When you think of the Arizona Cardinals, you think about all of their great receivers and that explosive passing game. With both Andre Ellington and Chris Johnson likely out for a second straight week though, it's David Johnson, the rookie tailback who was so highly sought at the start of the year in fantasy football leagues, who could end up making the big impact on Thursday Night Football.
The Minnesota Vikings' hopes of gaining ground in the NFC playoff picture will of course hinge on Adrian Peterson, but we're not convinced that "All Day" is really the better play against Johnson, particularly knowing that he's going to be a huge favorite in our fantasy football matchup at BookMaker.
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It's tough to not like what Peterson has done this year. Sure, he had a dud game last week against Seattle in which he had just eight carries for 18 yards, but with that being said, he's still averaging 14.8 fantasy points per game and is on a pace to have over 1,700 total yards from scrimmage for the year.
You also know that Peterson is going to be a bull down by the end zone as well. Yes, he's had some bad moments on the 1-yard line this year, but he still has eight touchdowns. Prior to last week's game against the Seahawks in which he and the rest of this offense were just lost, he had scored at least once in four straight games.
However, Peterson is really up against it in this one. Just take a look at what opposing running backs have done against the Cardinals of late. Todd Gurley and the Rams' rushers amassed just 55 yards on 11 carries last week. Just once has a stable of tailbacks gone over 100 rushing yards against this unit this year, that coming when Gurley really busted onto the scene in Week 4 here at University of Phoenix Stadium. Since then, the total number of yards tailbacks have managed against this defense are 46, 87, 61, 20, 61, 63, 51 and 55.
Peterson is a special back, but this is a special defense he's going against as well, and that's why we think the door is going to be open for Johnson to actually beat the top tailback in the league for fantasy purposes.
Thomas Rawls has been running roughshod on everyone, so perhaps we shouldn't look at his 100+ yard rushing game as an assumption of what we're going to see in this one. However, that's three straight weeks that running back cores have gone over 100 total rushing yards against this unit. Sure, Minnesota has allowed just a total of five rushing touchdowns to running backs this year, two of which came in Week 1, but that doesn't mean that Johnson can't score.
Johnson toted the rock 22 times for 99 yards against the Rams last week, and he chipped in a touchdown as a receiver to boot. That performance was worth 17.5 fantasy points for his backers.
Johnson is the featured back in this offense now, and while the game was competitive, he was taking well over 80 percent of the snaps.
The only way we wouldn't take Johnson against Peterson as a big underdog on Thursday is if news comes out that Ellington is going to play and start at tailback. Turf toe held him out in St. Louis, and we can't imagine that he's going to be ready just three days from now for a game against one of the top defenses in the NFL.
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The game between the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals is scheduled for Thursday, December 10, 2015, at 8:30 p.m. ET at University of Phoenix Stadium. The game will be broadcast regionally on the NFL Network.
