John Brown's Updated Fantasy Outlook After Michael Floyd's Injury

We are yet to even reach the first game, yet the NFL's preseason is already claiming victims. A day after the news surfaced that Houston Texans running back Arian Foster suffered a severe groin injury in practice Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Arizona Cardinals wideout Michael Floyd will "likely" miss the beginning of the regular season.

Rapoport initially reported Floyd had broken three fingers in his left hand, but soon after indicated Floyd's fingers are instead dislocated. Kent Somers of AZCentral.com added a tentative timeline for Floyd's return:  

Floyd, 25, is currently slated to start opposite of Larry Fitzgerald in the Arizona offense. He made 47 receptions for 841 yards and six touchdowns, solid numbers on the surface but wildly disappointing to those who expected a breakout campaign. The Notre Dame product had 100-yard games in two of the first three weeks and did not top that number again until Week 17—an irrelevant contest from a fantasy perspective.

Stepping into Floyd's place in the starting lineup will be John Brown, who enters his second NFL season with high expectations. The 2014 third-round selection had 48 receptions for 696 yards and five touchdowns in 2014; he was ahead of Floyd on the hierarchy at points midway through the campaign.     

"I want to be that same guy, get involved more," Brown told Bickley and Marotta on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM in May, per Adam Green of Arizona Sports. "I actually feel more explosive. I feel that I can play fast every down, so I'll be a bigger help than I was last year."

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN.com live draft results currently have Brown as the No. 57 wide receiver coming off the board. He's owned in 31.5 percent of leagues. Floyd is owned in more than 80 percent of leagues and is bordering on a top-100 selection overall. 

While most won't draft until the last weeks of August or even early September—at which point we'll have a better prognosis on Floyd—Brown instantly becomes a late-round flier in all 12-team leagues. There is a chance he's better than Floyd altogether; he found a way to consistently put up numbers despite being third on the depth chart last season and working with a less than ideal quarterback situation.

That shouldn't be the case in 2015—at least at first.

Carson Palmer should be in the Week 1 lineup and ready to go following his ACL tear last season. Palmer was putting up his best numbers in nearly a decade when healthy, and head coach Bruce Arians' offense is predicated on big downfield passes. Even if Palmer winds up being a below-average option, he is light-years ahead of Drew Stanton and Ryan Lindley, who replaced him for much of 2015.

Brown's not much more than a bench cog at this point, but he has a decent upside—especially with Fitzgerald continuing his decline.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.