2010 Arizona Cardinals Fantasy Outlook
The Arizona Cardinals are fresh off another playoff appearance, their second in as many years, with much of their success due to their pass-happy offense. The problem the Cardinals will have in 2010 will be their lack of Kurt Warner. The veteran quarterback led the Cardinals offense to some great fantasy numbers throughout the past few years, and his departure could have some adverse affects on the rest of the roster.
The Cardinals also lost one of their premier receivers to the Baltimore Ravens: Anquan Boldin. The loss of Boldin could put a hurt on the aforementioned pass-oriented offense.
Quarterbacks:
During the offseason, the Cardinals were able to acquire the much recently maligned Derek Anderson, formerly of the Cleveland Browns. Anderson had a terrific year in 2007, nearly leading the hapless Browns to the playoffs. Since then, he has struggled and split time with Brady Quinn (who is also no longer with the Browns). The addition of Anderson will keep things interesting in the quarterback position, as Matt Leinart, the anticipated replacement of Kurt Warner, will be opposing Anderson to start. The outlook at quarterback is not the most promising situation for fantasy owners. Kurt Warner was about as consistent as a fantasy quarterback as you may see in the league, and with him no longer in Arizona, the state of the quarterback position has taken a hit. Matt Leinart is the projected starter, and his value is up in the air. Even with the loss of Boldin, he still has Larry Fitzgerald, who is one of, if not the, best receivers in the league. Just having Fitz will be a huge boost for Leinart. The other weapons Leinart has at the receiver position are Steve Breaston and Early Doucet. If you are looking at trying to find a quarterback to bolster your roster, you should look over the Arizona Cardinals, as there are no solid options at this point.
Wide Receivers:
Larry Fitzgerald’s skills cannot be denied. His size and athleticism are almost unmatched. Fitz had another great year in 2009, and may be considered one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. While that is all well and good, fantasy owners should be weary of his new lead dog, Matt Leinart. Having Kurt Warner, a future HOFer, throwing to you is one thing; having an unproven quarterback with a possible attitude problem is a completely different story. Fitzgerald’s average draft position in 2009 was right around pick #9. This year his ADP is around #12. The drop is not drastic, but it does show that owner’s are somewhat concerned with a slightly disappointing season in terms of huge fantasy games last season, and also with his current situation. The change in quarterbacks should lead to the conclusion that he is a little bit less valuable than last season, but still should go within the first 15 picks, or sooner. The remainder of the receiving corps, Steve Breaston and Early Doucet are a little bit less valuable. However, their perceived lack of value is something to look into, as they could become some important wide receiver sleepers in 2010. Breaston moves to the #2 receiver position with the loss of Boldin, and Doucet is now #3. Breaston had a slightly down year in 2009 compared to his 2008 season. With 700+ receiving yards last year, and over 1,000 yards in 2008, he should be looked at as a very interesting player to keep in mind while drafting. He could potentially benefit greatly from the loss of Boldin. Doucet could fill in the role of Boldin; the larger receiver who can get scores in the redzone.
Running Backs:
The offense for Arizona took a huge turn when it added Guard Alan Faneca during the offseason. While Faneca is getting up in years, he still helped anchor the most important offensive lines in the league, the New York Jets. The Jets ended up with the best rushing offense in the league, and Faneca could help the Cardinals’ rushing attack tremendously. Beanie Wells is the starter in the backfield, with Tim Hightower playing a good deal of time as well. The two backs are the absolute prototypical tandem backfield, as Wells only had about 30 more carries than Hightower. They both were able to hit paydirt; 7 rushing TDs for Wells, and 8 rushing TDs Hightower. The stat that separates the two is the receiving stats out of the backfield. Hightower blew away Wells with over 50 more catches and nearly 300 more receiving yards. In PPR leagues, Hightower is the much more valuable back to have. The outlook for both is decent. The offense should look to be more balanced in terms of running and passing, so that should mean more opportunities for both Wells and Hightower. However, neither back can be counted on week in and week out, as they get very similar carries and touchdowns, so either could have good games on any given week.
Tight Ends:
The tight end position has not been a very important one in Arizona recently. The two important figures in this position are Anthony Becht and Ben Patrick. Neither player had a good season by any stretch of the imagination. The loss of Warner could actually benefit the two, as Leinart may look to his tight ends more often. The Cardinals also added former Rams’ tight end Dominique Byrd, who caught passes from Leinart back at USC. Still, none of the options look even semi-productive, and fantasy owners should not consider a Cardinal tight end until they prove otherwise.
Check back for the rest of the NFC West, as well as the other NFL teams.
Key Additions: G – Alan Faneca, QB – Derek Anderson
Key Departures: QB – Kurt Warner, WR – Anquan Boldin
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