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We punched some numbers while thinking about the dynamics surrounding Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald and the look of his team's offense in 2010. As you know, the Cardinals traded WR Anquan Boldin to Baltimore and lost QB Kurt Warner to retirement, meaning that Matt Leinart will be the Cardinals' new quarterback (until unseated) and Steve Breaston will be promoted to the starting lineup. First, we pieced together Leinart's 2009 season and learned that Fitzgerald caught 12 passes for 103 yards from him in limited action. That was mostly with Boldin on the field, though -- in a handful of games where Leinart played with Fitzgerald and without Boldin over the years (just as it will be in 2010), Fitzgerald totaled seven grabs for 196 yards and one touchdown. In fact, Leinart has thrown just five career touchdowns to Fitzgerald, and the receiver has just one 100-yard game with Leinart as his quarterback from start to finish.
Analysis: Here's the silver lining on Fitzgerald, and it's a biggie: He's a heck of a talent. There might not be a better combination of size, speed, hands and dedication in the NFL than Fitzgerald, and the Cardinals would be goofy to ignore that even if they plan to run the ball a little more in 2010. We still like Fitzgerald as a No. 1 Fantasy WR, worth a pick between Rounds 2 and 3, but you'd be foolish to think he'll pick up where he left off last season without Warner targeting him accurately or Boldin taking some coverage away from him.
We punched some numbers while thinking about the dynamics surrounding Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald and the look of his team's offense in 2010. As you know, the Cardinals traded WR Anquan Boldin to Baltimore and lost QB Kurt Warner to retirement, meaning that Matt Leinart will be the Cardinals' new quarterback (until unseated) and Steve Breaston will be promoted to the starting lineup. First, we pieced together Leinart's 2009 season and learned that Fitzgerald caught 12 passes for 103 yards from him in limited action. That was mostly with Boldin on the field, though -- in a handful of games where Leinart played with Fitzgerald and without Boldin over the years (just as it will be in 2010), Fitzgerald totaled seven grabs for 196 yards and one touchdown. In fact, Leinart has thrown just five career touchdowns to Fitzgerald, and the receiver has just one 100-yard game with Leinart as his quarterback from start to finish.
Analysis: Here's the silver lining on Fitzgerald, and it's a biggie: He's a heck of a talent. There might not be a better combination of size, speed, hands and dedication in the NFL than Fitzgerald, and the Cardinals would be goofy to ignore that even if they plan to run the ball a little more in 2010. We still like Fitzgerald as a No. 1 Fantasy WR, worth a pick between Rounds 2 and 3, but you'd be foolish to think he'll pick up where he left off last season without Warner targeting him accurately or Boldin taking some coverage away from him.
