Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

The 2009 version of the Arizona Cardinals were going to be hard-pressed to follow up their Super Bowl season of 2008, and though they didn’t reach the title game in 2009, they showed well for themselves. Arizona was 10-6 in ’09, which was actually a one-game improvement in the win column from ’08. They also won a playoff game before succumbing to the eventual Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints.

Arizona got to the postseason in part by taking advantage of their home in the ultra-weak NFC West (seriously, if you had to assign movie characters to each NFL division, the NFC West would be Fredo Corleone), but also in part by discovering a running game. First-round pick Beanie Wells came into the fold and helped the Cards elevate their rushing offense from one that averaged 3.5 yards per carry and was dead last in the NFL in total years to a running offense that averaged 4.1 ypc and was ranked 28th. Not great, but it didn’t have to be with the way their passing offense was. This year, things in the desert will change even more, and that running game will be an even bigger part of the team’s offense.

KEY ADDITIONS

Derek Anderson (QB) – Anderson comes over to Arizona after being dropped from the Cleveland Browns. He was a Pro Bowler in 2007, but even then he had an up and down season, and most of his success came early; over his last seven contests that year, he threw nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and in his last four games had 200 passing yards only one time. He’s an inaccurate thrower, as his awful career completion percentage of 52.9 shows, but Arizona thought enough of him to give him an opportunity to compete for the starting quarterback job.

Joey Porter (LB) – Despite the fact that Porter is 33 years old, he’s still got game left in him, as evidenced by his 26.5 sacks over the last two seasons with the Miami Dolphins (9.0 of those came last season). He won’t rack up a ton of tackles, and isn’t someone who will make a lot of plays in run support, but Porter is in Arizona to do one thing – get to the quarterback – and he can still do that.

KEY DEPARTURES

Kurt Warner (QB) – Most hard-core football experts agree that it’s a fairly significant blow to your team when you lose a potential Hall of Fame quarterback. That’s exactly what happened in Arizona when Warner decided to retire after last season. He threw for nearly 12,000 yards with 83 touchdowns over the past three seasons.

Anquan Boldin (WR) – Boldin had wanted out of the desert for quite some time, and that’s exactly what he got, having been traded to the Ravens in the off-season. He was the No. 1A receiver in Arizona to Larry Fitzgerald’s No. 1 status, but will have a chance to carry the load for the Baltimore Ravens and fits in perfectly with his toughness and aggressive attitude.

Karlos Dansby (LB) – Dansby led the Cardinals in tackles in each of the last two seasons, and was regarded as one of the better linebackers in the league, so it was certainly a hit to their defense when he signed with the Miami Dolphins in the off-season. His value was in more than just bringing down ball carriers, however. He was an all-around player who could get to the quarterback, defend the pass and create turnovers.

Antrel Rolle (S) – Rolle is a safety who was drafted in the top-10 to be a cornerback, but simply didn’t have the physical ability to get it done in one-on-one matchups on the outside. His transition to safety went swimmingly, where he could use his natural playmaking abilities. He signed with the Giants in the off-season.

ROOKIE TO WATCH

Andre Roberts (WR) – The Cardinals decided to take a wideout in the third round of the draft, despite already having a solid corps in place, even with the trade of Boldin. That receiver was Roberts, who is 5-feet-10, 195 lbs and played at The Citadel. He’s got good speed and outstanding hands, and is at his best after the catch, just as Boldin was. He’ll likely be fourth on the depth chart to start the season, with the chance to make a few plays, but he probably won’t have much of an impact on fantasy football teams this season.

Need help organizing your fantasy draft? We’ve got you covered….

NFC WEST:  ARI  |  STL  |  SF  |  SEA

NFC SOUTH:  ATL  |  CAR  |  NO  |  TB

NFC NORTH:  CHI  |  DET  |  GB  |  MIN

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