The trade that everyone’s been waiting for all off-season is finally complete: Kevin Kolb is an Arizona Cardinal. In return, the Philadelphia Eagles are receiving former Pro Bowl cornerback, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a 2nd round draft pick. This deal has pretty much been a forgone conclusion right up until the final few days leading up to the end of the lockout. At that point, the Seattle Seahawks were back in the discussion. Ultimately, the Cardinals got the quarterback that they so desperately needed, and the Eagles get the NFL-ready player that they were looking for in return for Kolb.
Kevin Kolb instantly becomes the Arizona Cardinal’s franchise quarterback, and starts immediately. However, it remains to be seen how effective he will actually be.
Fantasy Spin:
All in all, I have him ranked as the 19th quarterback, which is pretty consistent with his current ADP as the 21st quarterback taken off the board. A rough projection would be 3694 yards passing, 22 passing touchdowns, 16 interceptions, 119 yards rushing, and 1 rushing TD.
The biggest beneficiary to Kolb’s addition should be wide receiver, Larry Fitzgerald. My projection is 100 receptions, 1338 yards receiving, and 10 TDs.
A camp battle to watch is the one for the WR2 job in Arizona, with the early competition is between Andre Roberts and Early Doucet. I’d put my money on them negating each others fantasy upside, but there’s no doubt that if either one does emerge as a legitimate threat, fantasy owners are going to be reaping tons of upside on whichever one does as solid WR3.
There has yet to be a tight end with more than 25 receptions in an offense under head coach Ken Whisenhunt, but with the addition of rookie tight end Rob Housler, that could change. He may have to wait for snaps, though, with veteran blocker Jeff King now in the mix. As of now, I’d project Housler to finish the season with 24 receptions, 278 yards, and 3 TDs.
Finally, the mere presence of a passing game should do wonders for the Arizona running backs, allowing them additional space to work in. My breakdown of the Cardinals backfield is Beanie Wells: 968 rushing yards, 11 receptions for 141 yards receiving, and 8 total touchdowns; Ryan Williams: 538 rushing yards, 35 receptions for 283 receiving yards, and 4 total touchdowns; Tim Hightower: 273 yards rushing, 20 receptions for 136 receiving yards, and 3 touchdowns.
As mentioned in last week’s Monday Morning Cornerback, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie isn’t known for his fantasy prowess. But the move leads me to believe Cromartie can find some of that fantasy dominance that he showed in 2009. He could be looking at a breakout year, and I'm not afraid to project a season where he gets 57 solo tackles, 61 total tackles, 6 interceptions, 21 passes defended, and a defensive touchdown.
Questions and comments are always welcome via Twitter – @Eric_Yeomans
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