J.J. Nelson

With a contract year dangling like a carrot in front of him, Nelson may finally put together his immense gifts and have a true breakout season. Boasting 4.28 speed from the 2015 combine, his field-stretching ability has translated to 22 receptions of 20 or more yards in 42 career appearances. Moreover, he's posted back-to-back 500-yard seasons and has a seven-touchdown campaign (2016) on his resume. While his catch rate has also improved each year, Nelson managed to haul in just 47.5 percent of his 61 targets in 2017. Making matters worse, he's among the smallest players in the league at 5-10 and 160 pounds. The Cardinals' passing attack in the coming season will be dominated by the ever-reliable Larry Fitzgerald and elite receiving back David Johnson. Beyond the duo, Nelson is the best bet to take the top off defenses, but the presence of 2018 second-round selection Christian Kirk is a barrier to Nelson getting consistent work on short and intermediate routes.

Nelson's job is to stretch the field, and that he did last year with 16.7 YPC, four catches of 40-plus yards and six touchdowns on only 74 targets. Nelson added a 56-yard rushing TD for good measure in Week 14. At 5-10, 156, Nelson might be the NFL's lightest player, but he's also on the short list for its fastest with 4.28 40 speed. He'll never be a red-zone threat no matter how thinned out the depth chart is, so any damage he does will have to be from long range, and that will make his week-to-week performance more erratic than WRs who catch short throws. With Larry Fitzgerald turning 34 in August, Michael Floyd gone, John Brown recovering from an illness-driven down year and no tight ends of which to speak, Nelson could see more opportunities in 2017, though his slight frame means he'll likely never be a high-volume receiver.

As a rookie last season, Nelson recorded 11 receptions for 299 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games. The 24-year-old could experience an increase in production in 2016, but in a receiving corps loaded with talent -- namely Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, and John Brown -- it will be tough for Nelson to receive enough reps to make him a consistent fantasy contributor. Nonetheless, in a Cardinals offense under the playcalling of head coach Bruce Arians, Nelson will surely be utilized as a deep threat due to his burner status.

A fifth-round selection of the 2015 NFL Draft, Nelson enters the professional ranks as one of the smallest (5-foot-10, 156 pounds) players in the league, which will likely hurt his chances to contribute in a loaded Cardinals wide receiver corps that includes a player, John Brown, of similar stature (5-foot-11, 179 pounds). Nelson offsets his diminutive frame with noted speed, namely a 4.28 40-yard dash from the combine, meaning he'll likely be considered as a return specialist to start his career. In addition to 19.6 YPC and 20 touchdown receptions during four seasons at UAB, he blazed a trail in the return game, dashing for 25.4 yards per kickoff return and taking five such returns to the house.