NFL 2009 Fantasy Football Draft: The Top 5 Arizona Cardinals to Draft

In 2008 the pass happy Arizona Cardinals came within a few minutes of being crowned Super Bowl Champions. With both Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald back for another season in Phoenix, this year's Cardinals will still be able to offer Fantasy Football owners plenty of good options at key positions. Here then are the top 5 Arizona Cardinals to go after in a 2009 Fantasy Football Draft.

Kurt Warner (QB)
Warner resurrected a sagging career with a brilliant 2008 season. By year's end, the former Arena Football leaguer, had chalked up his third +4000 yard, 30 touchdown season, marks that placed him among the elite quarterbacks in the NFL. While it will be tough to duplicate such lofty numbers, Warner should still come close to the success he had 2008. Baring any sort of injury this year, there is no reason to think that Warner can't get near the 4,000 yard, 25 touchdown marks again. Though if you draft him, remember that he will be 38 by the time the season starts, and ensure the position by drafting a solid backup later on in the draft.

Larry Fitzgerald (WR)
Fitzgerald had a fantastic 2008 season topping the1400 yard mark and scoring 12 touchdowns. Yet as good as his regular season numbers were his post season play may have been the reason the Cardinals made it as far as they did. In four post season games, Fitzgerald caught 35 passes for 627 yards and 9 touchdowns. At 26, there is no reason to believe he will not pickup where he last left off, and he should easily be considered the best fantasy receiver available this season. Larry has posted +1400 yards, and +10 touchdowns in three out of his five years in the league, and it should be a no brainer to pencil him for another one in 2009.

Anquan Boldin (WR)
Boldin is not happy in Arizona, but it does not look like the Cardinals will be trading him away any time soon. Anquan is searching for a contract extension and the hefty price he commands along with what the Cardinals want in return is far more than teams want to part with this season. So it's a safe bet that Boldin will hang around Arizona and be the complimentary receiver he was to Fitzgerald in 2008. A Pro Bowler in his own right, if Boldin can get over his bruised feelings, he can have a monster season for the Cardinals. Last year, though he played in only 3/4 of Arizona's games, Boldin posted a +80 catch, +1,000 yard season. Those are numbers he should easily go over this year if he remains healthy, and there is no reason to believe that Boldin can't get to the +90 catch, +1250 yards plateaus this season. Ignore the trade rumors and draft him as high as you dare.

Chris Wells (RB)
The Cardinals ground game was none existent for most of the 2008 season, so the team went out and drafted Ohio State's Chris "Beanie" Wells in the first round of the 2009 Draft. Wells, a physically imposing and gifted athlete, may well be the answer to the Cardinal's running woes, though he will need a better line to run behind than the team had last year in order to be effective. Still, Wells should get plenty of carries near the goal line, and he could very well be a solid second back on most fantasy teams. Look for Wells to come on strong during the later part of the season and to gain close to 700 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing. Still, ypu should not take him too high in your draft since the Cardinals have a poor O-line, and Wells has had a history of injuries.

Nick Rackers (K)

Few kickers in the NFL have been as productive as Rackers has been in the last four years. Rackers has average 121.6 points per season since 2005, and there is no reason to believe that he will not hover around that mark given the Cardinals passing game. An accurate kicker (he hit on 89.3% of his field goals in 2009), Rackers can also hit from distance having kicked 19 field goals of over 50 yards in his career. Don't go after a kicker too early in the Draft, but when you do, Neil Rackers should be high on your list of kickers to take.

Statistical Sources:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/ari/stats