LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 01: Wide receiver J.J. Nelson #14 of the Arizona Cardinals carries the ball against the Los Angeles Rams in the second quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 1, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
There’s a famous quote that goes, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” Judging by J.J. Nelson’s ownership numbers, we’ve been fooled twice. Let’s not let it happen a third time.
Nelson had five receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. Many fans thought it could be an outlier performance as his meager 11.5 percent ownership rate (per ESPN) shows.
The Cardinals wide receiver had an even better Week 2 performance against the Colts. Nelson had five catches for 120 yards and a touchdown.
All that to say, Nelson should be the number one waiver wire priority across all formats. With John Brown battling injuries and his timetable unknown, it looks like Nelson is going to be competing with Larry Fitzgerald to be the Cardinals WR1 moving forward.
The Cardinals have a history of being fantasy friendly, and this is even more likely to be true for Nelson with star running back David Johnson on the sidelines. The biggest thing that separates Nelson from the competition is his speed.
Bruce Arians spoke with CBS Sports about how he discovered Nelson.
It’s funny because I was at a track meet five years ago, four years ago, in Alabama — the state championships and my granddaughter was running. This kid from Midfield won the 100, 200, 4×100 — little skinny dude. My son and I go, ‘Who in the hell is that?’
It just happened to be J.J. Nelson.
Nelson became more involved in the Cardinals offense last season. He finished with 54 receptions for 568 yards and six touchdowns.
According to ESPN, Nelson has been targeted 13 times in the first two games this season. Nelson will be competing with Javorius Allen to be the top player added to fantasy rosters this season.