RADIO
The AFC East might be one of the hottest divisions in all of football right now...
The Buffalo Bills and New York Jets battled it out on the previous installment of Thursday Night Football, but game script ended up heavily favoring the Jets in a 34-21 victory. Bills fans should be readily aware that their team is not one that plays well when trailing considering their dependence on the run game and methodical drives to move the chains. That being said, Tyrod Taylor still put in an exceptional fantasy performance through the air (29 completions for 285 yards and two touchdowns) as well as on the ground (six rushes for 35 yards and a touchdown). It will be interesting to see how Kelvin Benjamin figures to mix into the bunch and whether he can help make a case for Taylor being a weekly start. For the Gang-Green, Matt Forte looked like his former self in a 77-rush yard, two touchdown effort that included four receptions to boot. He still ended up splitting carries with Bilal Powell and Elijah McGuire, but he proved to be effective as a bell-cow when called upon.
We get another intra-divisional matchup when the Seattle Seahawks land in Arizona to take on the Cardinals, although this game is more likely to be a low scoring affair. That being said, there are plenty of fantasy studs to go around and owners will need to exploit as many opportunities as possible with the end of the fantasy regular season on the horizon. Let's take a look at what to expect when these two teams go at it in the desert!
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Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals
Date and Start Time: Thursday, November 9 at 8:00 PM ET
Notable Injuries and Status:
- Luke Joeckel (OL, SEA) - Knee - Out
- Eddie Lacy (RB, SEA) - Groin - Out
- Earl Thomas (FS, SEA) - Hamstring - Doubtful
- Tyler Locket (WR, SEA) - Shoulder - Questionable
- Jimmy Graham (TE, SEA) - Ankle - Questionable
- Richard Sherman (CB, SEA) - Achilles - Questionable
- C.J. Prosise (RB, SEA) - Ankle - Questionable
- Paul Richardson (WR, SEA) - Groin - Questionable
- Andre Ellington (RB, ARI) - Quadriceps - Questionable
Offensive and Defensive Rankings (2017):
| Seahawks | Cardinals | |
| Passing Yards | 2nd | 5th |
| Rushing Yards | 19th | 31st |
| Pass Defense | 13th | 24th |
| Run Defense | 15th | 11th |
Must Starts
Top Performers That Have To Be In Your Lineup
Russell Wilson (QB, SEA)
Wilson is one of the hottest fantasy quarterbacks right now, putting forth multiple stellar performances through the air and ground in 2017. He has scored 20 or more points in five of his past six games, all the while exemplifying the advantage that rushing quarterbacks can have on top of their ability to throw. He will continue to show no signs of stopping against a 24th ranked Cardinals pass defense.
Jimmy Graham (TE, SEA)
Although Graham is questionable for Thursday with an ankle injury, he is a virtual must-start if he manages to get on the field. Graham has had a remarkably consistent three reception floor in eight of ten regular season games to go with his team-leading 14 red zone targets. Facing an Arizona defense that has allowed a top-6 scoring week to every top-shelf tight end they’ve faced, you should see TE1 production from Graham.
Adrian Peterson (RB, ARI)
Don't let the matchup scare you away. All-Day will be force-fed the ball and is going to be the strongest cog in the Arizona offense on Thursday night. Coming off his 37 carry, 159-yard effort against the San Francisco 49ers, it should be abundantly clear that head coach Bruce Arians has made Peterson a focal point in order to wear down defenses over time and keep them honest. If quarterback Drew Stanton manages to be even somewhat competent throwing the football, expect another 20-plus carry game and a late touchdown from the ageless wonder.
Must Sits
Players To Avoid Putting In Your Lineup
Drew Stanton (QB, ARI)
The San Francisco 49ers defense can make any quarterback look like the second coming of Joe Montana, as was the case when Stanton threw over 200 passing yards and two touchdowns in a victory last Sunday. However, his 50-percent completion percentage makes it clear that he is not on the same page with his receiving core and will need more time to build that rapport. His fantasy point floor is incredibly low and a tough matchup with the Seattle Seahawks certainly won't allow for an encore performance. Let him sit on waivers for another week.
John Brown/Jaron Brown (WRs, ARI)
Fantasy owners should know by this point that the Cardinals passing game is nowhere near as prolific now as it was with quarterback Carson Palmer under center. The deep threat Brown duo can only be hurt by this development, especially considering the fact that Seattle can shut down much of the passing game outside the numbers. Neither wideout has caught more than two passes over the last two games and with Richard Sherman looming over one side of the field, it is nearly impossible to guess which boundary wideout will be the beneficiary of the limited targets from quarterback Drew Stanton.
Other Notable Must Sits: Eddie Lacy / C.J. Prosise / J.D. McKissic (RBs, SEA), Tyler Lockett (WR, SEA), Andre Ellington (RB, ARI), Jermaine Gresham (TE, ARI)
Solid Options/Sleepers
Which Players Will Have Solid Games and Which Could Surprise?
Solid Option: Doug Baldwin (WR, SEA)
I hesitate to put Baldwin here because of quarterback Russell Wilson's ability to spread the ball, but he has every bit as much opportunity being the Seahawks' No. 1 target to light it up. Shutdown corner Patrick Peterson has defended the slot for a total of 22 of 390 snaps versus the Seahawks over the past three seasons, meaning he is likely safe from his blanket coverage. With no fewer than eight targets per game over his last three outings, Baldwin represents a safe play with explosive upside on Thursday.
Solid Options: Larry Fitzgerald (WR, ARI)
The injury to quarterback Carson Palmer left Fitzgerald owners with a bitter taste in their mouth knowing that his floor and ceiling have taken significant hits. That being said, the majority of his routes are run from the slot and his reliability over the middle of the field should make him a useful safety blanket for quarterback Drew Stanton. For PPR purposes, Fitzgerald will undoubtedly produce in the range of four to six receptions and generate average yardage against some of the less stellar Seahawk slot cornerbacks.
Sleeper: Thomas Rawls (RB, SEA)
News has already broken that Rawls will be the teams starting back against Arizona, gifting a major opportunity for the third year-runner to take the reigns and (no pun intended) run with it. He managed to rush with great efficiency against the Washington Redskins last week, finishing with a final stat line of nine rushes for 39 yards and two catches for 31 yards. You could do worse than to stream Rawls in a game where running backs will have heavy workloads.
Other Notable Sleepers: Paul Richardson (WR, SEA)
