Raiders add Nelson

Cardinals WR J.J. Nelson (hamstring) is active for tonight's game against the Cowboys. He was limited in practice all week, but we never heard any concern about his availability. If you waited on him, fire Nelson up as a WR3 with upside.

Cardinals WR J.J. Nelson is questionable for Monday night's game against the Cowboys. He put in limited practices all week while dealing with a hamstring injury. We'd bet on him playing, but you'll need to secure insurance if you plan to wait for him. The issue obviously adds risk to an already risk/reward speedster.

Cardinals HC Bruce Arians described J.J. Nelson as "one of the starters" on Monday. That was certainly the case in Sunday's game against the Panthers, when Nelson played 92% of the offensive snaps and saw a team-high 12 targets. He parlayed those into an 8-79-2 line. Nelson's volume figures to take a hit when and if WRs John Brown and Michael Floyd get healthy, but he'll at least emerge from the Week 9 bye as a WR3 with upside.

Cardinals WR J.J. Nelson is more comfortable heading into his 2nd NFL season.  "Now I can just go out and play fast," he said. "I feel like (last season) was a confidence builder. Going in really not knowing what to do, as the season went along I felt like I got really confident and pretty good at knowing what I was supposed to do out there."  Nelson flashed his big-play ability during the 2nd half of last season, posting lines of 3-70, 4-124-1 and 2-34-1.  HC Bruce Arians has been impressed with his work this offseason.  "Every day, he's making a big play or two," Arians said.  "He has a very unique skill in tracking the ball that the great ones have when the ball's coming over your opposite shoulder. When you have a little fast guy that can do that, you have a special one."  Nelson will need an injury to at least 1 of Michael Floyd, John Brown or Larry Fitzgerald to emerge as a reliable fantasy option this year.  But he makes for a fine pick at the end of best-ball drafts.