The Cardinals are a different team heading into 2013. They have a new quarterback in Carson Palmer and a new starting running back in Rashard Mendenhall. Last year, they were downright horrible on offense. They ranked dead last in rushing yards and yards per carry on the ground and their offensive line hasn't got much better.
Fantasy breakdown of Cardinals receivers at training camp
Mike Gallagher watched the Cardinals at training camp and there were a few interesting storylines. Check some of the fantasy implications.
As for their passing attack, it should be better. I went to Cardinals camp on Tuesday and there were a few things that are worth mentioning. The most important takeaway is that Michael Floyd was getting some major snaps. He and Larry Fitzgerald exclusively saw the two-WR snaps with the first unit in 11-on-11 drills while Floyd even got some snaps in one-WR sets. Floyd was running all sorts of routes, going over the middle, running digs, slug-gos and fly routes. The Cardinals were 31st in scoring and 28th in passing offense, so even if Floyd comes on strong, the team will really need to make some major strides. He should be a decent target at the end of standard drafts.
Another interesting thing was that Larry Fitzgerald lined up in the slot. He is coming off a down year with only 71 catches, 798 yards and four scores in his 16 games. The addition of Carson Palmer should inject some new life into Fitz’s value. Also, lining up in the slot almost ensures he’ll be able to get to 80 catches again, assuming he stays healthy. He’s certainly worth taking as a WR1 and has big upside.
Lastly, Patrick Peterson is a bad man. He was the fourth receiver for the Cardinals and saw plenty of snaps. The team ran him on bubble screens, post patterns and even got some targets on fly routes. The deep ball was incomplete, but it says a lot. If you're in an IDP league, P-Squared should probably be the first corner off the board.
Rashard Mendenhall looked healthy and the team was lining him up in the slot on a few plays. Mendenhall is a solid pass catcher, so 35 receptions could be within his grasp.
Fitz has some serious help around him, so the Cardinals and Carson Palmer may be able to improve on their lackluster 2012.
