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The Arizona Cardinals did just about as poorly as possible in 2012. They put together a 5-11 record, and finished last in the NFC West. The organization brought in some new talent, and now has a fresh attitude about the upcoming season. I think the Cardinals have some solid sleeper positions that you could take advantage of later in your draft.
In 2012, the Cardinals brought in Kevin Kolb, who was largely underwhelming. Due to injuries and poor play, they also had to roll out John Skelton, Ryan Lindley and Brian Hoyer. If that doesn’t sound bad enough, the quarterbacks threw for just 11 touchdowns, compared to 21 interceptions.
The Cardinals addressed this by signing Carson Palmer, previously with the Oakland Raiders. Palmer had a quietly impressive season in 2012, and while his record wasn’t any better than Arizona’s, Palmer did manage to accumulate 4,000 yards, 22 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Furthermore, Palmer had inferior talent to what he will have in Arizona. Larry Fitzgerald still has some of the best hands in the game. I think Michael Floyd is better than both Darius Heyward-Bey and Denarius Moore. Palmer has the weapons needed to surpass his 2012 stats, currently ranked as the 20th best QB and holding an ADP around 160; Palmer is a rock solid QB2. With his current ADP, you won’t have to gamble on him with a high draft choice, and his ceiling is worth the risk.
Floyd boasts some serious sleeper potential, as opposing defenses will undoubtedly double cover Fitzgerald, which will open Floyd up underneath. If Floyd can put up over 500 yards and two touchdowns with the quarterback circus he had last year, I think he could easily post 700 yards and four to seven TD’s this season. Floyd has an ADP around 117 right now. Don’t let his current listing of the number three WR fool you, however. Floyd has earned the praise of the coaching staff and will surpass Andre Roberts on the depth chart.
The running game has sleeper potential as well. Last season the Cardinals used four running backs that combined for 1,135 yards. To address that, Rashard Mendenhall was brought in from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mendehall had his best years for Pittsburgh while under the then offensive coordinator and now head coach Bruce Arians, going for over 1,100 yards and 7 TD’s in 2009 and 1,273/13 in 2010. Currently ranked in the 35-40 range on the overall running back charts, and holding an ADP of 83, you have a chance to get more return than what you invest in Mendenhall this season. Granted the offensive line is a concern, but as far as RB2’s go, he might be one of the better bargains for 2013.
I’ll save the IDP breakdown for another day, but the Arizona team defense is sneaky good. I have them as a top 10 team defense with potential to crack the top five. The loss of Daryl Washington for a few games hurts their value, but this D/ST has some playmakers. Patrick Peterson is a double-edged threat, playing both cornerback and punt returner. He has good speed, and I’m big on the belief that year three is when most players really figure it out. The third-year cornerback could surpass the seven interceptions and seven fumbles (recovered five) he forced last season. He is one of those players that have the potential to take it all the way each time he touches the ball. Karlos Dansby can be a monster on the inside. Darnell Docket and Calais Campbell are very solid as well. Don’t forget about rookie Tyrann Mathieu either, who is already drawing praise from the coaching staff.
I don’t believe that this is a defense you can drop into your lineup and ride all season, but they could very well prove me wrong. At least this team has potential to net you big points with the right matchups.
Dustin Manko is a contributing writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DustinManko, ”Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
