Player Spotlight: Larry Fitzgerald (1 Viewer)

[Jason Wood]

2006 Player Spotlight Series

Over the course of the offseason, we will be evaluating a multitude of players at every fantasy position. One such way we go about that is through the Player Spotlight series. Think of the Spotlights as a permanent record on some of the more intriguing players for the upcoming season. Each Spotlight will be featured in an article on the main website.

Thread Topic: Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals

Player Page Link: Larry Fitzgerald Player Page

Each article will include:

Detailed viewpoint from a Footballguys staff member
Highlighted member commentary from the message board threads
FBG Projections
Consensus Member ProjectionsThe Rules

In order for this thread to provide sustainable value, we ask that you follow a few simple guidelines:

Focus commentary on the player in question, and your expectations for said player
Back up your expectations in whatever manner you deem appropriate; avoid posts that simply say "I hate him" or "He's the best"
To be included in the final synopsis and consensus outlook, you MUST provide projections for the playerProjections should include (at a minimum):

For QBs: Passing Yards, Passing TDs, Ints, Rush Yards, Rush TDs
For RBs: Rushes, Rushing Yards, Rush TDs, Receptions, Receiving Yards, Receiving TDs
For WRs & TEs: Receptions, Receiving Yards, Receiving TDsBest of Luck and ENJOY!

 

[radballs]

It's hard to figure how this new offense will function with Edge get a big piece of the action. Will the receiving share of the pie decrease or will the entire pie get larger. We'll see but I still see the offense throwing a bunch and Fitzgerald is primed to separate himself from Boldin as the number one target on the team.

97 receptions, 1,440 receiving yards, 11 TDs

 

[broncofan13000]

I think alot depends on the health of Kurt Warner. As good of a pro that Leinart will eventually become, he is a rookie right now. We all know that Warner won't last the full season, because of that:



94rec 1280 10 td's

note: i hope he does better, as i am working a deal for him in my keeper league

 

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

80 catches, 1100 yards 9 TDs.

 

[Bankerguy]

80 catches, 1100 yards 9 TDs.

What he said. 80

1100

9

Edge eats into some of the catches and TD's for sure.

The gap between Fitz WR1 and Boldin WR2 on the Cards gets bigger this year.

 

[sacked4loss]

80 catches, 1100 yards 9 TDs.

What he said. 80

1100

9

Edge eats into some of the catches and TD's for sure.

The gap between Fitz WR1 and Boldin WR2 on the Cards gets bigger this year.

yea what they said

 

[blkgolf23]

I like Fitz, but I think boldin will fight for the #1 spot. Edge will help and hurt the passing game. He will help by making the FS think run on 1st and 2nd down. But, hurt by cuting down on the passing att. Also, Bryant Johnson could take some pass away from both Boldin and Fitz.

84/1150/8

 

[Skkorpion]

It all depends on how good the Cardinals are in 2006. If they go 7-9, they will be throwing a lot late in games trying to catch up.

Suppose they go 10-6 and run the ball with late leads? Yeah, I know, fat chance.

 

[Crimedogg32]

103 receptions, 1342 Yards, 9 TDs

 

[Fantasy Strategist]

91/1111/9

 

[Jack Ham & Eggs]

109/1467/12

 

[Sabertooth]

This team is primed for takeoff. Think about last season. Their running game was not only bad, it was basically non-existent coming in at a paltry 71.1 yards per game. Figure on at least a 50% increase in those numbers with Edgerring James in there.

More first downs, prolonging drives. This creates more opportunity at both yardage and touchdowns to Boldin and Fitzgerald. I think this team is going to be very reminiscent of the Bengals of '05.

Larry Fitzgerald

100 Catches

1475 yards

15 Touchdowns

I know this seems like an outlandish number, but I honestly think that Larry' mix of TALENT (remember he was considered a truly rare prospect coming out of college) meets OPPORTUNITY (Randy Moss did similarly early in his career under Green's tutelage). Larry is less of a deep burner than Moss though so while his actual receptions will be higher as he'll be used over the middle more, his yardage will pretty much mimic Moss'.

 

[Dancing Bear]

Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald will both finish at:

90 Receptions

1400 Receiving Yards

8 Receiving TD's

Incidentally 40% of Fitzgerald's TD were inside the 10 as Arizona took advantage of his size; I do believe that James will vulture some of those Red Zone looks and TD's.

I do not think that folks are not giving Boldin enough credit here. He had the same stats as Fitzgerald in 2 less games. He was their "go to" receiver when they needed a First Down. All but one of his TD's was 20 yards or greater; Fitzgerald had only 4 TD's of 20 yards or greater.

James will not hurt either WR's output; he will help to sustain more drives. In the process both Boldin and Fitzgerald will get better YPC and then more opportunity to score consistently.

 

[Phlash]

110/1500/11

 

[FTRWRTR]

I agree that Edge will take catches and more importantly TDs away but ppl forget that boldin has played an entire season only once in three years

85 catches, 1,200 yards, 10 TDs

 

[Gopher State]

With addition of Edge, - the age/health of Warner he should go

86/1126/7 TD's

Edge takes the TD's away in 06

 

[Winning IS Everything]

The only thing that keeps Fitzgerald from being the consensus #1 WR in the league is elite speed. The guy has great hands, runs polished routes and is still very young. The fact he will likely get even better is scary. I think he finishes top 5 for sure and maybe even #1.

103 receptions - 1425 yards - 11 touchdowns.

 

[LawFitz]

The only thing that keeps Fitzgerald from being the consensus #1 WR in the league is elite speed. The guy has great hands, runs polished routes and is still very young. The fact he will likely get even better is scary. I think he finishes top 5 for sure and maybe even #1.

103 receptions - 1425 yards - 11 touchdowns.

I agree Fitz is sick. Elite speed is overrated compared to the other tangibles and intangibles Fitz brings to the field.Floor: 80/1200/8

Ceiling: 120/1600/16

For the record, I'll go with 100/1400/12.

This is exactly the type of player I target early.

 

[diesel7982]

The only thing that keeps Fitzgerald from being the consensus #1 WR in the league is elite speed.  The guy has great hands, runs polished routes and is still very young.  The fact he will likely get even better is scary.  I think he finishes top 5 for sure and maybe even #1.

103 receptions - 1425 yards - 11 touchdowns.

I agree Fitz is sick. Elite speed is overrated compared to the other tangibles and intangibles Fitz brings to the field.Floor: 80/1200/8

Ceiling: 120/1600/16

For the record, I'll go with 100/1400/12.

This is exactly the type of player I target early.

Curious to know why his floor is 15 ypc, your projection is 14 ypc, and his ceiling is 13.3 ypc?

 

[Sabertooth]

The only thing that keeps Fitzgerald from being the consensus #1 WR in the league is elite speed.  The guy has great hands, runs polished routes and is still very young.  The fact he will likely get even better is scary.  I think he finishes top 5 for sure and maybe even #1.

103 receptions - 1425 yards - 11 touchdowns.

I agree Fitz is sick. Elite speed is overrated compared to the other tangibles and intangibles Fitz brings to the field.Floor: 80/1200/8

Ceiling: 120/1600/16

For the record, I'll go with 100/1400/12.

This is exactly the type of player I target early.

Curious to know why his floor is 15 ypc, your projection is 14 ypc, and his ceiling is 13.3 ypc?

The answer is simple. Volume.

 

[Lott's Fingertip]

Last year the Cardinals had 669 pass attempts and 297 rush attempts. That's crazy.

Edge brings balance this year.

Larry gets 90/1250/8TDs

 

[LawFitz]

The only thing that keeps Fitzgerald from being the consensus #1 WR in the league is elite speed. The guy has great hands, runs polished routes and is still very young. The fact he will likely get even better is scary. I think he finishes top 5 for sure and maybe even #1.

103 receptions - 1425 yards - 11 touchdowns.

I agree Fitz is sick. Elite speed is overrated compared to the other tangibles and intangibles Fitz brings to the field.Floor: 80/1200/8

Ceiling: 120/1600/16

For the record, I'll go with 100/1400/12.

This is exactly the type of player I target early.

Curious to know why his floor is 15 ypc, your projection is 14 ypc, and his ceiling is 13.3 ypc?

The answer is simple. Volume.

Exactly. The more receptions will come from a higher % of pass plays and a higher dependence on Fitz. That will mean lower YPR.

 

[diesel7982]

The only thing that keeps Fitzgerald from being the consensus #1 WR in the league is elite speed.  The guy has great hands, runs polished routes and is still very young.  The fact he will likely get even better is scary.  I think he finishes top 5 for sure and maybe even #1.

103 receptions - 1425 yards - 11 touchdowns.

I agree Fitz is sick. Elite speed is overrated compared to the other tangibles and intangibles Fitz brings to the field.Floor: 80/1200/8

Ceiling: 120/1600/16

For the record, I'll go with 100/1400/12.

This is exactly the type of player I target early.

Curious to know why his floor is 15 ypc, your projection is 14 ypc, and his ceiling is 13.3 ypc?

The answer is simple. Volume.

Exactly. The more receptions will come from a higher % of pass plays and a higher dependence on Fitz. That will mean lower YPR.

Doesnt explain why hed set a career high with 15.0 ypc on his 80 catches.

 

[LawFitz]

The only thing that keeps Fitzgerald from being the consensus #1 WR in the league is elite speed. The guy has great hands, runs polished routes and is still very young. The fact he will likely get even better is scary. I think he finishes top 5 for sure and maybe even #1.

103 receptions - 1425 yards - 11 touchdowns.

I agree Fitz is sick. Elite speed is overrated compared to the other tangibles and intangibles Fitz brings to the field.Floor: 80/1200/8

Ceiling: 120/1600/16

For the record, I'll go with 100/1400/12.

This is exactly the type of player I target early.

Curious to know why his floor is 15 ypc, your projection is 14 ypc, and his ceiling is 13.3 ypc?

The answer is simple. Volume.

Exactly. The more receptions will come from a higher % of pass plays and a higher dependence on Fitz. That will mean lower YPR.

Doesnt explain why hed set a career high with 15.0 ypc on his 80 catches.

3rd yr x elite talent baby! Full Disclosure: I'm a big Larry Fitz fan... see name. That being said, I'm very confident in Larry's ability to live up to my expectations. He's one of my future super studs. Only thing keeping this guy down will be injury.

Too bad I only play in redraft leagues!

 

[LawFitz]

Also in the 80 reception scenario, the Cards are running VERY well and use Larry a lot more for the deep jump pass. He's the best right now in the game at the jump pass against only, arguably Moss.

 

[Arnold. S]

Fitz is a hall of famer waiting to happen, this year he takes another step forward:

98 receptions

1470 yds

15 TDs

 

[tri-man 47]

95 - 1,350 - 10 TDs

Arizona had severely distorted numbers for rushing TDs (2) and FGs (leading the league by about 10). Edge will bring those numbers back into balance. I don't believe the improved running game will hurt the WRs.

 

[furstye]

Do the Cards have an OL capable of making this an elite offense in the NFL?

 

[Rev]

I see Larry as the 1.5WR in Arizona, in that Boldin, if healthy, will receive more targets and catch more balls. I expect Edge to eat into Fits' touches as well.

82/1025/7

 

[Frenchy Fuqua]

I was worried about Larry Fitz before Leinart reported. I am starting to think that Leinart can at least duplicate McCown's numbers from last year. With AZ's poor O-line it's only a matter of time before Warner gets KO'd. The Cards running game with Edge has nowhere to go but up but I think they'll still struggle making this a pass-happy team once again. I think this team is starting to look alot like Denny Green's teams in Minnesota. I've got Fitz currently as my WR1 with:

96 receptions

1300 yards

14 TD