Many fantasy football managers had high expectations for Arizona Cardinals WR Marquise Brown once Kyler Murray returned to his starting role under center in Week 10. Unfortunately, he failed to even catch a pass the last time we saw him on the football field a couple of weeks ago while dealing with a heel injury.
Will Brown be able to battle through the injury for a third straight game? What’s the latest news on his status for Week 15?
Is Marquise Brown Going To Play Week 15?
Brown has managed to battle through this injury on a couple of occasions this season, which means his participation in practice is a good sign of his potential ability to take the field this week. On Sunday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Brown is expected to play in Week 15.
However, fantasy managers will certainly want to monitor his status heading into the game for confirmation before rolling him into their starting lineup.
Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon spoke with the media earlier this week: “I know he feels a lot better today than he has in the last couple weeks. Hopefully, he is out there practicing, and we get him going and like he’s done all year make plays for us.”
According to the team’s injury report, Brown was a limited participant for both Thursday and Friday’s practice sessions but is still listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.
Considering how much football Murray and Brown have played together dating back to their collegiate careers, it is quite surprising to see how uninvolved Brown has been since Murray returned to the starting lineup about a month ago.
Over the last four games, Brown has just nine receptions for 134 yards and no scores.
His last outing against the Pittsburgh Steelers back in Week 13 was even more concerning, seeing just three targets and logging zero receptions in a game for the first time since Week 11 of the 2020 season.
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Brown’s WR39 ranking on the season in full-PPR formats is certainly a disappointment considering the fact Murray actually has returned to a starting role coming off of a knee injury. But there is still optimism for a strong finish with Murray showcasing plenty of burst upon his first few games back.
However, this lingering heel issue appeared to get worse in their matchup against the Steelers with Brown playing a season-low 53% of the offensive snaps in Week 13.
Potential Fantasy Options If Brown Is Out Includes Ron’Dale Moore, Greg Dortch, and Michael Wilson
The receiver depth chart behind Brown isn’t all that crystal clear for fantasy managers if Brown is unavailable against the San Francisco 49ers. Rondale Moore, Greg Dortch, and Michael Wilson all average fewer than four receptions and 50 yards per game this season.
Similar to Brown, Wilson is also questionable for Week 15 while continuing to deal with a neck injury, but he has averaged the highest numbers of the other pass-catching options at WR with three receptions for 48 yards per game this season. He would be the WR I trust the most in my lineup if Brown is unavailable.
If Brown and Wilson are both inactive against the Niners, I lean Dortch over Moore for Week 15. However, as nothing more than a low-end WR3 in fantasy rankings.
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