Week 8 of the NFL season kicks off with a matchup between the Packers and Cardinals with Green Bay heading into Arizona to face the league's lone remaining undefeated team in the Cardinals. As if going on the road to face an undefeated team wasn’t going to be challenging enough for the Packers they will have to do so without their two top receivers in Davante Adams and Allen Lazard who both landed on the Covid-IR list this week. The Cardinals come into this game with questions surrounding their star receiver as well with DeAndre Hopkins considered questionable, though reports expect him to play, as he continues to deal with various injuries. Defensively the Cardinals will also be without J.J. Watt who is set to undergo season ending surgery. These two teams have put on some epic performances in the past and this should be another entertaining prime time matchup.
Now before we begin, please take a moment to understand what exactly you are getting yourself into by playing single-game Showdown Slates. We love to have some skin in the game, for sure, but these slates are, for all intents and purposes, a lottery ticket. Sure, there are times when the chalk hits and everyone shares in the prizes, but, more often than not, you need to hit on that random dart-throw that differentiates your lineup from that of the herd in order to claim the top prize. As a result, we encourage you to play responsibly and not over-invest. Stick to the GPP contests (single-entry preferred), don’t blow your whole bankroll, and understand that, unless you are a max-entry player, you should prioritize having fun.
OK. Lecture over. Let’s get to tonight’s action.
Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals
Spread: Cardinals -6.5
O/U: 50.5
Weather: Clear skies with temperatures in the high 700s; winds blowing W at 4 mph
Notable Injuries:
Green Bay Packers
Davante Adams, WR – reserve/COVID
Allen Lazard, WR – reserve/COVID
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR – hamstring (OUT – IR)
Dean Lowry, DE – ankle (questionable)
Kenny Clark, NT – ankle (questionable)
Preston Smith, LB – abdomen (questionable)
Arizona Cardinals
DeAndre Hopkins, WR – hamstring (questionable)
Max Garcia, C – Achilles (questionable)
J.J. Watt, DE – shoulder (questionable)
Rashard Lawrence, NT – calf (questionable)
Jordan Hicks, LB – toe (questionable)
Isaiah Simmons, LB – shoulder (questionable)
Devon Kennard, LB – shoulder (questionable)
DVOA Defensive Rankings
Packers
vs Pass: 21st
vs Run: 23rd
Cardinals
vs Pass: 2nd
vs Run: 7th
**Please note that players not listed below are not necessarily a complete fade and any player listed can certainly be used as the MVP/Captain. These are merely suggestions for players to use when setting Showdown lineups.
MVP/Captain
Kyler Murray, ARI - The top priced play on tonight's slate, Murray continues to put up elite fantasy numbers, completing 73.5-percent of his passes for 2,002 yards with 17 touchdowns passing while adding 126 yards and three scores rushing. The Packers defense ranks 21st against the pass in DVOA and even with a hobbled DeAndre Hopkins, there are plenty of receivers for Murray to target and get the job done.
Aaron Jones, GB - The Packers are decimated at receiver tonight which makes me think we could see a lot of Aaron Jones as the Packers look to not only run the football here against the Cardinals but also feature Jones in the team's passing offense. I could legitimately see an Alvin Kamara-esk stat line from Jones tonight where he sees 8-to-10 targets while carrying the football close to 15 times. He is going to be the best skill position player on the field for the Packers tonight.
Aaron Rodgers, GB - You can never really count out Rodgers, even if his top receivers tonight are going to be Randall Cobb and Robert Tonyan. We have seen Rodgers do more with less in years past and a multi-touchdown effort is not out of the question.
James Conner, ARI - If you want to get a little contrarian with your captain play tonight then maybe you take a look at James Conner. Conner has six rushing touchdowns on the season and has seen double-digit carries in all but one game this season. He has two games of multi-touchdowns which is what we are looking for here tonight against this 23rd ranked DVOA rush defense.
Mid-Tier
DeAndre Hopkins, ARI - Hopkins is dealing with a hamstring injury but is expected to play tonight. He has yet to have a 100-yard game this season but he already has seven touchdowns on the year with four of those seven coming over the last three weeks. There is still no Jaire Alexander for Green Bay which means Hopkins will have himself a beatable matchup as long as his hamstring holds up.
Christian Kirk, ARI - While a lot of the defensive focus will lean the way of DeAndre Hopkins, there is plenty of upside still with Kirk who has touchdown catches in each of the last two games while totaling nine receptions onf 13 targets during that stretch.
Randall Cobb, GB - He is going to be the top receiver for the Packers tonight given all the issues they are facing at the position. Cobb was brought to the Packers this season via trade at the request of Aaron Rodgers and now tonight is the night that trade will be the focus. We saw Cobb come up big back in Week 4 when he had five catches for 69 yards and two touchdowns but that has largely been it from the veteran receiver. This will be a true test but from a pure volume standpoint the value is there.
Cardinals D/ST - I don’t often like to bet against Aaron Rodgers but if you take a look at the circumstances I could see the Cardinals defense coming up big tonight and holding the Packers limited offense at bay. The Cardinals have put up double-digit fantasy points in back-to-back games and have gone for 10+ FP in four of seven games this season.
Robert Tonyan, GB - Tonyan broke out last season when the Packers had nobody else to catch the football. He entered this season with some hype but has largely been a disappointment. However, last week he turned in his best performance of the season, catching four passes on five targets for 63 yards and a touchdown. The Cardinals are a strong defensive team against opposing tight ends but just out of necessity there should be a decent target volume for Tonyan tonight.
Zach Ertz, ARI - Quite a debut for Ertz in Week 7 as he finished with three catches on five targets for 66 yards and a touchdown. The Packers are actually decent when it comes to covering opposing tight ends but fantasy players should love seeing the instant connection between Ertz and Murray.
Chase Edmonds, ARI - The lack of touchdowns is certainly frustrating but at least the volume has been there for Edmonds as he continues to see a decent run of carries while also being targeted in the teams passing attack. I lean Connor more for tonight’s game but Edmonds can certainly have himself a breakout game.
Dart Throws
Equanimeous St. Brown, GB - Could very well be the No.2 wide receiver today for the Packers, ESB has struggled when given increased opportunity to produce but he will be thrusted into another spot where Rodgers will have to consider him an option due to the lack of healthy bodies. He is the epitome of a dart throw play in tonight’s matchup.
A.J. Green/Rondale Moore, ARI - You know one of these two is going to come through tonight. Green has seemingly been the more consistent player this season but in a showdown slate you may want to go with the more boom/bust play in Rondale Moore.
Amari Rodgers, GB - The Packers traded up in the third round to draft Rodgers who has been primarily used on special teams but given the lack of depth at the receiver position he is likely going to be forced into some playing time tonight. He has 4.4 speed and Rodgers could look to use him downfield at times despite his 5'9 frame.
-------------------------------------------------
Are you done swimming with the sharks on DraftKings and FanDuel? There is plenty of money to be won playing DFS over on Yahoo and we’ve got some bonus cash for you over there. Just go to fantasyalarm.com/yahoo and use the promo code ALARM for an immediate $25 bonus of contest credits on your first deposit.
For a more in-depth breakdown and showdown analysis, be sure to check out DFSAlarm.com for all of your daily fantasy sports needs.