Our fantasy team previews feature the starting lineups of each NFL team.
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Projected fantasy starters
QB1: Matt Leinart
QB2: Kurt Warner
RB1: Edgerrin James
RB2: Marcel Shipp
WR1: Larry Fitzgerald
WR2: Anquan Boldin
WR3: Jerheme Urban
WR4: Sean Morey
TE1: Leonard Pope
TE2: Jerame Tuman
K: Neil Rackers
1st and 5
• This should really be Leinart's breakout season. Arizona almost certainly has one of the best one-two wide receiving combinations in the league, its offensive line has improved and it has the threat of a strong rushing attack in James. Leinart's 2007 was cut short by a collarbone injury, but if he stays healthy in 2008, there will be no excuses for not posting a very strong season.
• There was talk the Cards may have shopped James around to interested parties this offseason, but they couldn't afford to make a move like that now. The team didn't even draft a running back until the fifth round, so James will handle the lion's share of carries again this season. He should be a solid RB1; matching last year's 1,222 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground is a very reasonable expectation.
• Fitzgerald was simply outstanding last season and is arguably worth every penny of that massive new deal he signed. He finished 2007 with 1,409 yards and a whopping 10 touchdowns, which was ninth-best in the league. He's a definite WR1 since the offense will come back intact from last year.
• Boldin was another player who was rumored to be traded, but general manager Rod Graves has come out and said the team won't do that. Boldin was banged up last year and only played in 12 games, but still finished with a career-best nine touchdowns. He's another WR1 candidate for a number of owners out there, and you probably couldn't ask for a better No. 2.
• With so many potent weapons on the field, it's difficult for defenses to cover everyone in this offense. Could Pope have something of a breakout year? He struggled to adapt as a rookie in 2006, but improved his game big-time last year: 23 receptions, 238 yards and five touchdowns. If he could add some more catches to that total, he'd become a very solid TE1.
Draft
Defense was the focus early for the Cardinals, so it seems unlikely they picked up any players who can make a fantasy impact. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is a quick corner who should fit in perfectly with the amount of man coverage the Cards like to run, although he may not start ahead of Rod Hood or Eric Green right off the bat.
The team's first offensive pick came in the third round when it selected wide receiver Early Doucet. When you play on a roster which has other wide receivers named Fitzgerald and Boldin, though, your playing time is going to be severely limited. The best he can hope for is to win the No. 3 role to fill in for the departed Bryant Johnson.
I'm intrigued to see how much of a chance fifth-round running back Tim Hightower will receive in camp. Edge can't carry the entire load on his own, and the team obviously has no interest in giving Shipp or J.J. Arrington any significant amount of carries. Maybe Hightower will emerge into an option for some of deeper leagues out there, although he basically runs the exact same way James does.
Offseason moves
Key additions: QB Brian St. Pierre, WR Urban, TE Jerame Tuman
Key subtractions: QB Tim Rattay, WR Johnson, LB Calvin Pace
