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QB Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals
HT: 6-2, WT: 220, Born: 6-22-1971, College: Northern Iowa, Drafted: ---
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2009 Projections
| CMP | ATT | PYD | Y/A | PTD | INT | RSH | YD | Y/R | TD | FPT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Dodds | 328 | 512 | 3661 | 7.2 | 26 | 15 | 18 | 4 | 0.2 | 0 | 283 |
| Bob Henry | 340 | 525 | 3988 | 7.6 | 28 | 15 | 15 | 2 | 0.1 | 0 | 310 |
| Jason Wood | 312 | 495 | 3750 | 7.6 | 25 | 14 | 10 | 20 | 2.0 | 0 | 287 |
| Maurile Tremblay | 320 | 498 | 3891 | 7.8 | 24 | 16 | 31 | 56 | 1.8 | 1 | 294 |
Average draft position
Current as of September 7th. [Full ADP list]
Overall: W Welker (35), P Thomas (36), Kurt Warner (37), J Witten (38), T Houshmandzadeh (39)Position: A Rodgers (29-QB4), P Rivers (34-QB5), Kurt Warner (37 - QB6), T Romo (40-QB7), D McNabb (50-QB8)
Click here for a comparison of these players.
PPR Average draft position
Current as of September 7th. [Full PPR ADP list]
Overall: R Bush (38), P Rivers (39), Kurt Warner (40), C Ochocinco (41), D McFadden (42)Position: A Rodgers (31-QB4), P Rivers (39-QB5), Kurt Warner (40 - QB6), T Romo (46-QB7), D McNabb (49-QB8)
Click here for a comparison of these players.
Click here to go to the Kurt Warner spotlight, our staff's most detailed analysis.
Click here to go to the Kurt Warner faceoff, our staff's look at the pros and cons.
Best Case
If Kurt Warner fully recovers from his hip injury, receives adequate protection from his offensive line, and receives sufficient run support to force eight men in the box on occasion, he is destined for another Top 5 fantasy season.
Worst Case
Though we rarely predict injury when making projections, acknowledging an existing injury is reasonable. In a worst-case scenario, Warner would struggle in his recovery, and the Cardinals offensive line and running game would struggle as they did for much of 2008. It is difficult to imagine Warner, who is nearing the end of his career, overcoming those obstacles to repeat as an elite fantasy QB. That said, even if all goes wrong, he is unlikely to lose his starting spot. The team invested too much money in him to bench him. He would still be a viable fantasy QB2.
Outlook
In all likelihood, since it appears almost certain that Anquan Boldin will remain in town for another year, Warner will be a solid starting fantasy QB. He plays in a spread offense against mostly inferior pass defenses this year. He will provide six to nine games of elite fantasy numbers, and he should be a solid performer most of the other weeks.
Relevant Articles
Training Camp Update - Volume 5, Issue 5 - September 2ndInjury Update - September - September 2nd
On Second Thought...Quarterbacks - August 31st
From the Gut part 1 - Quarterbacks - August 29th
Players That Scare Me - August 28th
Overvalued QBs - August 28th
Training Camp Update - Volume 5, Issue 4 - August 26th
Injury Update - 8/25 - August 25th
Projection Tweaks - August 24th
Dynasty Preseason Players To Sell - August 21st
Training Camp Update - Volume 5, Issue 3 - August 19th
Message board spotlight thread - August 18th
Kurt Warner Spotlight - August 18th
Training Camp Update - Volume 5, Issue 2 - August 12th
Injury Update - 8/11 - August 11th
The Weekly Gut Check - 2009 Crank Score Projections - August 6th
Training Camp Update - Volume 5, Issue 1 - August 6th
Injury Update - August 3rd
Footballguys Daily Email - Volume 10, Issue 106 - August 3rd
An Early Look At the Playoff Schedules - July 20th
Kurt Warner Face-off - July 20th
Identifying Sleepers - Quarterbacks - July 20th
Injury Update - July - July 5th
Injury Update - May - May 29th
Quarterback Tiers - May 28th
Footballguys Daily Email - Volume 10, Issue 32 (Thursday, May 21st) - May 21st
Footballguys Daily Email - Volume 10, Issue 31 (Wednesday, May 20th) - May 20th
Why he is undervalued
according to one of our writers (based on an ADP of 41, QB 6 on June 7 --- go here for the complete article)Will Grant - I love Kurt Warner as much as the next guy. I like seeing him succeed when everyone is expecting him to fail. I even thought that Leinart would be the guy in Arizona last year. That being said, Warner is 38 this season. Expecting him to have another 4,500-yard passing season is asking a lot. Maybe he has one more year in the tank. Maybe he can do it again. But at the middle of the 4th round, there are plenty of other options that will have great production and value for your team and will not be as risky as taking Warner.
Why he is overvalued
according to one of our writers (based on an ADP of 41, QB 6 on June 7 --- go here for the complete article)Andy Hicks - Last year everything went right for Kurt Warner. He won the job in preseason, Anquan Boldin & Larry Fitzgerald caught everything & Warner himself played for 16 games for the first time since 2001. (By the way every time Warner plays 16 games he goes to the Super Bowl). Warner will be 38 this year, the Cardinals invested a 1st round pick on a running back and their offensive coordinator has moved on. Warner will not repeat or go close to the stats of 2008, even if he manages to stay fit all season.
Latest News
Cardinals | Warner throws for 340 yards Week 10 (Sun Nov 15, 08:38 PM) - The Associated Press reports Arizona Cardinals QB Kurt Warner was 29-for-38 for 340 yards with two touchdown passes Week 10 against the Seattle Seahawks. Warner became the 29th player in NFL history to throw 200 touchdown passes. He also had his 51st 300-yard passing game, tying former NFL QB Dan Fouts for fourth on the NFL career list. Our View: Warner victimized the inconsistent Seattle secondary, spreading the ball around to multiple receivers while his offensive line protected him better than they have all seasons.link to story Cardinals | Warner named NFC Offense Player of the Week (Tue Nov 10, 05:49 PM) - The NFL has announced Arizona Cardinals QB Kurt Warner has been named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 10. He finished the game with 261 yards and five touchdowns. link to story Cardinals | Warner ties career high Week 9 (Sun Nov 8, 05:09 PM) - The Associated Press reports Arizona Cardinals QB Kurt Warner went 22-for-32 for 261 yards and five touchdowns in Week 9. The five touchdowns tied a career high. Our View: Everything the Cardinals did on offense in first half worked in the Bears second complete collapse in three weeks (the other game was against the lowly Browns).
link to story
2009 Schedule
| Week | Opponent |
|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco 49ers |
| 2 | at Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 3 | Indianapolis Colts |
| Bye week | |
| 5 | Houston Texans |
| 6 | at Seattle Seahawks |
| 7 | at New York Giants |
| 8 | Carolina Panthers |
| 9 | at Chicago Bears |
| 10 | Seattle Seahawks |
| 11 | at St. Louis Rams |
| 12 | at Tennessee Titans |
| 13 | Minnesota Vikings |
| 14 | at San Francisco 49ers |
| 15 | at Detroit Lions |
| 16 | St. Louis Rams |
| 17 | Green Bay Packers |
2008 Game Summaries
Week 1 - Warner looked in mid-season form hitting six different Cardinals receivers in this game. He had control of the offense and led Arizona on scoring drives of 15 and 18 plays in the second half. His touchdown pass was a one yard fade route to Larry Fitzgerald in the first half. He showed good poise under an aggressive San Francisco rush, and although sacked three times, he was in control of this game from the start. His longest pass of the day was a 40 yard strike to WR Steve Breaston.
Week 2 - Warner started hot with his first pass going for a 79 yard touchdown to Anquan Boldin. Warner hit his first nine passes for 221 yards to start the game and had 247 yards and two scores at the first half. His passes were crisp and on the mark. Warner finished with a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3, the third time in his career. He is now tied with Peyton Manning for the NFL career record for a perfect passing rating.
Week 3 - Warner had an uneven performance after a very slow start in part due to long drives by the Redskins. Warner had only one passing attempt in the first quarter as Washington had the ball for over ten minutes during the first quarter. In the second quarter, Warner and the Cardinals started to move the ball using WR Larry Fitzgerald and on the ground with Edgerrin James. At times it appeared that Warner was locking onto Fitzgerald as his primary look. On the day Warner was able to throw two touchdowns and had another called back on a penalty. Warner did throw one interception where the ball was knocked into the air and a diving Carlos Rogers made the pick. The highlight of the game for Warner was throwing a perfect deep ball to Larry Fitzgerald for a 62 yard strike for a touchdown.
Week 4 - Kurt Warner was just abused by the Jets defense in the first half, where four of the five turnovers came on two Warner fumbles and two interceptions that they turned into a 34-0 halftime lead. Warner came out strong in the second half as he led three third quarter scoring drives to cut the lead to 34-21, but that 13 point deficit was as close as Arizona would get for the rest of the game. Warner was able to connect with WR Anquan Boldin from eight yards out and WR Jerheme Urban from 14 yards out for his two passing scores of the game, and he finished with an astonishing 57 attempts and 472 passing yards. He did lose three fumbles and threw three picks, but was still able to post good fantasy numbers.
Week 5 - Warner ran the offense very well, factoring Buffalo's aggressive pass rush by relying on the short passing game, which he executed with great accuracy. He made the right play consistently, whether changing plays at the line of scrimmage or making the right, quick decision in terms of who to throw the ball to. While he did not attempt many intermediate or deep passes, he was accurate on shorter passes all over the field, whether along the sidelines or across the middle of the field. Warner was knocked down early and had a bloody chin as a result, but he remained in the game and continued playing at a high level.
Week 6 - Kurt Warner had a difficult game as he was facing constant pressure from the Dallas down linemen. Warner was forced to move around in the pocket in order to find time to throw, and was forced into two turnovers in the first half. Unable to generate any type of offense during the first half the Cardinals adjusted their game plan to call for shorter passing routes to take some of the pressure off of Warner. Warner did well with the new game plan, throwing for 179 yards and two touchdowns in the second half.
Week 8 - Warner played an outstanding game going 35 for 49 for 381 and two touchdowns. He spread the ball around completing passes to eight different receivers, mainly when the Cardinals went into their no huddle offense using five receivers. Warner was pressured often and took several hits, but stayed in the pocket and delivered the ball with precision. Both touchdown passes were in the red zone with Warner hitting Anquan Boldin on short out patterns. His lone turnover was a result of a tipped ball off the hands of RB J.J. Arrington.
Week 9 - Once again, Warner played a steady game throwing for 342 yards on 23 for 34 attempts with two touchdown passes. It was Warner's second consecutive 300 yard game. He completed passes to eight different receivers, including touchdown tosses to WR Jerheme Urban (56 yards) and Anquan Boldin (seven yards.) Warner has now thrown for two or more touchdowns in seven of the Cardinals' first eight games.
Week 10 - Warner had an excellent night. He was moving around the pocket to buy a couple of extra seconds and proved he is still accurate as ever -- completing 76% of his passes. He spread the ball around and seemed to exploit the same match-up over and over on particular drives, leading to a string of targets for each of the big receivers.
Week 11 - Warner had his fourth consecutive 300 yard game and is putting up an MVP type season. He hit seven different receivers and continues to run the offense with precision. His touchdown throw was to running back JJ Arrington. He was pressured often and sacked twice. He led the Arizona offense on scoring drives of 60, 89, 65 and 27 yards in the first half; then led drives of 59 and 82 yards in the second half. He had good rhythm especially with Boldin and Fitzgerald.
Week 12 - Warner had his fifth consecutive 300 yard game, but it did not come without several pressures and hits on the veteran quarterback. Warner completed passes to five receivers and hit Anquan Boldin on a short five yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Arizona threw on 52 of their 68 total plays. Warner did have two fumbles (losing one) after being sacked.
Week 13 - Warner's evening began about as badly as possible, throwing interceptions on two of his first five pass attempts. The first one was thrown off his back foot and sort of floated into coverage, while the second one was simply a bad overthrow that was easily picked. Late in the fourth quarter, he threw a ball up in coverage to TE Jerheme Urban that was also intercepted. It wasn't all bad, as he did manage to toss three touchdown passes along the way. He twice found Larry Fitzgerald and once connected with Steve Breaston for scores. The first touchdown to Fitzgerald marked the twentieth consecutive game that Warner has thrown a touchdown pass, breaking the franchise record set by Neil Lomax and tied by Warner last week. Though he wasn't sacked once, Warner was under a fair amount of pressure at times. But he did a nice job avoiding it and stepping up in the pocket. On one such occasion, the protection broke down as he stepped forward and found Fitzgerald streaking downfield for a 40 yard bomb.
Obviously the turnovers are Warner's fault, but his defense did him no favors. They couldn't keep the Eagles off the field at times. And with the Eagles controlling the ball for 39:33 to Arizona's 20:27, it was difficult for Warner to have enough drives to put up numbers that were any better than what he did.
Week 14 - Warner continues to put up MVP type numbers and was well in command of this game tossing 279 yards on 24 of 33 attempts. Warner's lone interception was when he scrambled to his right and three across his body into the center of the field, a throw he normally doesn't attempt. He completed a short 12 yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald and completed passes to six different receivers. He was sacked only once.
Week 15 - Warner had a rough start completing only two of his first six passes for 25 yards and throwing one interception, He looked flustered from the Minnesota defensive scheme which was to blitz often. He soon got on track in the third quarter, hitting Jerheme Urban for a 50 yard touchdown. He was clearly affected by the tenacious Vikings pass rush. Warner also fumbled once on the day.
Week 16 - Warner had just 30 yards passing on six of 18 attempts. He was sacked once. The only positive from this outing was that Warner did not have a turnover. He never looked comfortable in the snowy weather and seemed to be missing WR Anquan Boldin.
Week 17 - Warner started slowly, but quickly got on track in the second quarter and had a season high four touchdown passes (16, 38, 5 and 14 yards.) He was intercepted once, but was well in command of the office. He did have a fumble on a sack. He completed passes to nine different receivers. He was replaced in the fourth quarter.
Week 18 - Warner turned in a solid game, hitting 19 of 32 for 241 yards and two touchdowns. More importantly, he did not take a sack and the receiver should have caught his one interception. He hit Fitzgerald on a 42 yard flea flicker for a touchdown, and also connected with Anquan Boldin on a short pass which he turned into a 71 yard TD. Warner took over this game in the third quarter when he directed the Cardinals on a 14 play drive. He converted four third downs and even scrambled four yards to keep the drive alive. Arizona scored a touchdown and took a two score lead into the fourth quarter.
Warner completed 67.1 percent of his passes this season and threw for 4,583 yards. His 30 touchdowns set a team record, eclipsing the old mark of 28 by shared by legendary Cardinal QBs Neil Lomax and Charley Johnson.
Week 19 - The former Super Bowl MVP only needed 30 minutes to lead Arizona to a blowout win over the heavily favored Carolina Panthers. After quickly falling behind 0--7, Warner tied the score on a drive where he completed four of four passes for 55 yards. He spread the ball around to eight different receivers as he engineered five consecutive scoring drives enroute to a 27--7 first half lead. The game was essentially over at that point and his primary duty in the second half consisted of handing the ball off to either Edgerrin James or Tim Hightower.
Warner earned a QB rating of 93.2 by completing 21 of 32 for 220 yards and two touchdowns. Only five teams in NFL history have had three different receivers catch at least 75 passes in the same year and Warner quarterbacked three of those teams.
Week 20 - Warner helped the Cardinals race out to a 24--6 halftime lead against the vaunted Philadelphia defense as he completed 14 of 17 for 203 yards and threw three touchdown passes. He was shut out in the third quarter, however, as the Eagles stormed back to take a one point lead. During Arizona's game winning drive Warner went five of five for 56 yards and capped it off with a TD pass to Tim Hightower. Warner also had the rare privilege of catching a Kurt Warner pass when an Eagles' lineman batted the ball back to him; he caught it, and alertly picked up four yards.
Warner earned a QB rating of 145.7. In six previous games against the Eagles his average passer rating was just 69.3.
Week 21 - Prior to kickoff Warner was named NFL man of the year and came within 35 seconds of possibly earning his second Super Bowl MVP award. He rallied Arizona to two fourth quarter touchdowns against the best defense in the NFL as the Cardinals grabbed a 23 -- 20 lead late in the game. He completed 31 of 43 for 377 yards and three touchdowns and earned a passer rating of 112.3. Two scores went to Larry Fitzgerald and the third went to TE Ben Patrick. Warner's only interception proved costly, however, as it came near the end of the first half with the Cardinals trailing 10 -- 7. On first and goal from the one yard line he tried to hit his receiver on a short slant but James Harrison stepped in front of the pass and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown. The score extended Pittsburgh's halftime lead to 17 -- 7.
In Arizona's three previous playoff games Warner completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 770 yards and eight touchdowns to earn a QB rating of 112.1. Warner is now tops in Super Bowl history with three 300 yard passing performances and 1,156 total passing yards.
