24 Hours 'Til Sunday — Andy Richardson

Super Bowl Sunday is just a day away, but rest assured you can probably check out the pregame show right now. There's probably not much I can add to the two weeks of analysis, hype, and outright insanity (Santonio Holmes used to chase down bunnies to sell them. Bunnies! Who knew?) we've already been given. What I can do is give you five strictly fantasy related things to watch for in the big game....

1. Kurt Warner. Hard to believe, but last August there were some who doubted Warner had a legitimate shot to win the starting job in Arizona. It was Matt Leinart's time, plus Warner's erratic play a season ago was as likely to yield turnovers as touchdowns. There's little doubt he'll be Arizona's starter next season -- unless he comes up with an all-time stinker in the Super Bowl, which against Pittsburgh's defense is certainly possible. A great game, a win, and the Cardinals will open their wallets to bring him back. A lousy game, and maybe they at least consider low-balling him, and he winds up starting somewhere else next year. Warner has had an impeccable postseason, but he hasn't faced a defense like that of the Steelers all year. Don't rule out the possibility of him having the kind of game that AFC quarterbacks seemed to come up with against superior NFC defenses for much of the '80s and early '90s.

2. Cardinals running backs. We can say with some confidence that Arizona won't run on the Steelers. Still, it's worth keeping an eye on how their backs will be used, who will get the most work in the passing game, whether Edgerrin James looks like he'll be a viable player for some team next year, and whether Tim Hightower looks like Arizona's future starter. I've been mulling a trade in which I give up Hightower all week. He looked great last preseason, terrible as a starter during the season, good again this postseason. I'm not sure what the future holds for him; maybe we'll get an idea on Sunday. (Especially if J.J. Arrington, questionable with a knee injury, isn't able to play and loses his opportunities in the backfield.)

3. Steelers running backs. Funny exchange during the season when Willie Parker complained the Steelers weren't playing "Steelers football" -- not running the ball enough -- and Mike Tomlin responded something to the effect of, when I walk by our trophy case I see Lombardi Trophies, not rushing titles. Not that any of that necessarily matters here, but I'm curious to see how the rushing workload is divvied up with Parker and Mewelde Moore. And then there's Rashard Mendenhall, who a Pittsburgh paper this week noted wasn't around the team much after being replaced on injured reserve. Um, he's not going to play, obviously, but will he be on the sidelines? Doesn't seem like a big deal unless you recall the criticism Jeremy Shockey got for only watching the Super Bowl from a sky box last season. Anyhoo, the Steelers will likely run the ball more next season, and maybe this game will give a glimpse into how things might break down for their various backs.

4. Steelers receivers. Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes are talented guys, and Arizona's secondary was all-time bad all season. They stepped it up in the playoffs, but do they have another strong performance in them? I like Holmes a lot in this game, especially with Ward nursing a knee injury. Also keep an eye on third receiver Nate Washington and tight end Heath Miller, who can help themselves be factors in fantasy drafts next season with good games against a shaky pass defense in the final game of the year.

5. Anquan Boldin. When last seen, Boldin was arguing on the sidelines with his offensive coordinator during a game that put the Cardinals in the Super Bowl. Boldin wants a new contract, whether it be from the Cardinals or somebody else. Arizona would love to keep the Fitzgerald-Boldin tandem together, but they've got a very good No. 3 in Steve Breaston and maybe they don't want to tie up too much money in two wideouts, especially given Boldin's injury history and the fact that they'll probably be giving Warner a fairly hefty deal, too. Boldin would sure look good as a No. 1 wideout in some place like Baltimore or Tennessee next season (although granted, it would be tough to put up better numbers than he does in Arizona). It will be interesting to see how Boldin reacts if the Steelers are able to put the clamps on Arizona's offense -- or if he has a huge game as the Steelers focus on the thus far unstoppable Fitzgerald.

Enjoy the game, and if you see the CareerBuilder commercial with a woman screaming in her car on the way to work, I need to mention that she's related to me -- go, Casey! And enjoy the offseason, folks.

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