Twitter Updates

Larry Fitzgerald is gracing the cover of nearly every fantasy publication this season. His ridiculous playoff performances have rightfully given him the national attention he deserves. He is the consensus number one wide receiver on nearly every expert’s draft boards, including ours. But if it’s me on the clock and I have the opportunity at the 1^st wide-out off the board, I’m selecting Andre Johnson.

Too many factors need to be accounted for in the Cardinal’s success. Larry Fitzgerald’s continued dominance will depend heavily on Warner’s health. The majority publications have Fitz sitting atop their wide-out lists, but then rank Kurt Warner outside their top 5 and some towards the bottom of the their top 10 QB ranks. Matt Leinart is not Kurt Warner, and if forced into the starters role he will fail to put up Warner-like numbers. With Leinart under-center you can expect a drop off of 250 yards receiving and a couple of scores at the very least. I love Warner and believe he warrants a top 5 QB rating, but one can only escape the grips of Father Time for so long.

Anquan Boldin’s presence will also effect how high Fitzgerald’s numbers can climb. Larry’s best games came with “Q” on the sideline, scoring 6 out of his 12 touchdowns in the 4 games that Boldin missed. People seem to have forgotten how dominant Anquan’s first 10 games were. He is the most physical receiver in the game and never shies away from contact. Prior to his injury, Boldin was Warner’s first option when in the redzone. His 11 Tds were scored in only 12 games. Along with his scores he tallied up 89 catches for 1038 yards. Who knows what a full season of health would have produced, but he most likely would have finished close to number one in all positional categories and may have displaced Fitz as Arizona’s number one receiver. Boldin’s injury concerns keep him from obtaining elite status. Anquan was not at full health during the Cardinal’s playoff run allowing Fitz to monopolize the WR1 role. A fully functioning Boldin will cut into Fitzgerald’s supremacy.

On the other hand, Andre Johnson will produce no matter what! It does not matter whether Matt Schaub or Dan Orlovsky are under-center. Whether Kevin Walter is on the field or not. He will produce! Orlovsky is a clear down-grade from Schaub, but he did a fine job getting Calvin Johnson the ball despite triple coverage, a horrible offensive line and an anemic supporting cast.

Johnson is the total package. He is a reception machine but also has the ability to make the big play. At 6-2, 227lbs he has the height and build to outwork defenders and the athleticism to catch the ball in traffic. He tallied up 7 double-digit reception games and another with 9. He should again compete for the reception title. With Matt Schaub’s improved red-zone efficiency, Johnson should push for double-digit scores. Nowadays most leagues are turning towards implementing some version of a PPR (point per reception) format. In traditional PPR formats, AJ out scored Fitz in ‘08 and should do so again in ‘09. In hybrid 0.5 PPR leagues, only one tenth of a point separated the two in ‘08.

When all is said and done I’d love to have either one of these guys headlining my fantasy roster. Both have equal talent, but Warner and Boldin are two factors that need to be accounted for when evaluating Larry Fitzgerald’s 09 fantasy potential. Wide Receivers have penetrated the first round and look to be safer bets for production than questionable running backs. If I’m towards the end of the first round and have the first shot at an elite receiver, Andre Johnson will be my pick.

Andre Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Arizona Cardinals, Fantasy Wide Receivers, Houston Texans, Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Matt Schaub, Number one fantasy wide receivers