just got impossibly worse. Stanton was really, really bad, but both of these guys behind him are infinitely worse.
If you thought Arizona’s offense was pathetic going into last night’s game, think again. It’s going to regress even further, and you won’t want anything to do with it in fantasy football.
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