Rankings

ARI QB Depth Chart

1. Derek Anderson
2. Matt Leinart
3. John Skelton
4. Max Hall

2010 Strength of Schedule - ARI

Schedule difficulty based on opponent's defensive ranking. Top defense = 1, bottom defense = 32.

2009 Game Stats

Most Recent News

September 3, 2010, 9:21am

SI.com - [Full Article]

If the Arizona Cardinals find themselves in need of a backup quarterback, Max Hall believes he can do the job.

The undrafted rookie from BYU made a strong case on Thursday night for at least making the Arizona roster, completing 7 of 9 passes for 126 yards and scoring on a 6-yard run in the Cardinals' 20-10 victory over Washington, although the performance came against a Redskins team made up almost entirely of reserves.

"Hopefully the coaches liked what they saw," Hall said. "I want to be here. I like it here, so hopefully they'll keep me around."

Derek Anderson , starting for the second week in a row ahead of Matt Leinart , played one series, completing 2 of 3 for 47 yards for Arizona. Leinart played the next two series, going 3 of 5 for 14 yards.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt hasn't officially announced a starter, but certainly all signs point to Anderson.

Scouting Report

Posted by Scout Bob Harris
August 31, 2010, 3:54 pm

Fantasy Upside:
Anderson joined the Cardinals as a free agent this spring, brought on board to compete with Matt Leinart for the starting job. And make no mistake about it: The No. 1 spot was clearly Leinart's to lose -- and it appears he may have done just that. If he does indeed move ahead of Leinart, it might be worth noting that Anderson, who was released by Cleveland in March, is just two seasons removed from a 29-TD Pro-Bowl effort in 2007. And he isn't afraid to go deep -- something Leinart seems to have an aversion to doing. Given that ability to get the ball downfield, Anderson would at least give Larry Fitzgerald owners something to hang their hats on. In fact, Anderson would seem to be the more favorable starter for all the team's down-field weapons.

Fantasy Downside:
If Anderson is the starter, it will have happened without much notice. We suspect a demotion would be just as sudden -- and just as possible given the circumstances. And while he's proven capable of throwing 29 touchdown passes in a season, he's only made 16 starts (with 18 total appearances) over the last two seasons, tossing 12 TDs and 18 INTs. Worth noting: He was especially lousy last year, with 3 TDs against 10 INTs in seven starts.

Fantasy Bottom Line:
Anderson started the Cardinals all-important third pre-season game and fared well enough (both men threw TD passes against the Bears). Well enough to supplant Leinart? Did he even have to? Think about it. A team wouldn't make this change -- which comes with all kinds of issues (including dealing with fan and media scrutiny) -- without some serious thought. While nothing is etched in stone and Anderson hasn't been handed the role permanently, a number of league insiders (ESPN's Chris Mortensen and NFL.com's Michael Lombardi most notable among them) have made it clear Anderson will be the opening-day starter. I'll go ahead and state the obvious, however: Anderson (or Leinart) starting for the Cardinals Week 1 by no means should be taken as an indication he should start for your Fantasy team.

2009 Pre-Game Scouting

Posted by Scout Kevin Roberts
December 29, 2009, 11:37 pm

Week 17- Derek Anderson vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Anderson wasn't terrible in his return as the starter last week, as he threw for a score and didn't throw any interceptions.

But merely being an average quarterback won't help you keep an NFL gig, and it won't get you into starting line-ups in fantasy football (or it shouldn't).

Anderson has a solid match-up against the Jaguars weak overall defense this week, but we can't envision a guy we'd like to promote less.

Posted by Scout Kevin Roberts
December 22, 2009, 11:26 pm

Week 16- Derek Anderson vs. Oakland Raiders

Anderson is back in the starting line-up by default, as starter Brady Quinn has been put on IR due to a foot injury.

Anderson is not a strong start, due to his horrible inaccuracy and tendency to make bad decisions.

A tough match-up with a stingy Oakland pass defense will only make it worse.

Posted by Scout Kevin Roberts
November 10, 2009, 7:57 pm

Week 10- Derek Anderson vs. Baltimore Ravens

It took an entire bye week and then some for Eric Mangini to come to a decision, but reports are indicating that Derek Anderson is finally out as the starter, and Brady Quinn is getting another shot.

Consider Derek Anderson's career as a starter in Cleveland, and possibly the league, officially over.

Posted by Scout Jason Belenke
October 30, 2009, 10:19 am

Bears Defense vs. Derek Anderson and the Browns

Finally a good match up for the Bears defense as they get the Browns this week who are led by Derek Anderson who just happens to be the lowest rated passer in football. The Defense is a must start this week not only because they face the struggling Browns, but also because this defense has something to prove after getting embarrassed last week in Cincinnati.

Tommie Harris is expected to rejoin a motivated squad on Sunday, and that could lead to sacks on Anderson. The final factor in starting the Bears Defense is they're returning home where they've played some of there best football.

Posted by Scout Kevin Roberts
October 30, 2009, 9:59 am

Week 8- Derek Anderson vs. Chicago Bears

Carson Palmer just lit the Bears secondary up for five touchdowns, so you have to like Derek Anderson's chance, right? Not really. Anderson has look atrocious since his second game as the starter, and countless drops by his receivers have rendered him useless as a fantasy option.

Don't play him against a Bears defense that is unlikely to get burned two weeks in a row.

Posted by Scout Kevin Roberts
October 21, 2009, 11:54 am

Week 7- Derek Anderson vs. Green Bay Packers

Anderson delivered his second straight ugly performance, however, Eric Mangini has stated that he does not plan a quarterback change anytime soon.

That's about the only good news for the passing offense these days (is that good news?).

Still, Anderson has an interesting match-up with the Packers this week. They can definitely get beat deep, but it will all depend on how good the protection is for the immobile and inaccurate Anderson.

Unless you have no other option, don't run with DA.

Posted by Scout Kevin Roberts
October 15, 2009, 10:12 am

Week 6- Derek Anderson vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

After a 2-17 and 23-yard performance against a weak Buffalo Bills defense, there's not much hope for Anderson against the Steelers. Especially with a decent chance of Troy Polamalu being back this week.

Posted by Scout Kevin Roberts
October 8, 2009, 5:24 pm

Week 5- Derek Anderson vs. Buffalo Bills

Anderson loses Braylon Edwards to a trade to the New York Jets, but found his potential replacement last week in Mohamed Massaquoi.

Massaqoui has the ability to stretch the field just like Edward did for Anderson in 2007, while he arguably has better hands.

This still gives Anderson's immediate value a hit, but the addition of another receiver with good hands in Chansi Stuckey could help the offense.

Even if you're still not convinced that this Browns offense has turned a new leaf, feel good about that match-up with the Bills porous secondary.

Anderson makes a fine QB2 this week, and a serviceable QB1 if you need him as a bye week fill-in.

Posted by Scout Kevin Roberts
September 30, 2009, 3:15 pm

Week 4- Derek Anderson vs Cincinnati Bengals

Anderson took over for Brady Quinn against the Ravens and tossed three picks.

Apparently that was good enough to get him the starting nod in week four against the Bengals.

With superior arm strength and more of a gunslinger mentality, Anderson actually offers slightly better fantasy numbers than Quinn did, and at the very worst, adds some potential to Braylon Edwards' value.

Posted by Scout Kevin Roberts
September 24, 2009, 2:49 pm

Week 3- Derek Anderson vs. Baltimore Ravens

Eric Mangini was firm on sticking with Brady Quinn, but we'll see how he feels when he see the former Notre Dame product get whipped around by the Ravens defense.

It's still hard to say if Derek Anderson would change the Browns fortunes (he wouldn't), but it's at least a situation worth keeping an eye on in deep leagues.

Posted by Scout Kevin Roberts
September 9, 2009, 8:06 pm

Week 1- Derek Anderson vs. Minnesota Vikings

It's not official, but Derek Anderson's words and body language said it all; the job is Brady Quinn's.

This means Anderson will be on the bench and far away from post-game podiums, making him useless on your roster unless you're banking on Quinn getting hurt or faltering on extroadinary levels.