Fantasy Perspective — Cards Start and Sit

So this summer I read an article, which I conveniently can’t find, about an interesting fantasy football strategy.

After wading through ESPN’s relentless onslaught of advice on how following the WR-WR strategy would lead to fantasy famedom, which it won’t/didn’t/hasn’t/etc., I was still hungry for a unique blueprint, something I’d never tried.  And then I found it.  And promptly ignored it.

How’s the suspense? Dying to know what the strategy was yet?  Here it is:  drafting an entire starting roster from one team that excels in a certain area.  And yes, of course, the article used Arizona’s passing attack as the prime example.

Apparently, the writer was in a league with a fellow who had been following that very strategy for a few years.  And he’d been wildly succesful with it, or at least as wildly successful as fantasy football allows.

So, now that we’ve witnessed Kurt Warner rise from the icy grasp of fantasy naysayers yet again, now that we’ve seen Larry Fitzgerald earn his rep as a top WR option, now that the defense has bested some tough competition with an attractive slate of fantasy opponents remaining, now, just now, am I realizing that maybe I should have listened.  So in the interest of hindsight, here’s the first in a weekly look at Arizona’s best and worst fantasy plays this weekend.

Flying High (guys who do a better job scoring than I do writing puns)

Kurt Warner — He’s immortal.  After struggling through a home loss to Carolina, Warner seems to have hit his stride.  Not a literal stride, his hip won’t allow it, but a figurative stride the likes of which has Warner owners laughing their way to a clinched playoff spot.  Over the last two games, Kurt has accumulated 601 passing yards and seven touchdowns.  More importantly, he hasn’t turned the ball over.

Sure, there were some concerns after his five-pick outing, and his stats to date at that point had a few owners hitting the free agent market for a starter, but now is not the time to sleep on #13.  St. Louis is ranked 25th against the pass, they’ve managed only eight interceptions in nine games, and they’ll be trying to hurry Warner with a gimpy pass rush that ranks 29th in sacks.  Not exactly going out on a limb here, but for anyone still skittish about plugging Kurt into their starting lineup, get over it.  Every week his hip gets better, and he’s following suit.  He’s making that thing his bitch (yeah, I quoted Cougar Town, I’m sorry).

Beanie Wells — Here’s a slightly bigger stretch.  I was high on Beanie going into last week, and had I been high enough to start him, I would’ve won in a couple of my leagues.  85 yards and two TDs is a pretty rare stat-line for a Cardinals running back, but this might just be a growing trend in the desert.

Beanie’s the type of back who feeds off of late-game carries and seems to get better as the game gets deeper.  St. Louis is giving up a whopping 142.3 yards per game on the ground (good bad enough for 29th in the league), and with a game against a perennial cellar-dweller, the Cards may be in a prime situation to literally run out the clock.  Wells has seen his number of carries grow over the last three games, and there’s no reason to believe that he won’t eclipse 16 attempts this weekend.  Hey, if Reggie Bush can score on the ground against these guys, then anyone can.

Anquan Boldin — Devery Henderson, the Saints’ number two wideout, had a field day against the Rams secondary.  There’s just not enough talent on that team to handle both Fitz and Q, and my money’s on St. Louis focusing on Larry.  Boldin’s playing for a trade, and he knows as well as anyone that he has to put up consistent #1 numbers if he wants to become an attractive enough option to finally get out of Arizona.  If, for some reason, you’re still worried about that ankle, hopefull last week’s eight catch, 105 yard performance against a better set of DBs will ease your concerns.

Hiding in the Nest (Guys you can probably pick up — see, bad puns)

Arizona Defense — Okay, so someone in your league is probably salivating over starting any defense against the Rams, but this is an especially enticing matchup.  The one thing St. Louis has been able to do with any success this season is run the ball.  Fortunately, that happens to be a forte’ of the Cards’ defense.  If Steven Jackson can’t get going, then Bulger will be heaving it up to an abysmal group of receivers in an effort to get back into the game.  The Cards’ big secondary should feast in the second half of this contest, as well as the pass rushers who have already notched 25 sacks this season (4th in the NFL).  If you’re looking for an ace in the hole this week, do yourself a favor and add the Arizona D.

Already Flown South (sit these guys).

Tim Hightower — Maybe, just maybe, he’s an emergency RB2 in a points per reception league, but I don’t think I’d even go that far.  Here’s the deal, Hightower’s days are numbered as an excuse for a feature back.  If Beanie Wells can continue to produce on the ground and cultivate his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, he’ll surpass Hightower for good.  Don’t worry, Tim, with your ability to dance behind the line of scrimmage, I’m sure there’s a Tom Bergeron-hosted reality show in your future.  You know, if the whole backup thing doesn’t work out.  Like I said, he’s a subpar option in a PPR league, but I’d sooner take a risk on a boom or bust guy than rest my hopes on Hightower