Is It Time for Fantasy Football Owners To Give Up on Larry Fitzgerald?

We all know that Larry Fitzgerald has been extremely disappointing thus far this season.  Drafted in the first or second round, all he has accomplished is 29 receptions for 331 yards and two touchdowns.  That ranks him:

• 48th in receiving yards
• tied for 33rd in receptions
• tied for 41st in receiving touchdowns

The quarterback play is the clear cut reason for his struggles.  With Kurt Warner at the helm the past few years, Fitzgerald had been the elite receiver in the league.  Just looking at his numbers over the past three seasons show us that:

• 2007—100 receptions for 1,409 yards and 10 TD
• 2008—96 receptions for 1,431 yards and 12 TD
• 2009—97 receptions for 1,092 yards and 13 TD

Now, with Derek Anderson (67-131, 746 yards, 3 TD, 5 INT) and Max Hall (30-59, 289 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT), Fitzgerald has been left as a fantasy afterthought.  Only twice has he exceeded 56 yards, though he has never reached 100.  He has seven receptions in three games, but also has three games with three receptions or fewer.

Has it come to the point that we should be either parting ways with Fitzgerald or just burying him on your bench?

It certainly appears that we are close, but there is potential hope in the future.  The Cardinals just cannot continue to get absolutely nothing out of their quarterback, so there is plenty of reason to believe that John Skelton, the team’s fifth round selection in the 2010 draft, will eventually get a look.

In his senior year at Fordham, Skelton completed 64.4 percent of his passes, accumulating 3,713 yards and 26 TD.  Included in those numbers were four games of at least 400 yards.

If Skelton, best known for having a strong arm, can show the same accuracy he showed his senior year, things could quickly turn for Fitzgerald.  It’s not that he hasn’t been targeted, as he is eighth in the league with 64 targets thus far.  The fact is, the quarterback play just hasn’t been very good.

While it’s no guarantee that he produces, giving up on Fitzgerald and selling low on him would be a mistake.  A change in the quarterback certainly could help.  After investing so much time on him, just stay the course and hope for the best.

What are your thoughts on Fitzgerald?  Is it time to give up on him?  Do you still hold out hope?

Make sure to check out our Week 8 Rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 40 Running Backs
• Top 60 Wide Receivers
• Top 15 Tight Ends
• Top 15 Kickers
• Top 15 Defenses
• Waiver Worthy
• Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em
• Sunday Sleepers

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