Don't go starting Logan Thomas in your fantasy football league just yet. The Cardinals have decided against starting the rookie quarterback in Sunday's season finale.
Cardinals coach Bruce Arians reversed himself Thursday, reports from Arizona said, making a not unexpected decision to start Ryan Lindley in Sunday's critical game against the 49ers. The Big Red must win and see the Seahawks lose to the Rams to secure the NFC West title.
The Cardinals will make the playoffs, but their seeding remains to be seen. Their most likely opponent will be the NFC South champion, either the Panthers or Falcons. Those teams would have home-field advantage over the Cardinals, a likely wild-card team, despite having a losing record.
SN's Vinnie Iyer says the Niners will win a close home game. SN's David Steele believes the Cardinals are the superior team as the Niners go bust. The Linemakers have the 49ers a six-point favorite.
Thomas was named starter on Monday, a tentative decision after Lindley had a bad game against the Seahawks that put Seattle atop the NFC West. Arians has struggled with his quarterbacks all season after injuries to No. 1 Carson Palmer and his replacement, Drew Stanton.
Palmer is done for the season with a bum knee. Stanton injured a knee two weeks ago. Thomas would have been the Cardinals' fourth starting quarterback of the season.
Word on Arian's switch came from The Arizona Republic, which said Thomas had trouble early in practice on Wednesday. A rookie out of Virginia Tech, Thomas spent little time with the first-team offense until forced into action.
His numbers: 1-of-9 passing, with the completion an 81-yard touchdown. Eight of his throws came in Week 5 against the Broncos. He also saw time last week against the Seahawks.
“He’s really not had enough chances as far as our offense,” Arians told the Cardinals' website. “He’s worked through the fundamentals extremely hard and gotten much better, but putting those fundamentals to use in our offense, that’s two totally different things.”
Arians may not have Stanton ready for the playoffs, as the QB had another surgery this week to address an infection.