Thankfully for the Cardinals, Fitzgerald and his fantasy owners, he was able to return to the game. Although he didn’t catch another pass and finished with just 22 receiving yards on the game, the fact that he was able to get back on the field likely means that he avoided serious injury.

Next week, the Cardinals face the Detroit Lions so if Fitzgerald is banged up at all, Arizona may opt to sit him. For fantasy football purposes, that would raise the value of Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston. If Fitzgerald is able to play, expect him to have a big game against Detroit’s shaky defense.

Will Larry Fitzgerald Play in Week 15? (Image: Zuma Press)

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While it’s a lot of information to digest at once, one team that looks to have a friendly fantasy football schedule is the Arizona Cardinals. Last season, Kurt Warner and the Cardinals made it to the Super Bowl. This coming season, a lot of fantasy football owners could be counting on Warner to lead their teams to a fantasy football Super Bowl.

Here’s a look at the Cardinals schedule:

Week 1 – San Francisco
Week 2 – @ Jacksonville
Week 3 – Indianapolis
Week 5 – Houston
Week 6 – @ Seattle
Week 7 – @ NY Giants
Week 8 – Carolina
Week 9 – @ Chicago
Week 10 – Seattle
Week 11 – @ St. Louis
Week 12 – @ Tennessee
Week 13 – Minnesota
Week 14 – @ San Francisco
Week 15 – @ Detroit
Week 16 – St. Louis
Week 17 – Green Bay

Pay special attention to the money weeks of the fantasy football season — Week 14 through Week 16. Three games against bad defense during the fantasy playoffs? That fact alone just raised the stock value of everyone on the Cardinals’ offense including Kurt Warner.

Kurt Warner, Fantasy Football Star in 2009? (Image: Newscom)

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All of this comes as good news to the fantasy football world. Warner is one of the most explosive quarterbacks in the business and he showed that tendency once again in 2008. During the Cardinals’ magical trip to the Super Bowl, Warner was extremely impressive.

If Warner returns, his stock should be somewhat high. He has very good receivers and an offense that lets him toss the ball around. The negatives will be his advanced age and the fact that he is injury prone.

This is also good news for the Cardinals receivers. Larry Fitzgerald will be a top five wide receiver next year in fantasy football with Warner at the helm. Although Anquan Boldin isn’t happy in Arizona at the moment, if he changes his mind, Warner would do wonders for his production.

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When considering Warner’s 2009 fantasy football outlook, the first major obstacle is obviously whether or not Warner is even coming back to the NFL next season. After the Super Bowl, he was non-committal either way. Since the Super Bowl, Warner has said that his return could be dependent upon whether or not Anquan Boldin stays or not.

If Warner does return, the next thing to worry about is his age. Warner will be 38 years old by the time next season begins. While other quarterbacks have had success at that age, Warner’s would definitely be an injury concern. Plus if he loses any velocity on his throwing, he could begin struggling — much like Brett Favre in 2008.

All that said, if Warner returns in 2009, he’s going to be a very interesting fantasy football quarterback who could build upon his 2008 success. In the playoffs, he played much better than he did to end the regular season. Next season, a healthy Warner definitely has a chance to throw between 35 and 38 touchdowns.

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Even though Boldin and the Cardinals are about to play in the Super Bowl, Boldin hasn’t been a happy camper as of late. After the Cardinals advanced to the Super Bowl, instead of celebrating with his teammates, Boldin slipped out the back door because he was angry about not playing enough. Throughout the season, Boldin has expressed displeasure regarding his current contract.

Why would the Giants be interested? Two words: Plaxico Burress. In the season after winning the Super Bowl, Burress was a Super Distraction. When he wasn’t getting suspended for missing meetings, he was literally shooting himself in the leg. Although the Giants haven’t made any firm decision regarding his future, there is a lot of talk around New York that the Giants will cut ties with Burress.

If the Giants were to replace Burress with Boldin, it would definitely shake things up. While both players are very good wide receivers, Boldin is more of a possession receiver while Burress is more of a big play receiver. In the same offense, Boldin would likely get more reception and more yards, while Burress would get more touchdowns.

For Eli Manning, his fantasy value may rise if the Giants replace Burress with Boldin. Boldin is more consistent and would give Manning a dependable receiving option in each game.

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RB Carey Davis, Pittsburgh Steelers
Most fullbacks aren’t startable in the fantasy football world but with Carey Davis of the Steelers, you can be confident that he’ll at least get a couple touches. In the two games Pittsburgh has played in the playoffs, Davis has five touches. In their last three games, he has seven touches. If you need an emergency starter and all the other RBs are taken, look at Davis.

WR Jerheme Urban, Arizona Cardinals
There’s no doubt that the Cardinals will try a couple trick plays against the Steelers to try to catch Pittsburgh off guard. One target for the trick play could be Urban, who is the fourth wide receiver for the Cardinals. During the regular season, he threw a pass that was complete and he also had two touchdowns in the final three games.

WR Limas Sweed, Pittsburgh Steelers
Against the Ravens, Limas Sweed’s stat line would have looked a lot better if he would have hauled in the long bomb that fell right through his finger tips. If Hines Ward is banged up and Santonio Holmes is double-covered, Sweed could be the difference maker as a long ball threat.

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RB Willie Parker, Pittsburgh Steelers
Speaking of knowing about Super Bowls, Willie Parker has fond memories of his lone Super Bowl appearance. He was big in that game and could come up huge again for Pittsburgh.

WR Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
The most talented player in the Super Bowl has to be Larry Fitzgerald. He’s living up to his potential and is showing why he might become the best WR in the league sooner rather than later.

TE Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers
Ben Roethlisberger trusts Heath Miller and if Hines Ward is banged up at all, there’s a chance that Miller will become Big Ben’s go-to receiving option.

K Neil Rackers, Arizona Cardinals
Not only is Neil Rackers kicking well, he has a strong leg and will likely be called upon a lot if the Cardinals are moving the ball. Rackers finishing with two or three field goals is somewhat likely.

D Pittsburgh Steelers
Despite going against a high-powered offense, the Steelers have the best fantasy football defense in the Super Bowl. They are aggressive, stout and make plays on a consistent basis.

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In total, Fitzgerald has 419 yards and five touchdowns grabs in his three playoff games. In each of the contests, he has caught a pass for more than 40 yards.

Fitzgerald’s hot streak actually began at the end of the regular season. He ended the season with two straight games with at least 100 yards receiving and had a total of six touchdown grabs in his last five games.

In the Super Bowl, Fitzgerald will have to come up big for the Cardinals to have a chance against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although the Steelers have a stout defense, Fitzgerald is talented enough to overwhelm any defense.

If you are playing playoff fantasy football, Fitzgerald is the wide receiver you want on your team right now. He’s the most talented offensive player on either team and he’s playing extremely well right now. Start him with the utmost of confidence.

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Saturday, January 3rd – 4:30 PM Eastern
Atlanta Falcons at the Arizona Cardinals

Saturday, January 3rd – 8:00 PM Eastern
Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers

Sunday, January 4th – 1:00 PM Eastern
Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins

Sunday, January 4th – 4:30 PM Eastern
Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings

Bye Week: Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers

Photo credit: Newscom

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RB Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
Going up against the Detroit Lions, Adrian Peterson should be running early and often. The Lions are putrid defensively and the Vikings should easily be able to move the ball. The only thing that could stop Peterson in Week 14 is if it’s a blowout early and the the Vikings let him rest.

WR Randy Moss, New England Patriots
Last week, Randy Moss was relatively quiet. However, that wasn’t two surprising considering the Patriots were playing the Pittsburgh Steelers. In Week 14, the Patriots have a much easier matchup — the Seattle Seahawks. Expect Moss to be a big part of the game plan to run over the Seahawks.

TE Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs
Tony Gonzalez is not only the best tight end at the moment in fantasy football, he’s going up against the weak defense of the Denver Broncos. He should be able to have a very good game. The Broncos aren’t a good pass defending team and Gonzalez is easily the number one option on the Chiefs on the offensive side of the ball.

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