Faceoff - WR Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals

Posted 7/29, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Upside - by Chris Smith

Wow, the high side of Larry Fitzgerald of the Cardinals. This one is perhaps the easiest faceoff I will have the privilege of penning this season. Really, I could sum up his potential this season with as little as just nine little words:

"Larry Fitzgerald is the most talented receiver in football"

Over the past two seasons, Larry Fitzgerald has finished as the fifth and first receiver in fantasy football. He has caught 196 combined passes (4th best) for 2840 receiving yards (best in the NFL) and scored 22 times (3rd best). The scary thing is at just 26-years of age he is just entering into the prime of his career right now. This player is an elite NFL player. In fact, this player is a legitimate superstar. In an era where players get by on talent with poor attitudes or work ethic, Fitzgerald shines in all three areas. He truly is a special player.

Reasons to rank Fitzgerald inside the top-three at WR

1. Great blend of talent, youth, experience, size and desire: He has as much talent as anybody currently in the NFL, has experience that belies his youth, great size at 6'3 and 223 pounds and the work ethic and drive to be the best player he can be. He had a great regular season in 2008 but his playoff drive proved he can elevate his play to an even greater level. His 546 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns in just four playoff games was the stuff of legends and he is still improving.
2. Kurt Warner can throw the ball: Not really sure a second reason is needed when it comes to Fitzgerald as he really is that good. Another positive for him however is having veteran Kurt Warner throwing him the ball. Warner has discovered the fountain of youth and he has a great on-field relationship with Fitzgerald, looking his way early and often.

Last Word

How anybody can rank Fitzgerald outside the top-three at the receiver position, I have no idea. He is clearly the most talented receiver in football today and has a work ethic and drive to match the talent. Perhaps somebody would rank him lower because of the age risk of Kurt Warner but in all honesty, I believe any quarterback could step in under center in Arizona, throw the ball up to Fitzgerald 14+ times per game and he'll still get his numbers. Yes he is that good now. He is so good in fact; I may consider taking him early in the first round of fantasy drafts this season. He is a better option than many of the running backs being selected in the top eight. Don't hesitate to scoop up Fitzgerald this season.

Downside - by Jeff Tefertiller

Larry Fitzgerald is an incredible player. He is probably the most talented wide receiver in football. His performance in the Super Bowl was one most will always remember. The long touchdown catch and run was incredible for a player his size, but this one great game should not cloud our views for the 2009 fantasy season. Fitzgerald is a great player, there is no doubt. But, the question is whether he is worthy of being the top wideout taken in fantasy drafts. His ADP is player eight overall. So, in order to draft Fitzgerald, you have to take him over Frank Gore, LaDainian Tomlinson, AND Brian Westbrook while receivers like Randy Moss should be available in the second round.

Fitzgerald, and the Cardinal passing game, had much go right for them in the 2008 season. Kurt Warner took over at quarterback. No way would the team nor the passing game be as prolific with Matt Leinart under center. Considering the injury history of Warner, this is a major concern for 2009. Can Warner stay healthy for most or all of the season? If not, fantasy owners need to lower expectations for Fitzgerald and the Cardinal passing offense. Warner is 38 years old. He has played in all 16 games in a season just three times in his career but never two years in a row.

Last season, Anquan Boldin outscored Fitzgerald in most of the games in which they both played. This is something that has been lost in the discussion this offseason. In the twelve games in which both played, Boldin had better fantasy numbers in eight of those games. Yes, that is correct - Boldin outplayed Fitzgerald in the majority of the games they both played. Fitzgerald did have two big games while Boldin was out after the questionable hit against the Jets in Week 4 and two more big games in the last two weeks of the season while Boldin was out with injury. Fitzgerald has shown that he can put up monster games when Boldin is out of the lineup. In these four games, Fitzgerald totaled 362 receiving yards and six touchdowns. While the yardage is about what he averaged with Boldin in the lineup, the six touchdowns were half (in the four games) of his season total (16 games).

Fitzgerald finished as WR1 in fantasy leagues last year, mostly because of the four games that Boldin missed. In addition, Warner stayed healthy for all 16 times for only the third time in his career. Fantasy owners drafting Fitzgerald in the first round are betting that Boldin misses a few games again and Warner can stay healthy for the entire season. There are other very good wide receivers available in the second round and later that offer less risk. There is no doubting the talent of Fitzgerald, but he is risky as the eighth player taken in fantasy drafts.