Andre Ellington's, Stepfan Taylor's Instant Fantasy Reaction After Week 11

Fantasy points were hard to come by for the Arizona Cardinals backfield in a 14-6 victory over the Detroit Lions in Week 11. Sunday's epic clash between NFC division leaders resulted in a mostly underwhelming fantasy outing for Cardinals star running back Andre Ellington.

Establishing the run has been a challenge for Arizona all year, and it was bound to be an issue again since Detroit boasts such a stalwart front seven.

Name	CAR	YDS	REC	YDS	TD	Fantasy Points
Andre Ellington	19	42	4	24	0	6
Stepfan Taylor	2	6	1	4	0	0

Ellington did make some impact as a pass-catcher, which is most of the reason he's been counted on as an RB1 in fantasy. Stepfan Taylor returned to the fold after missing two games with a calf injury, but he didn't contribute much.

Taylor's authoritative running style between the tackles is something the Cardinals could bank on moving forward, making him the logical handcuff option.

Arizona will find it hard to win with regularity if Drew Stanton has to air it out more than Ellington runs, so the ground game should be more of a focal point moving forward.

Bleacher Report's Shaun Church accentuated how ineffective Ellington has been as a ball-carrier, though:

Counting on Ellington to produce on the ground is difficult. He's averaged under four yards per carry in seven of his past eight starts. As shifty and elusive as he is, he lacks the muscle to consistently run over defenders and doesn't get elite play from his offensive line to produce.

On Monday, coach Bruce Arians was asked about his starting running back via Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910:

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BA on if Andre Ellington has had the season he thought he would: "No, because of practice time. He's gutting it up on Sundays, but he needs to perform, too. Right now, he's as healthy as he's been and we need more out of him."

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Week 11 didn't unearth anything revelatory about Ellington. Fantasy owners are familiar with the need to lean on his receiving prowess and the occasional, explosive plays to make him worth deploying.

Another tough matchup looms when the Cardinals travel to Seattle next Sunday. Therefore, owners should scope out internal alternatives with more favorable opponents before giving Ellington the starting nod.