🖥 CYBER WEEK - TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE CYBER
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Thursday Night Matchups: Adrian Peterson, Stefon Diggs, David Johnson, John Brown & More

For those that made the playoffs in your respective leagues, congratulations! Hopefully the advice from one or many of the website's contributors played a part in your success. To those who weren't as lucky, just remember, like the Cleveland Browns, there's always next year.

With a microscope on decision-making for the fantasy football playoffs, below is another round of start 'em/sit 'em for the Thursday Night Football game between the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals.

 

Editor's Note: Identify fantasy football draft busts, overvalued ADPs, and key players to avoid so you can draft with confidence this season.

Vikings @ Cardinals - Thursday Night Analysis

Adrian PetersonIt's shaping up to be a two-week bummer for managers having to play Adrian Peterson in some of the biggest weeks for the fantasy season. Last week, Peterson was bottled up by Seattle's defense, rushing eight times for just 18 yards, including only three second-half carries.

Arizona's defense has given up the eighth-fewest points to running backs this season, but at this stage in the game there's nothing else one can do besides hope for a better game plan and a non-blowout like last week. It should be noted that Peterson complained after a lack of carries in the game against Green Bay three weeks ago and was rewarded with 29 touches the following week.

Stefon DiggsDiggs should be on the bench for anyone that has been using him as a flex or WR3 play. After bursting onto the scene earlier in the season, it's been a slow decline for the rookie wide receiver for five straight weeks.

In those five starts, Diggs tallied more than four catches only once, didn't find the end zone and never surpassed 70 receiving yards. With Arizona's wicked secondary on deck, Diggs is taking a seat. He can be considered for the fantasy semifinals against the Chicago Bears and championship round against the New York Giants.

Teddy BridgewaterNo. Not even in two-quarterback formats.

Carson PalmerA true NFL MVP candidate, Palmer has thrown for nine touchdowns to only three interceptions in four games since their bye week. Palmer has only had less than 40 pass attempts one time in those four games and should be on that pace again with the Cardinals' running back issues. Coming off back-to-back road games, the home fans are going to be jacked-up to root for the 10-2 first place Cardinals, and all signs point to Palmer putting on a show.

David JohnsonHe's been the obvious beneficiary of injuries to Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington, as he tallied 22 carries for 99 yards in addition to two catches and a receiving touchdown against the St. Louis Rams. Head coach Bruce Arians has publicly stated that he wants Johnson to see about the same workload, so it would be an odd decision to not trust his word.

John Brown, Larry Fitzgerald, Michael FloydI do not see any logic for either of these three players to be left out of lineups. Their position in the pecking order is pretty clear at this point--Fitzgerald is the obvious number one, and when both are healthy Brown gets more likes than the deep threat Floyd.

Fitzgerald has seen double-digit targets in five straight games and in six of his last seven. Averaging nine catches per game over his last four, Fitzgerald will approach double-digit points in addition to having plenty of opportunities to score.

Brown has three straight games with double-digit fantasy points scored and has over 200 receiving yards in his last two games. Anywhere from five to eight targets is expected, but Palmer and Brown have a good rapport on those mid-range throws. He also typically catches at least one bomb every week.

Floyd is the scariest to play of the three, as he seems to have cooled down from his beastly midseason stretch of games. Last week he caught 7-of-12 passes for over 100 yards, which was one week after his two-target, one-catch performance. He's splitting targets and catches with two others, so there's obvious potential for a dud, but not many WR3 or flex plays have a higher upside than Floyd in this high-powered offense.

Arizona D/ST: Arizona is riding a six-game streak of causing at least one turnover and Teddy Bridgewater isn't Mr. Ball Security. I like this above-average play for the first round of the fantasy playoffs. If Peterson is bottled up early, then you're in real business.

 

NFL & Fantasy Football Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-0" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

A.J. Brown

Continues Dominant Stretch With 100 Yards in Monday Night Loss
Saquon Barkley

Rips Off Long Touchdown Run in Monday Night Loss
Shohei Ohtani

to be Used More as Traditional Starting Pitcher Next Year
Yordan Alvarez

to Become Full-Time DH in 2026?
Mason Miller

Padres Plan to Keep Mason Miller in the Bullpen
Ranger Suárez

Orioles Interested in Signing Ranger Suarez
Anthony Volpe

Yankees Don't Expect Anthony Volpe to be Ready in April
Gerrit Cole

Targeting a Return in May/June
Riley Leonard

"Week-to-Week" With Strained Knee
NFL

Patriots-Ravens Week 16 Game Flexed to Sunday Night Football
Omarion Hampton

Making his Return on Monday Night
CFB

Heisman Trophy Finalists Announced on Monday
Justin Herbert

Officially Active Against Eagles
Indianapolis Colts

Colts Bringing Philip Rivers in for a Workout
Justin Herbert

Expected to Start on Monday Night
Trey Benson

Cardinals Could Hold Trey Benson Out Another Week
Keegan Murray

Available on Monday
Anthony Edwards

Set to Suit Up Monday
Jack Roslovic

Not Close to Returning
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Sidelined Again on Monday
Jake Walman

to Miss at Least Two More Weeks
Berkly Catton

Out Week-to-Week
Franz Wagner

Likely to Miss 2-4 Weeks
Nils Hoglander

Set for Season Debut Monday
Elias Pettersson

Misses Second Straight Game
Logan Cooley

Out Indefinitely
Brayden Point

Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point Back for Lightning Monday
CFB

Anthony Hill Jr. Declaring for 2026 NFL Draft
CFB

Ryan Walters a Candidate for Tennessee Defensive Coordinator Job?
Trey Hendrickson

Set for Core-Muscle Surgery, Expected to Miss Around Six Weeks
Drake London

Considered Day-to-Day Going into Thursday Night
Jayden Daniels

No Long-Term Concerns for Jayden Daniels
Zach Ertz

MRI Confirms Season-Ending Torn ACL for Zach Ertz
Tee Higgins

Back in the Concussion Protocol
Riley Leonard

Week 15 Status Uncertain Due to Knee Injury
Mike Evans

Could Return on Thursday Night
De'Von Achane

May Require Rest This Week
Daniel Jones

' Season Over With Torn Achilles
Rory McIlroy

Ends 2025 as the Year's Most Unburdened Player
Aaron Rai

Needs to Figure Out Putting Woes This Offseason
Jordan Spieth

Plays Better on Paper in 2025 Than Results Show
Shedeur Sanders

Will Start for Browns the Rest of the Season
PGA

Chris Gotterup Needs to Find Better Touch and Consistency This Offseason
Hideki Matsuyama

Ends 2025 Season With a Bookend Victory
CFB

Tennessee Fires Defensive Coordinator Tim Banks
Scottie Scheffler

Comes Up Just Shy of Hero World Challenge Victory
Jordan Poole

Remains Sidelined on Monday
Merab Dvalishvili

Drops A Decision At UFC 323
Herbert Jones

Tagged as Questionable Against Spurs
Petr Yan

Reclaims Bantamweight Title
CeeDee Lamb

Progressing Well After Concussion
Stephon Castle

has a Chance to Return on Monday
Alexandre Pantoja

Era Ends With Gruesome Injury
Joshua Van

Becomes Second-Youngest UFC Champion
Dillon Brooks

Iffy for Monday Night
Brandon Moreno

Suffers His First TKO Loss
Brandon Moreno

Tatsuro Taira Becomes First Fighter To Finish Brandon Moreno
Garrett Wilson

No Timetable Yet for Garrett Wilson's Return
Henry Cejudo

Payton Talbott Retires Henry Cejudo
Henry Cejudo

Retires After UFC 323 Loss
Jan Blachowicz

Bogdan Guskov Vs. Jan Blachowicz Ends In A Majority Draw
Jan Blachowicz

And Bogdan Guskov Fight To Majority Draw
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Could Return on Monday Night
Keegan Murray

Listed as Questionable Vs. Pacers
CFB

Texas RB CJ Baxter Entering Transfer Portal
Mark Stone

Records Two Assists in Sunday's Win
Carter Hart

Defeats Rangers Sunday
Cutter Gauthier

Delivers Two Assists Sunday
Leo Carlsson

Nets Two Goals in Blowout Win
Logan Thompson

Posts First Shutout of the Season
Brayden Schenn

Leads Blues to Victory Sunday
Macklin Celebrini

Bags Three Points in Impressive Road Victory
San Francisco Giants

Jeff Kent Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
Ketel Marte

Red Sox Interested in Trading for Ketel Marte
Kyle Schwarber

Pirates Make Four-Year Offer to Kyle Schwarber
CFB

Mississippi State, Rice Accept Bowl Bids as 5-7 Teams
CFB

Auburn, Florida State, Baylor Among Teams to Decline Bowl Bids
Paul George

Available on Sunday Evening
Joel Embiid

Available Against Lakers
Lauri Markkanen

Ruled Out Versus OKC
Jimmy Butler III

Officially Active on Sunday Night
CFB

Rob Aurich Set to Become Nebraska's Defensive Coordinator
LeBron James

Available Versus Philadelphia
MON

Samuel Montembeault Ruled Out for Sunday
Carter Hart

Available Against Rangers Sunday
Ryan Leonard

to Miss "Extended Period of Time"
John Carlson

a Game-Time Decision Sunday
Jordan Kyrou

Unavailable Against Canadiens
Matt Duchene

Set to Return Against Penguins
Pyotr Kochetkov

Back for Hurricanes Sunday
CFB

Notre Dame Opting Out of Postseason Amid College Football Playoff Exclusion
Karl-Anthony Towns

Ruled Out Against Orlando
Draymond Green

Remains on the Shelf Versus Chicago
Jimmy Butler III

Expected to Return on Sunday
Immanuel Quickley

Now Probable Versus Boston
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Will Miss First Game of the Year on Sunday
Joel Embiid

Upgraded to Probable Against Lakers
CFB

Kendal Briles a Candidate for South Carolina Offensive Coordinator Job
CFB

James Madison Playoff-Bound After Duke Wins ACC Title?
CFB

Notre Dame, Miami, Alabama on College Football Playoff Bubble
CFB

Brent Pry Could Return to Virginia Tech as Defensive Coordinator
Jose A. Ferrer

Mariners Acquire Jose A. Ferrer from the Nationals
Harry Ford

Traded to the Nationals
Cody Bellinger

Drawing Interest From the Phillies
MacKenzie Gore

Will the Nationals Trade MacKenzie Gore?
Byron Buxton

Twins Not Planning to Trade Joe Ryan, Byron Buxton
Petr Yan

Looks To Reclaim Bantamweight Belt
Merab Dvalishvili

Set For His Fourth Title Defense
Joshua Van

Can Become The New Flyweight Champion
Alexandre Pantoja

Set For Fifth Title Defense At UFC 323
Tatsuro Taira

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Brandon Moreno

Searches For His Third Win In A Row
Payton Talbott

A Favorite At UFC 323
Henry Cejudo

Set For His Retirement Fight
Jan Blachowicz

Set To Open Up UFC 323 Main Card
Bogdan Guskov

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
CFB

Emmett Johnson Leaving Nebraska for 2026 NFL Draft
CFB

Jam Miller Unlikely to Play in SEC Title Game
CFB

Penn State Expected to Hire Matt Campbell from Iowa State
CFB

Arkansas Targeting Ron Roberts for Defensive Coordinator Job
Jhostynxon Garcia

Pirates Acquire Jhostynxon Garcia From Red Sox
Cody Bellinger

Yankees Pushing Hard to Re-Sign Cody Bellinger
CFB

Penn State Eyeing Iowa State Coach Matt Campbell For Coaching Vacancy
Alex Bregman

Cubs Have Renewed Interest in Alex Bregman
CFB

Billy Napier Finalizing Deal to Become James Madison's New Head Coach
CFB

Buster Faulkner Set to Become Florida's New Offensive Coordinator
CFB

Joe Sloan Expected to be Kentucky's New Offensive Coordinator
Kyle Tucker

Visits With Blue Jays
Emilio Pagán

Reds Bring Back Closer Emilio Pagan on Two-Year Deal
Cedric Mullins

Rays Agree on One-Year Deal
Freddy Peralta

Brewers Considering Trading Freddy Peralta

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP