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Arizona Cardinals
With a weapon like Pro-Bowl wideout Larry Fitzgerald at his disposal, Kevin Kolb is set up for success in Arizona (if he can stay healthy and hold onto the starting job). Kolb, who played in just nine games last season due to injuries, will have to beat out John Skelton for the starting job in the pre-season and will not have any fantasy value unless he does. Kolb has a tentative hold on the job for now and should hang onto the job going into the regular season. With the addition of rookie wide receiver Michael Floyd, Kolb has enough weapons to break out this season, but is nothing more than a late round selection with upside on draft day.
Injury Status: Injured Reserve
John Skelton will compete with incumbent Kevin Kolb for the Cardinals starting job in training camp, but the edge has to go to Kolb right now despite a strong pre-season by Skelton. The Fordham product threw more interceptions (14) than touchdowns (11) last season, but Arizona went 5-2 with him under center as opposed to just 3-7 with Kolb at the helm. If Kolb fails to stay healthy then Skelton will start, but even then his fantasy upside is extremely limited.
A talented kick returner, LaRod Stephens-Howling is expected to back up Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams this season for Arizona. Stephens-Howling caught 13 passes for 234 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but ran for only 167 yards on 43 carries last season. Unless injuries decimate the Cardinals backfield, Stephens-Howling can be ignored in all fantasy leagues this season.
Despite the inconsistency at the quarterback situation in Arizona, Larry Fitzgerald recorded his fifth consecutive season of at least 80 receptions and 1,000 yards last year. Fitzgerald is the model of consistency at the wide receiver position in fantasy football. If Kevin Kolb can stay healthy and rookie Michael Floyd is productive, Fitzgerald will put up monster numbers this season. Fantasy owners should target Fitzgerald as one of the top-five wide receivers on draft day.
Much like Early Doucet, Andre Roberts' fantasy value suffered a major blow when Arizona selected Notre Dame wideout Michael Floyd in the first round of the NFL Draft. Roberts, who caught 51 passes for 586 yards and a pair of touchdowns last season, will serve as the Cardinals' number four receiver and is only worth a late round flier in fantasy drafts this season.
Arizona selected Michael Floyd with the 13th pick overall in the NFL Draft to add a much needed complement to Pro Bowl wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. With his solid size (6-foot-3, 220 pounds), the Notre Dame product should step into the starting lineup immediately and will have an impact as a rookie this season. Floyd is worthy of a selection in the middle-to-late rounds of all fantasy drafts this season.
Early Doucet played in all 16 games and posted the best numbers of his four-year career (54 catches for 689 yards and five touchdowns), but it was not enough to prevent the Cardinals from drafting Notre Dame wideout Michael Floyd in the first round of the NFL Draft. With Floyd's upside and the likelihood that he will start over Doucet, Early's fantasy value takes a significant hit this season.
Todd Heap struggled to stay healthy in his first season with Arizona, playing in just 10 games due to injuries last season. Due to his lengthy injury history, age (32), and the Cardinals' lack of emphasis on the tight end position, Heap should not be relied upon by fantasy owners this season, especially with second-year tight end Robert Housler breathing down his neck for the starting job.
We could have an interesting situation going on with the Cardinals historically lackluster tight end position, that is assuming the 2011 third-round pick is ready to make it one. Drafted out of Florida Atlantic, Robert Housler caught 12 passes in 12 games last season and the 6-foot-5 target could find more looks coming his way seeing as aging veteran Todd Heap and Jeff King are all that stands in his way. Even if Housler emerges as the starter, Arizona's bleak passing situation makes him no better than a TE2, but he'd be more interesting than Heap.
UPDATE 8/19: Housler caught three passes for 26 yards in the Cardinals' latest preseason game against Oakland. For now Heap remains the starter, but Housler is the more interesting player over the course of the 2012 fantasy season. Don't draft, but monitor.
Injury Status: Injured Reserve
Jay Feely took a step back from a stellar 2010 season connecting on just 19-of-24 attempts (79.2%) last season with the Arizona Cardinals. Feely has bounced around, but appears to have found a home in Arizona. Regardless, there are plenty of better fantasy options at the position than Feely.
The Cardinals defense has a couple of solid playmakers in defensive end Darnell Dockett and defensive backs Patrick Peterson and Adrian Wilson, but the unit forced just 19 turnovers and recorded only 42 sacks last season. Peterson scored four kick return touchdowns as a rookie last season, which salvaged this unit's fantasy value. The Cardinals are an average fantasy defense that can be an option depending on the matchup this season.
