Fantasy Upside
A year ago, it looked like we were seeing the end of Larry Fitzgerald's NFL career, but as Profootballfocus.com noted, a rejuvenated Carson Palmer sparked the Cardinals passing attack and suddenly, the old Fitzgerald was back to his reliable self. Scoring nine touchdowns on 146 targets, Fitzgerald turned back the clock to 2007, which was the last time he had over 100 catches, 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns in the same season. The veteran wideout dropped just three passes during the regular season, making that just 29 for his entire career (nine seasons, playoffs included). When you consider Amari Cooper had 18 drops last season alone, it gives you some perspective on just how reliable Fitzgerald's hands have always been. In the 2015 regular season, he caught 78.4 percent of the balls thrown his way (the highest percentage among receivers to play 1,000 snaps), and was a key cog in a phenomenal Arizona offense.
Fantasy Downside
Age and developing youngsters around him are red flags. Can he repeat last season if Michael Floyd and John Brown are healthy all season? Will David Johnson's emergence change the dynamic of the downfield passing attack? Could J.J. Nelson become a factor?
2016 Bottom Line
Despite the above questions, it certainly appears Fitzgerald has found his role in head coach Bruce Arians' offense and benefits from the other weapons around him in the passing game. Difficult to double-team because of the complementary pieces, Fitzgerald had five more games with 80-plus yards last year. With Floyd and Brown currently ranked ahead of him on both the 4for4.com PPR and Standard Projections, Fitzgerald becomes the value pick here.