Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald named 27th best player

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was named the 27th best player of the 2016 season.

Cardinals made back to back appearances on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016 with Larry Fitzgerald coming in at 27th following teammate Tyrann Mathieu who came in at 28th.

Making his sixth straight appearance on the Top 100 list, Fitzgerald jumped 41 spots after being ranked 68th in 2015. After a few down seasons, Fitzgerald finally returned to form thanks to the return of quarterback Carson Palmer. Fitzgerald finished the season with 1,215 yards (his first 1000 yard receiving season since 2011), 9 touchdowns with 11.1 yards per catch.

Cardinals safety Durell Eskridge described Fitzgerald season the best when he said “it was just Larry being Larry.” This was a career season for Fitzgerald as he set a career high in receptions with 109 and also established his ability to succeed in the slot receiver role. He also established himself as a blocker which was highlighted when he bulldozed over Minnesota Vikings safety Anthony Harris on Michael Floyd’s catch and run touchdown.

One of the highlights of the presentation on Fitzgerald was bitter defensive tackle Mike Daniels of the Green Bay Packers recalling how “we let grandpa run for 70 yards.” Fitzgerald’s catch and run of 70 yards in the Divisional round of the playoffs was the icing on the cake in what was one of the craziest playoff games in NFL history.

So far there have been 4 Cardinals name to the Top 100 and there are now 20 spots yet to be named. One can assume that cornerback Patrick Peterson and quarterback Carson Palmer will be named one of the top 20 players for this season.