Week 3 – John Brown vs. San Francisco
John Brown had a carry and three catches last week against the Giants, which gives fantasy owners hope for the young rookie, but he wound up with only 30 yards on the day. He remains an intriguing option, but not really much of a candidate for big fantasy points in any given week. That goes double against the 49ers this weekend, and Brown should remain on the bench.
Week 2 – John Brown vs. New York Giants
Rookie John Brown from small school Pittsburg State showed some potential in Week 1, catching two passes for 29 yards and a touchdown in a win over the Chargers. Brown seems to be winning out for the WR3 job in Arizona and coaches have been raving about the skill set he brings to the team.
The speedy rookie faces the Giants this week, a team that was torched by Detroit on Monday night. Brown still needs to prove he’s going to get enough targets as the third receiver in the Cardinals passing game before we recommend starting him, but he has some value at the end of your roster, especially in deep or dynasty leagues. The kid can fly.
Week 1 – John Brown vs. San Diego
John Brown had a convincing preseason and has looked impressive enough in camp to stay in the mix for the WR3 spot in Arizona. The talented rookie will have to continue to perform to keep veteran Ted Ginn off his back, but early indications are that Brown has already developed a nice rapport with quarterback Carson Palmer. He’s no more than a stash option in large and dynasty leagues at this time, but keep an eye on him.
Fantasy Upside
After springtime’s worth of reports alerting us to Arizona's rookie receiver "blowing everyone away" and drawing "favorable" comparisons to Colts burner T.Y. Hilton, John Brown got off to a hot start at training camp. "I can tell you so far we haven't been able to cover him," said Cardinals GM Steve Keim on Monday, per ESPN.com's Josh Weinfuss. As NFL.com noted, the third-round pick out of Pittsburgh State has drawn parallels to Hilton because of their similar size and identical 4.34 speed. The 5-11, 179-pound Brown is a candidate to leapfrog Ted Ginn as a deep threat alongside Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd in three-receiver sets.
Fantasy Downside
Brown's best-case scenario is being the third option at wide receiver (and one could argue the fourth option if you include Andre Ellington).
Bottom Line
It's certainly notable that a rookie is excelling against a talented trio of Cardinals corners in Patrick Peterson, Antonio Cromartie. But expecting him to be an impact player in his first year as a pro seems like a reach.
