FanHouse Shaun Mcdonald

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...
Team with more Super Bowl titles than any other franchise in existence. Fresh off of their sixth Super Bowl title, the Steelers return in 2009 with a solid shot at a repeat performance. The stellar defense is still around and the main keys to the Pittsburgh offense are back and healthy.

While the NFL version of the Steelers is a force to be reckoned with, the Steelers, as fantasy assets, are just average.

Apparently Steelers fans aren't the only ones who are somewhat concerned about the team's lack of depth at wide receiver. Hines Ward is also noticing.

"We are thin at the wide receiver depth," said Ward. "Mike Wallace, Sweed those guys are going to have to help the team and contribute. If myself or Santonio goes down, one of those guys becomes the starter. You have to make sure you understand and help them so they understand. They are next in line. Over the course of 16 games anything can happen.

It's interesting that Ward did not mention Shaun McDonald when listing potential replacements. McDonald had almost 1,000 yards in receiving just two years ago, which makes him easily the most experienced backup wideout.

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

I'm going to do my best to avoid use of the phrase "Well, things can't get any worse," or anything like that. Really, I am. But it's worth pointing out that this is a true statement. Things are looking up for the Detroit Lions because they absolutely can't get any worse.

With two first-round picks and a ton of available cap space, a well-managed organization could make a significant dent in one year.

By now you've heard the news that Roy Williams was dealt to the Dallas Cowboys -- not that Roy Williams, but this Roy Williams (see image). Yes sir, the Lions opted to throw in the towel on their debacle of a half-century season and part ways with the former first-rounder. Meanwhile, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys swooped into to grab some more big-name talent under the same business model as the New York Yankees.

It all depends which side of the camp you're on when pegging one side the winner or the other the loser from a football perspective. However, there weren't just two teams affected by this deal. No sir, there were millions upon millions of teams affected by this deal. And that's where we come in with the fantasy spin. Yup, aside from just your fantasy team, there's a whole grocery list of players from both the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions that may have seen their fortunes change for the better or worse today.

Let's start with the Lions...

The NFL's trade deadline has come and gone, and despite a few rumblings yesterday, quarterback Jon Kitna remains a member of the Detroit Lions. For now. Just don't expect to see him setting foot on the field anytime soon, seeing as he's officially been placed on injured reserve, ending his season, as reported by Tom Kowalski.

The news came just minutes after the 4:00 PM ET trade deadline, which saw the Lions send wide receiver Roy Williams packing to Dallas for a boatload of draft picks.

With Kitna now on the shelf, and Williams catching passes for the Cowboys, the Lions will now turn their offense over to the scrambling abilities of Dan Orlovsky. It's all bad news for Calvin Johnson, as he's going to be dealing with the added coverage that comes with Mike Furrey or Shaun McDonald lining up opposite him, while his quarterback runs out of the end zone.

Settle in, Lions fans, it could be a long season.

Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.

Meet The ...
Adam Sandler movie of the NFL: always entertaining, yet never really winning anything notable. Whether it's drafting a WR in three consecutive first rounds (slapstick/unrealistic comedy like Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore), putting together a highly productive offense in terms of fantasy football (funny, yet quasi-legit Big Daddy or Wedding Singer? Maybe?), or guaranteeing ten wins ("I'm gonna go legit with Spanglish!"); you'll always be entertained and they'll always avoid the playoffs. This year is no different. The former laughingstock of a division is now somewhat of a powerhouse, and the Lions are still a step behind even the obviously third-best Bears. If you want entertainment, though, they won't disappoint.

The Breakout
Calvin Johnson is ready to take the next step after becoming acclimated to the NFL in his rookie season. I love it when people proclaim a rookie to have freaky mad skills and then if he doesn't perform to expectations he's an afterthought one year later. That's a year of experience, man. Never a bad thing. He's ready to make the leap into fantasy stud-dom. You'll see.

There is no such thing as a sure thing, and the Arizona Cardinals made that extremely clear this afternoon.

Ken Whisenhunt told the fans and his players not to panic earlier in the week, and the team responded with a huge upset over the Detroit Lions. A game, that by all accounts, was over before it even began. Almost every single "expert" and "analyst" was ready to hand this game to Detroit, but that's why the players take the field. On any given Sunday.

For Arizona, Kurt Warner momentarily turned back time. Although it was looking bad early, he was able to rebound and end the game with 259 yards and three touchdowns. And part of Warner's rebound can be attributed to wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who seemed to be exactly where he needed to be at all times. He ended the game with eight catches for 74 yards and two touchdowns.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals defense was able to completely shut down the Lions rushing attack. And when I say shut down, I mean shut down. Detroit running backs combined for a whole -1 yard. And if you were to throw in Jon Kitna and wide receiver Shaun McDonald, the team totaled -16 rushing yards.

Next week the Cardinals travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals, while the Lions play host to the New York Giants.

Final Score: Cardinals 31 - Lions 21

To get you ready for week 10, FanHouse is previewing all 14 NFL games. Here is the Detroit Lions/Arizona Cardinals preview.

2007 Records:

Detroit Lions: 6-2 (2nd in NFC North)
Arizona Cardinals: 3-5 (2nd in NFC West)

Last Game(s):

Lions 44 - Broncos 7
Buccaneers 17 - Cardinals 10

When the Lions have the ball: With Kevin Jones running the ball like he did during his rookie season, the Detroit Lions have rounded out their offense and have arguably one of the best in the league. Jon Kitna could just toss the rock to Roy Williams and Shaun McDonald all day, or Jones could wrack up big numbers on the ground. Either way, this team can succeed if one threat it neutralized -- something that was unheard of in Detroit not too long ago.

For that reason, it's apparent that the Cardinals have tall task ahead of them. But if anyone is up for it, they certainly are. Despite their 3-5 record, they have one of the best defenses in the NFL. And their strong point? Well, that would be shutting down quarterbacks and big time receivers like Jon Kitna and Roy Williams.