J.J. Nelson

On Friday, Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said it himself: Wide receiver J.J. Nelson will continue to be the No. 2 receiver behind Larry Fitzgerald.

“We have about three to four different packages with those guys,” Arians said. “It’s nice to have four healthy guys that are ready to roll.”

While both Michael Floyd and John Brown -- the next two receivers on the Cardinals’ depth chart -- might be healthy, they haven’t been productive lately. And certainly not as productive as Nelson.

Nelson leads the Cardinals in receiving in their past two games with 163 yards. Fitzgerald is second with 144. Floyd and Brown have combined for 114 yards during the past two games.
As long as Nelson keeps catching passes, he’ll continue getting looks. Fitzgerald said this week he was impressed with Nelson’s pass-catching ability and how he’s been able to marry his natural speed with good hands. While the Cardinals wait for Floyd to find his groove and Brown to return to form after being diagnosed as a carrier of the sickle-cell trait, they can rely on Nelson to help fill the void.