Fitzgerald says fantasy football players can count on even more explosive Cardinals

Fitzgerald sees more fantasy points in Arizona

Larry Fitzgerald has some advice for fantasy football players worrying about whether the Cardinals can keep up last year’s offensive pace: Relax.

He’s not sweating the possibility of Anquan Boldin’s contract situation becoming a distraction, the prospect of Kurt Warner suddenly feeling his age, the team adjusting to the loss of last year’s offensive coordinator, or the notion that a more balanced attack could water down Arizona’s passing stats.

“I think we’ll be even more potent this year,” said Fitzgerald, whose Cardinals ranked third in the league last year in scoring (27 points a game) and fourth in yards (366).

OK, so maybe he’s not the most objective source, but he does have inside information. He also knows a thing or two about fantasy football.

Fitzgerald fielded a fantasy team last year and finished third in his league. And fantasy numbers are never far from his mind on Sundays.

“Every stadium we go to I hear, ‘Hey Fitzgerald, you suck, but I really need some fantasy stats out of you,’” he said. “I hear that all the time.”

One big question for fantasy players is the attitude of Boldin, who was vocal about his unhappiness over his contract a year ago and still doesn’t have a new one. Boldin has switched agents in hopes of getting a deal done.

But Fitzgerald said Boldin has been his usual professional self throughout camp. Fitzgerald — who signed a $40 million contract extension last year — says he won’t talk about another player’s contract status but sounded confident the team will find a way to keep the two star receivers happy.

“I think he’ll be around for the next seven, eight years and we’ll finish our careers together the way we started,” he said.

So, what about Warner? Can he possibly match last season’s totals of 30 touchdowns and nearly 4,600 yards? Is age creeping in? Might the 38-year-old who played 16 games last year for the first time since 2001 start showing signs of wear and tear?

“None whatsoever,” Fitzgerald said. “He’s still throwing the ball around. Nothing’s changed for him. He’s only going to get better.”

Fitzgerald says the same about the offense now run by Russ Grimm (running game) and Mike Miller (passing game), who took over the offense when Todd Haley left to be Kansas City’s head coach.

“We pretty much kept the same things,” he said, adding that the changes that have been made should make the offense even stronger.

They have more reliable receivers for four-wide sets, with another year of experience behind Steve Breaston and Jerheme Urban and a handful of promising young receivers in camp.

And they have a running attack that Fitzgerald predicts will keep defenses more off balance. The Cardinals were the NFL’s worst rushing team last year, with just under 74 yards a game.

“As the season goes on and we play deeper into the year, I think we’ll be able to pound people with our big backs,” he said.

Speaking of which, Fitzgerald says fantasy players looking to figure out who’ll get more carries between Tim Hightower and Chris Wells may as well stop now. The two will be sharing the ball throughout the year, Fitzgerald predicts.

“Look around the NFL — everybody’s doing the running back by committee,” he said. “It keeps them fresher throughout the year as a team.”

Fitzgerald is quick to point out that doesn’t mean a sudden shortage of passes to go around.

“When you’re running the ball you’re able to get a lot more balls down the field,” said Fitzgerald, who for every catch this year will give an autographed ball to an ESPN.com fantasy owner who has him on the roster. “Look at Steve Smith, that whole running game they have (in Carolina) — he’s open all the time.”

Fitzgerald’s optimistic view indicates yet another big season for the guy who’s had at least 96 catches, 1,400 yards and 10 scores in three of the past four seasons. But don’t take all his fantasy predictions too seriously.

After all, he showed a serious lapse of judgment in last year’s fantasy draft when he passed up the best receiver — himself.