Fantasy football projections, Week 4: Rams-Cardinals featuring Todd Gurley Jr., Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald, more

The Week 4 matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the Arizona Cardinals features two teams that pride themselves on their defensive play. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.

It took him a while to get going but running back Todd Gurley finally found the end zone in Week 3. He scored twice against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His 85 rushing yards on 27 carries represents just 3.1 yards per carry. It’s hard to bring the hammer down on Gurley for his production considering the Rams passing game is almost nonexistent.

Arizona is fairly good against opposing rushers but they did get scorched for two touchdowns in Week 3 by LeSean McCoy. Gurley may do the same given he is a good bet to see a high volume of work in almost every game this season.

If there is any good news for the Rams’ passing game, it’s that the team did score their first passing touchdown of the season against the Buccaneers. The play came courtesy of wide receiver Brian Quick. A few years ago he was pegged as somebody who could be a future No. 1 receiver. Things haven’t worked out that way but it’s not all his fault.

Quick has struggled with injuries and been tied to an anemic Rams offense. He’s not seeing too many targets from Case Keenum, but Kenny Britt isn’t much of a deep threat either and Tavon Austin is more of a possession receiver. Somebody has to go long and it might as well be Quick.

The Super Bowl contender status of the Arizona Cardinals is repeatedly being questioned as the team continues to struggle. After tossing five touchdowns and no interceptions in the first two games of the season, quarterback Carson Palmer was picked off four times by the Buffalo Bills in Week 3. His performance was disastrous. Playing the Rams at home is a much friendlier matchup to say the least. Palmer should have no trouble reconnecting with David Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald and other pass catchers throughout the game. Still, taking care of the football is always a key to success. Palmer needs to do a better job going forward.

His performance on Sunday should help Fitzgerald rack up receptions. Despite a rough outing from his quarterback, the Cardinals’ top receiver still managed to catch seven passes for 60 yards against Buffalo. He’s been targeted at least 10 times in each game this season, giving him slightly higher value in PPR formats. Moving to the slot receiver position has easily extended his career by at least a few years. A future Hall of Famer, Fitzgerald is no stranger to the end zone and he just may find it again in Week 4 against the Rams.