No one can ever say the Arizona Cardinals aren't interesting. Never before in the history of the league has a team put up thirty points on the scoreboard without scoring an offensive touchdown. The very notion of it is just ridiculous.
While week five's showdown with the New Orleans Saints proved to be the seminal win for the Red Birds at this point in the season, it certainly didn't help fantasy owners. With totals of 5.72, 9.30, 0.60, 0.60, and 4.00 points, the Cardinals main-five probably didn't do any favors in your fantasy football matchup (unless of course you started the Cardinals defense against the New Orleans offense; in which case, you are either the ballsiest fantasy player ever or the stupid fantasy player ever. Either way, great job!).
Regardless, with the Max Hall hype train off and running, fantasy owners can hopefully look for some semblance of normalcy to return to the desert. As always, Bryan Gibberman has posted his fantasy football round-up for the week, so let's get into some predictions.
Max Hall: Scott Howard perfectly summed up the situation when he penned, "Pretty much the worst thing that can happen to Max Hall's reputation is that he has to play more games. Qwest Field should be neat." Indeed. While the Stormin' Mormon may have moxie for days, that means little for fantasy football owners. We want numbers! Stats! Touchdowns! Yards! At this point the undrafted rookie brings none of these things to the table. Getting his #2 and #3 receivers back from injury will surely give him a boost, but expectations should remain tempered. In all likelihood, anticipate another game-management approach with minimal chance of eye-popping results.
Fantasy Prediction: 17-29, 203 yards, 1 interception, 1 touchdown
Larry Fitzgerald: Fitzy must be loving the rookie right now. Max Hall was finally able to do what Derek Anderson never could: remember that a freak of nature was on the team he should probably get that man the ball. After languishing in several weeks of underwhelming performances and poor QB-WR chemistry, Fitzgerald finally was able to become a functioning part of the offense, catching 7 passes for 93 yards. With the re-addition of his wingmen at his side, Fitz should continue his march towards the kind of relevance fantasy owners are accustomed to.
Fantasy Prediction: 9 receptions, 122 yards, 1 touchdown
Steve Breaston: Stevie-B finally returns to the lineup after sitting out three weeks with a torn meniscus, and it couldn't come at a better time. With the suddenly resurgent Seahawks breathing down the Cardinals' neck, Sunday's game becomes infinitely more important. Breaston and Doucet are massive additions to a beleaguered receiving corps that has been relying on undrafted rookies the past couple games. That being said, it will take some time for Steve to get ingrained into the Max Hall led offense.
Fantasy Prediction: 5 receptions, 57 yards, 0 touchdowns
Beanie Wells: The biggest surprise that everybody forgot about after the New Orleans incident may have been how the running back situation was handled. For once, complaining about playing time actually resulted in a player getting more playing time, as Beanie carried the ball twenty times compared to four for Tim Hightower. Unfortunately for fantasy owners, Wells only racked up 35 yards, averaging a meager 1.8 yards per carry. Still, it remains to be seen whether Whisenhunt has committed to the second-year back or if he was just testing the waters. At this point, my best guess is that the real answer lies somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.
Fantasy Prediction: 17 carries, 83 yards, 2 receptions, 14 yards, 1 touchdowns
Tim Hightower: Old Reliable, Timothy Michael Hightower, was the forgotten man in Week 5. The incumbent running back carried the ball a paltry four times and did not make a single catch. While this scenario may not play out on a weekly basis, it certainly had to be worrisome to Hightower owners. This week may bring back some form of regularity, but still, this is a horse that fantasy players should stay away from until we can figure out Coach Wiz's plan.
Fantasy Prediction: 9 carries, 32 yards, 1 reception, 4 yards, 0 touchdowns
Note: All point totals are based off of YahooSports.com's default fantasy scoring system.