Fantasy Outlook

The Cardinals ranked #2 in the NFL for wide receiver targets (417), catches (271) and receiving yards (3228) and third in touchdowns (21) last year. Fitzgerald tied with Randy Moss for #1 in scoring with 13 touchdowns and ended with 97 catches (ranking 6th best) for 1092 yards. Now forget all that because it really doesn’t matter anymore.

The Cardinals are starting Matt Leinart at quarterback, Anquan Boldin is no longer concerning the secondary and one of the top passing offenses for the last few years is changing to a more balanced attack. How much that hits Fitzgerald remains to be seen since we cannot be certain what Leinart will be like. He has only thrown 106 passes in the last two years and thrown just one touchdown (though it went to Fitzgerald). He looked sharper in preseason last summer but Warner carried the full load yet again despite being banged up much of the year. There is one inescapable fact – Fitzgerald is one of the most talented wideouts in the NFL. Okay make that two facts – you have to have a QB that can connect or it doesn’t matter who the WR is.

Posted: 9/8/2010 10:54am et

Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald may have to wear a brace on the knee he injury during the preseason in Week 1, according to AZCardinals.com's Darren Urban. Fitzgerald said he would prefer not wearing the brace but will listen to the team on the subject.

Huddle Up: Fitz has been limited for much of the preseason after taking a shot to his knee early on. All indications are that he'll play, but a brace may slow him down a bit as he chases errant Derek Anderson passes.

Posted: 9/6/2010 5:10pm et

Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald (knee) is on track to play in Week 1 but is currently working on his conditioning since he missed so much time during the preseason, according to AZCardinals.com's Darren Urban.

Huddle Up: By this Sunday Fitzgerald will have had 28 days to recover from a mildly sprained MCL. He'll be fine.

Posted: 8/29/2010 12:29pm et

Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald (knee) was running routes before the team's preseason game Saturday, Aug. 28, reports Kent Somers, of The Arizona Republic. He was not running at full speed but looked faster and smoother than he did last week.

Huddle Up: Fitzgerald continues to workout and rebound from his knee injury in the preseason and remains on pace to be ready to go for Week 1.

Posted: 8/24/2010 11:38am et

Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt is optimistic WR Larry Fitzgerald will not only play in Week 1, but also for the team's preseason finale, according to Kent Somers, of The Arizona Republic. "The hardest thing with Larry is slowing him down," Whisenhunt said. "If Larry had his preference, he would be back playing next week ... I don't think there's any question in any of our minds now that he'll be ready for the first game. I think he'll be ready for the last preseason game, but obviously that's not something we're pushing to do. We'll see where he is next week."

Huddle Up: Fitzgerald is still among the first receivers off the board in most fantasy drafts, but seeing him in the preseason finale would make his fantasy owners feel a whole lot better about their selection.

Posted: 8/23/2010 6:37pm et

Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald (knee) was running the length of the field as well as cutting and catching passes while running routes prior to the team's preseason game Monday, Aug. 23, reports Darren Urban, of AZCardinals.com. He appears to be on schedule to be ready for the start of the regular season.

Huddle Up: Urban's the man when it comes to the Cardinals beat, and he's said from day one that Fitzgerald's injury isn't serious. It's reportedly a mild sprained MCL and when the season kicks off Fitzgerald will have had four weeks to get well.

Posted: 8/17/2010 11:25am et

Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt said that while the team will take a conservative approach, he fully expects WR Larry Fitzgerald to play in the team's Week 1 game, according to The Associated Press. Fitzgerald, however, has not set any timetables on his return. "I don't set timetables," Fitzgerald said. "I'm just going to do everything they ask me to do, plus some, and hopefully that's going to get me back as fast as possible."

Huddle Up: While Fitzgerald recovers, Steve Breaston and Early Doucet will be the Arizona starters. There doesn't appear to be an immediate reason to panic, but with Kurt Warner retiring and the Cards transitioning to a running team it isn't exactly a boon to Fitz's fantasy value.

Posted: 8/16/2010 7:07pm et

Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald (knee) likely will sit out the remainder of the preseason because of a sprained knee, reports The Arizona Republic's Kent Somers.

Huddle Up: Fitzgerald will be fine, though that hasn't stopped Cardinals fans from kicking up dust and complaining about the Anquan Boldin trade. "You see, this is why we shouldn't have let Boldin go," is a common rant.

Posted: 8/15/2010 9:16pm et

Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald (knee) is undergoing an MRI on his right knee, reports Kent Somers, of The Arizona Republic. The Cardinals are hoping it is only a slight sprain.

Huddle Up: The Cardinals are likely holding their collective breath at this point until the severity of the injury to Fitzgerald is fully known. With Arizona losing Anquan Boldin to the Ravens in the offseason, the Cardinals will have to turn to Steve Breaston as their top wideout if Fitzgerald is out of action for a while. Keep an eye on the news as the team evaluates their top wideout over the next few days.

Posted: 2/3/2010 9:46pm et

The Arizona Republic, reports Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald said he is willing to work with QB Matt Leinart as long as Leinart wants during the offseason. 'Matt knows all he's got to do is call me. That's my boy. I'm going to do anything he needs me to do that he feels will make him better,' Fitzgerald said.

Huddle Up: With Kurt Warner retiring, it is now Matt Leinart's offense to run. It even sounds like he has tremendous rapport already with Larry Fitzgerald which should make his adjustments to every down starter easier. The components are in place for a nice supporting cast in Arizona and Leinart working hard in the offseason could pay huge dividends for the Cardinals in 2010.

Posted: 12/29/2009 1:14am et

The Arizona Republic reports Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald (elbow) suffered an elbow contusion during the team's Week 16 game.

Huddle Up: At this point it should be assumed that he'll be able to play in Week 17, but it would be wise to have a back up plan in place, the fact that it is the end of the regular season makes a lot of things get screwy for fantasy owners.

Posted: 12/26/2009 4:48am et

The Arizona Republic's Bob McManaman reports Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald said he doesn't want to rest in the final two weeks of the season.

Huddle Up: That's good news if you're banking in Fitz to carry you to a fantasy title this week and/or next. Of course, what the player want and what the coach actually does aren't always the same thing.

Posted: 12/18/2009 6:18pm et

AZCardinals.com reports Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald (knee) was limited in practice Friday, Dec. 18, and is questionable for Week 15. He is technically a game-time decision, but is expected to play.

Huddle Up: The word "technically" is a huge key here. The fact Fitzgerald was able to do anything in a Friday practice, even if he was limited, is a great sign concerning his availability for Sunday. If he can go - and as of now it looks like he will - he and the rest of the Arizona offense will be champing at the bit to redeem themselves for the clunker they put up against San Francisco in front of a national television audience last Monday. There's no better defense than Detroit's on which to take out some frustrations.