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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QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
Prior to his last touchdown drive, Ben Roethlisberger was a fantasy football disappointment. Even after getting his first touchdown pass of the game on his final throw, he still didn’t produce at the level many expected out of him, especially fantasy-wise.

RB Tim Hightower, Arizona Cardinals
During the regular season, Tim Hightower led the Cardinals in rushing touchdowns. By the end of the season, it appeared as if he had won the starting spot. But in the Super Bowl, he did next to nothing as he watched Edgerrin James get most of the touches.

WR Hines Ward, Pittsburgh Steelers
Coming into the Super Bowl with an injury, there was some question about how well Hines Ward would be able to perform. While he appeared to be running well, Ward didn’t put up many stats. He was held to two catches for a total of 43 yards.

TE Leonard Pope, Arizona Cardinals
While no one was expecting Leonard Pope to have a huge game, it is somewhat surprising that he ended the Super Bowl without a catch. That is especially true considering that he had two grabs in Arizona’s previous game.

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RB Willie Parker, Pittsburgh Steelers
No running back in the Super Bowl had much of an impact. Willie Parker was the best but he didn’t help out too much. In 19 rushes, Parker picked up 53 yards. The Steelers had a rushing touchdown but it came courtesy of backup RB Gary Russell.

WR Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
Early on, it looked like the Steelers might be able to take Larry Fitzgerald out of the game. But late, Fitzgerald found room and ended up with very good stats. In the Super Bowl, Fitzgerald finished with nine catches, 127 yards and two touchdown grabs.

TE Ben Patrick, Arizona Cardinals
Although Heath Miller of the Steelers had a decent game, Ben Patrick was was able to score a touchdown from the tight end position. The Cardinals backup caught a one yard pass to give Warner his first touchdown pass and Arizona’s first points on the night.

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Final Score
Pittsburgh Steelers – 24
Arizona Cardinals – 21

Quarterbacks
Kurt Warner – 301 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions
Ben Roethlisberger – 215 yards, one touchdown, one interception

Running Backs
Willie Parker – 125 yards, two touchdowns
Edgerrin James – 45 yards
Tim Hightower – 25 yards

Wide Receivers
Larry Fitzgerald – 109 yards, two touchdowns
Anquan Boldin – 90 yards, one touchdown
Hines Ward – 77 yards, one touchdown
Santonio Holmes – 90 yards

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Although the former NFL MVP and NFL Super Bowl champion with the St. Louis Rams has been extremely hot as of late, it’s easy to forget how cold he was not too long ago. Between Week 11 and Week 16, he had more than one touchdown in a game just one time. During that stretch, he had 7 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

That said, most of the attention is focused on how hot Warner has been lately. In the last game of the regular season, Warner had four touchdowns and more than 260 passing yards. In the three games in the 2008 NFL playoffs, Warner has a total of eight touchdowns and has at least 220 passing yards in each game. Almost equally as impressive is the fact that he has only two interceptions and no fumbles in the playoffs.

What should we expect from Kurt Warner in the Super Bowl? Logic tells us he shouldn’t be overly explosive in the Big Game. The Pittsburgh Steelers only allowed 157 passing yards per game during the regular season and only 12 passing touchdowns. However, even with that in mind, if there’s one quarterback who could figure out a way to excel against Pittsburgh, it’d be Warner — especially considering how well he has played as of late.

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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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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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Derek Anderson – While he did very well last season, Derek Anderson has an relatively inexperience receiving corps and a high profile backup.

Carson Palmer – Even though he is very talented, Carson Palmer is on a team that is heading downward and has a sometimes loony lead WR.

Marc Bulger – With Issac Bruce gone and Torry Holt aging, Marc Bulger is no longer the fantasy stud he used to be a few years ago.

Eli Manning – Don’t let a Super Bowl victory blind you to the fact that Eli Manning has been a very average fantasy quarterback.

Aaron Rodgers – While Aaron Rodgers does have good weapons offensively, inexperienced quarterbacks spell fantasy football disappointment.

Jon Kitna – With Mike Martz out of town, Jon Kitna’s numbers will take a big tumble during the 2008 fantasy football season.

Matt Leinart – Not only will Kurt Warner likely see playing time once again, Matt Leinart appears to be more of a partier than a football player.

Here is a video of Matt Leinart partying during the offseason:

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For the Giants, they had to make this trade because the team’s relationship with Shockey appeared to be broken. After the Giants went on to win the Super Bowl last season without Shockey, rumors spread that Shockey was unhappy and that New York would look to trade him. In return for Shockey, the Giants are getting a second rounder and a fifth rounder in the 2009 draft.

For the Saints, this could pay huge dividends. While Eric Johnson did a decent job last year as the starting tight end, Shockey is a big improvement. When healthy and playing hard, Shockey is one of the best tight ends in the league. He will help the Saints get back to their high scoring ways. Specifically, Drew Brees could really benefit from having a new red zone target.

In terms of fantasy football, the expect Shockey to but up his career averages with his new team. No one should really be negatively affected in the Saints offense, as Shockey is more of a complementary player.

Jeremy Shockey will now limp to the New Orleans Saints.

Photo: Newscom

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Shockey didn’t play for the Giants as they made their postseason run. Shockey was sidelined after breaking his leg during the regular season. Kevin Boss, a rookie tight end, filled in for the Giants and the team defied all odds to win the Super Bowl.

Currently, Shockey is mad that rumors spread that he wants to be traded. According to other sources, Shockey is also mad because the team didn’t let him on the field during the Super Bowl.

If Shockey and the Giants can’t see eye to eye soon, chances are the team may try trading him. If they can’t find a trade partner, there is also a chance the team could release him.

Jeremy Shockey is still trying to recover from his broken leg.

Photo: Newscom

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