FanHouse Early Doucet

Anquan Boldin, when healthy, is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. This isn't a secret. He's been to three Pro Bowls, enjoyed four 1,000-yard seasons, caught more than 500 passes thus far in only 87 games and scored 41 touchdowns. He's a running back in a receiver's body, though, so he has endured his fair share of injuries -- missing 16 games in his first six seasons due to injury. This season, he's played every game, but he's done so at less than 100 percent.

Looking at his numbers, it's evident he's not himself. His per-game averages show Boldin's on pace for career lows across the board. And he just doesn't seem himself, either. Considering his ankle injury isn't going away without rest -- and the fact that the gamer Boldin won't voluntarily sit out -- should the Cardinals bench him until he's healthy? One Arizona columnist says they should.

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.

Meet the ...
Defending NFC champions. A few inches either way, and we could say the Super Bowl champions. Soak that up. The Arizona Cardinals almost took home a title. It was like a bizarro world Super Bowl -- if you only looked at the NFC side, that is. Regardless, the Cardinals did it with a prolific passing attack, and you know we love that in fantasy football.

They've lost their offensive coordinator and replaced Edgerrin James' aging legs with some fresh ones. Other than that, they look pretty similar in fantasy land. And that's a good thing.

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Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

After astonishing everyone and heading to the Super Bowl last season, the Arizona Cardinals now face truly raised expectations for the first time in memory. We all remember the magical postseason run, when Larry Fitzgerald established himself as the NFL's premier wideout (even if Andre Johnson wants to argue), Kurt Warner polished his legacy, and the defense showed its capability -- one we had not seen much in the regular season.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: Matt Leinart enters his third year and he finally seems to understand that football is actually more important than bonging beers with Nick Lachey. If he struggles early, though, head coach Ken Whisenhunt won't hesitate to go with 37-year-old Kurt Warner. Heat Index: 5

Running backs: Edgerrin James' best days are (way) behind him, and Marcel Shipp, J.J. Arrington and rookie Tim Hightower are all "just guys." Which is to say: defenses will continue to play the pass until the running game proves otherwise. Heat Index: 3

Receivers: Larry Fitzgerald is extremely happy; Anquan Boldin, not so much. Still, they are two of the best wideouts in the league. No one will miss Bryant Johnson, and rookie Early Doucet will get every chance to win the slot receiver job. Assuming Leinart doesn't regress in '08, both Fitzgerald and Boldin should have 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Heat Index: 8

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, Fantasy FanHouse is here to preview each and every team. Listen closely, you're almost guaranteed to win your FREE fantasy football league, only over at Fleaflicker.

Meet The ...
2005 sleeper. And 2006 sleeper. And 2007 "sleeper." You think everyone's given up on that bandwagon yet? Instead, 'Zona's got a QB controversy -- on the field, not in the hot tub -- an old running back, and a prolific receiving duo. Let's see what we got ...

The Breakout
Matt Leinart recently turned 25 and has only started 16 games in his NFL career. It's a bit early to be dismissing such a talented, young, and smart (on the field, at least) QB. Cards Coach Ken Whisenhunt is still going to give him every opportunity to be the starter, and that's a spectacularly talented receiving corps. You can even use the fact that Kurt Warner put up sparkling numbers last year to help Leinart's cause. He's not old -- Warner, at 37, is. Warner also turned the ball over more than anyone else in the NFL not named Eli or Kitna. I love Leinart for over 3,000 yards and 25 TDs. Yes, I really do. Who's with me?

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, Fantasy FanHouse is here to preview each and every team. Listen closely, you're almost guaranteed to win your FREE fantasy football league, only over at Fleaflicker.

Meet The ...
2005 sleeper. And 2006 sleeper. And 2007 "sleeper." You think everyone's given up on that bandwagon yet? Instead, 'Zona's got a QB controversy -- on the field, not in the hot tub -- an old running back, and a prolific receiving duo. Let's see what we got ...

The Breakout
Matt Leinart recently turned 25 and has only started 16 games in his NFL career. It's a bit early to be dismissing such a talented, young, and smart (on the field, at least) QB. Cards Coach Ken Whisenhunt is still going to give him every opportunity to be the starter, and that's a spectacularly talented receiving corps. You can even use the fact that Kurt Warner put up sparkling numbers last year to help Leinart's cause. He's not old -- Warner, at 37, is. Warner also turned the ball over more than anyone else in the NFL not named Eli or Kitna. I love Leinart for over 3000 yards and 25 TDs. Yes, I really do. Who's with me?

Arizona Cardinals 2008 Draft Picks:

Round 1 (16): Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Tennessee State
Round 2 (50): Calais Campbell, DE, Miami
Round 3 (81): Early Doucet, WR, LSU
Round 4 (116): Kenny Iwebema, DE, Iowa
Round 5 (149): Tim Hightower, RB, Richmond
Round 6 (185): Chris Harrington, DE, Texas A&M
Round 7 (225): Brandon Keith, OT, Northern Iowa

The Good: Going into the draft, Arizona had quite a few needs to fill. There were several defensive positions that needed someone who could come in and start immediately, while others were lacking quality depth. And with the first two selections, coupled with the late-round pick of Chris Harrington (rotational pass rusher), they were able to fill all of those needs.

The Bad: The Cardinals weren't able to secure the big time running back most analysts believed they needed, but they were able to lock down Tim Hightower in round five. And while he may not be a Darren McFadden or even a Ray Rice, he's a Marion Barber-like running back who could give Arizona exactly what they need anyway. In addition to their failure to land a game-breaking back, Arizona missed out on a solid safety and additional depth at linebacker.

The Grade: B+. People may not be very high on Tim Hightower right now, nor very high on the 2007 version of Calais Campbell, but both of those players have a tremendous upside. I'm not a scout by any means, but I fully expect Campbell to return to his 2006 form, with Hightower providing all the help Arizona could possibly need behind Edgerrin James.

Click here to read other draft grades.

The Indianapolis Colts spent the entire 2007 season insisting that wide receiver Marvin Harrison's knee was just fine, even though it wasn't. Harrison ended up playing in just five regular-season games, and then the Colts put him on the field in the playoffs when he wasn't ready, and his costly fumble is one of the reasons they were upset by the Chargers.

So what does that mean about the future of Harrison? Adam Schefter writes at NFL.com (via PFT) that the Colts may show everyone on draft day whether they think Harrison has any gas left in the tank. According to Schefter, the Colts have had visits recently with wide receivers Mario Manningham of Michigan and Early Doucet of LSU, and if they use their second-round pick (they don't have a first-round pick) on one of those receivers, they're coming close to saying they think Harrison is done.

Harrison has had a great career, but he turns 36 in August, and 36-year-olds coming off by far their worst career seasons don't often bounce back. We may never see another 1,000-yard season from Harrison.

Notes on a trip to the NFL Scouting Combine.

LSU wide receiver Early Doucet entered the 2007 college season looking like a potential first-round draft pick, but his draft stock is slipping after a series of injuries.

Doucet left Senior Bowl week early after suffering a hamstring injury in practices, which got his 2008 off to a similar start to his 2007, which was also plagued by injuries. But Doucet says he's not too worried about the hamstring forcing him to miss out on Combine workouts.

"I didn't think it was frustrating. God has everything happen for a reason, so obviously there was a purpose for me tweaking my hamstring," Doucet said. "God has a plan for me, so I'm just putting all my faith in God. He's going to have me ready for my pro day."

Doucet (whose unusual first name is shared by his father and grandfather) is going to need to be ready for his pro day. From everything I'm hearing here in Indianapolis, he's got work to do to become a first-day pick.