Week 6 at Pittsburgh
Larry Fitzgerald led the Cardinals in targets again last week and ended up catching five passes for 58 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers seem pedestrian compared to what we’ve been seeing from the veteran, but it was still a nice outing for fantasy owners. He continues to be the primary option in the Cardinals potent passing attack.
This week, Fitzgerald should continue his success against the Steelers. Pittsburgh ranks in the bottom-half of the league in yards and touchdowns allowed to opposing passers, and Fitzgerald is Carson Palmer’s favorite target. He should remain a WR1 option in all fantasy leagues and should be in your starting lineup.
Week 5 vs. Detroit
Larry Fitzgerald is third in league in receiving yards, first in receiving touchdowns, and sixth in receptions this season. At the age of 32, Fitzgerald is proving he still has plenty left in the tank. Last week, he came down a bit from his scoring streak in a loss to the Rams, but he still managed to catch seven of the nine passes thrown his way for 99 yards. He is Carson Palmer’s favorite target and has turned into a must-start for fantasy owners.
This week, he’s projected again to be a top-10 fantasy option. He faces a Lions defense that can get after the quarterback, but has allowed nearly 292 yards per game through the air. The Lions have managed to hold teams to only six passing touchdowns this season, but their defense has struggled in route to a 0-4 start to the season, and Fitzgerald should be in store for another great game.
Week 4 vs. St. Louis
Larry Fitzgerald is on fire right now. After a three touchdowns in Week 2, the veteran had two more against the 49ers last week in a lopsided Cardinals victory. He ended up with nine catches on 11 targets for 134 yards and is clearly the top option in the passing game for quarterback Carson Palmer.
Fitzgerald has a tough matchup against the Rams this week, but with Palmer looking great in the pocket (and Larry leading the league with five touchdown catches on the year), he should be considered a must start in all leagues. We have him in our top-10 this week as the Cardinals should continue to feed him the ball.
Week 3 vs. San Francisco
Larry Fitzgerald exploded last week against the Bears with eight receptions for 112 yards and three touchdowns as the Cardinals crushed Chicago. Carson Palmer has looked good so far this season, and Fitzgerald has been a big beneficiary of his success.
This week, Fitzgerald should be a nice start against a 49er secondary with some question marks. The Steelers torched San Franciso last week, and the WR1 on the team, Antonio Brown, had nearly 200 yards on nine catches. While those numbers are lofty to expect for Fitzgerald, he should be targeted early and often and remain the key focal point in the Cardinals passing attack. He should be considered an excellent WR2 in all leagues.
Week 2 at Chicago
Larry Fitzgerald played old reliable last week, putting up modest, but not spectacular numbers. He caught six passes for 87 yards and led the team with eight targets. The Cardinals beat the Saints and Fitzgerald was happy to have starting QB Carson Palmer available to begin the new season.
This week, Fitzgerald will face a Bears defense that gave up three touchdown passes to Green Bay wide receivers in Week 1. Fitzgerald should continue to be the primary target in the Cardinals passing game and is a reliable WR2 option for teams looking for reliable production. He should be active in all leagues.
Week 1 vs. New Orleans
Larry Fitzgerald is still the top wide out for the Cardinals, particularly with Michael Floyd banged up. The veteran and longtime star isn’t he potent force he was early in his career, but he still is capable of putting up solid fantasy numbers on any given Sunday, as he had double-digit fantasy points in three games a year ago, despite the injuries the team endured.
This week, Fitzgerald gets to start the season against a New Orleans defense that has struggled against the pass and he also gets to play with his starting quarterback, Carson Palmer, who seems to be healthy after finishing last season on IR. Fitzgerald isn’t an elite option this year, but he should be able to put up quality WR2/WR3 points as a starter in the Cardinals offense and we have him ranked in the top 25 receivers this week.
Fantasy Upside
In the five games before Carson Palmer suffered a season-ending ACL injury, Larry Fitzgerald averaged six catches and almost 90 yards and scored his only two touchdowns. Palmer is on track to be ready for training camp this summer.
Fantasy Downside
Fitzgerald is coming off his least productive season since 2004, his rookie year.
Bottom Line
It's not hard to argue that Fitzgerald's decline in production was due to a heavy dose of bad luck. Fitzgerald suffered two knee sprains, and the Cardinals lost their top two QBs, Palmer, as mentioned above, and Drew Stanton, to knee injuries. In addition, under HC Bruce Arians, Fitzgerald's role has changed. He doesn't run many deep patterns any more, and last year he frequently lined up in the slot position. All that said, Palmer's return could lead to a rebound season. Will Fitzgerald ever regain the form that made him one of the league's best wideouts? Probably not. But going off the board as WR40, it's not a reach to believe he'll provide WR2 or WR3 value.
Wildcard Weekend – Larry Fitzgerald vs. Carolina
Larry Fitzgerald had only two catches last week for 29 yards against the 49ers to close out the season. Fitzgerald hasn’t been an elite fantasy option for a little while now, and Michael Floyd showed more of a connection with third string quarterback Ryan Lindley last week, which doesn’t bode well for Fitzgerald going into the playoffs.
This week, Fitzgerald will face a Panther pass defense that was 11th in the league in passing yards allowed this season. He’s been so inconsistent that it’s hard to trust him at this time of the season, but he should continue to get a few targets and put up modest production. We have him as a borderline top 15 option with very little upside.
Week 17 – Larry Fitzgerald vs. San Francisco
Larry Fitzgerald had only 33 yards on four receptions last week as Ryan Lindley and the Cardinals offense struggled heavily against Seattle. Fitzgerald will have the same QB issues this week and he’s also facing the fifth ranked pass defense. The 49ers against the Cardinals injury-laden passing game makes Fitzgerald a very risky option, and fantasy owners should probably look elsewhere.
Week 16 – Larry Fitzgerald vs. Seattle
Larry Fitzgerald had seven catches and 30 yards last week against the Rams in what was a difficult outing for both offenses. Fitzgerald is quite a ways removed from his days of being a consistently elite fantasy option, and I wouldn’t expect much from him this week against the Seahawks. Seattle is tops in the league against the pass and with the third string quarterback behind center, it seems unlikely that Fitzgerald will put up startable fantasy numbers.
