The intoxicating allure for gold has enraptured countries, kings and fortune hunters for centuries, driving ambition and fueling greed. Worshipped for its outward beauty, rareness, and versatility, its corruptible nature has forever impacted continents, reshaping societies and landscapes. Ancient Egyptians, Spanish conquistadors, westward prospectors, marauding pirates, rascally “Goonies,” Scrooge McDuck … many have ceaselessly sought the precious metal. Some have reaped a path to wealth. Others a path to ruin.

Still today, the passion to acquire it lives on.

Enveloped by the red-splashed rocks of the Superstition Mountains in south-central Arizona is Lost Dutchman’s State Park. It’s there, in the shadow of Weaver’s Needle, a vein of unimaginable riches is allegedly buried beneath the surrounding agave, saguaros, and jagged cliffs. The legend comes from an amalgamation of twisted tales ranging from a good doctor’s encounter with Apache protectors, the deathbed confession of Jacob Waltz and a U.S. soldier’s random discovery. Every year amateur adventurists, consumed by an infectious case of yellow fever, traverse the perilous Sonoran hoping to find truth to the stories. Most emerge unscathed. A few never return. All are empty-handed.

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The legend, you could say, remains undefeated.

Roughly 40 miles west from the infamous mine, another wellspring waits to be discovered. Follow the dotted line to the ‘X’ and you’ll reach Glendale. It’s there a trove of a different kind lives. Make the investment and handsome rewards are sure to follow.

The Arizona Cardinals are a fantasy goldmine.

Do you believe?

Here are four reasons why the Desert Birds are about to take flight:

System Innovation

Many have heard the term “Air Raid,” but few grasp its basic concepts. Not all versions are the same. Originator Hal Mumme’s foundation wasn’t photocopied by Washington St. head coach Mike Leach or current Arizona shot caller Kliff Kingsbury. Though the backbone is largely defined by spread formations and is predicated on high-percentage throws, each variation presents its own uniqueness.

Kingsbury’s primary tendency while at Texas Tech was pass first, run rarely. From 2016-2018 his offenses featured 10 personnel (1 RB, 0 TEs, 4 WRs) 60 percent of the time (NFL average in ‘18: 2%), clocking a 44.0% success rate within the alignment. Skyward focused, he called “pass” at a 65% clip in 2018 alone. His propensity for screens, slants, and short outs maintained a breakneck pace (86.8 plays per game form ‘16’-’18) and tethered defenders to oxygen tanks. It’s why he’s aiming for 90-95 plays per game — a whimsical goal, though 70-75 is believable. Overall, his Red Raider teams piled up the points despite having minimal NFL-level talent. Everyone is familiar with Patrick Mahomes, but Keke Coutee, Jakeem Grant, and DeAndre Washington were the only other Tech players of note to graduate to the next level.

View photos Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray are a dynamic duo who should bring prosperity to Fantasyland this season. (Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) More

Trench spacing is one of the biggest differentiators in the Air Raid, including Kingsbury’s version. Offensive linemen crouch further apart compared to traditional compact deployments. This fosters lane creation for pass and run plays, which is exactly what the Cards need. Arizona’s offensive line, which ranked dead last in multiple efficiency categories, was a dumpster fire last year. Josh Rosen, placed under duress on 40.4% of his dropbacks, was a human punching bag. Upgraded with veterans this offseason, the line is more experienced and is expected to provide enough cover for rookie Kyler Murray to deliver quick strikes. Hey, after last year’s dungeon dwelling effort it only has one direction to go.

Additionally, the offensive overhaul should resurrect David Johnson. Suppressed by the unimaginative play-calling of Mike McCoy and Byron Leftwich, he failed to meet top-five expectations, leaving his investors bitter and resentful. Though he somehow scraped together the ninth-most valuable output at the RB position in .5 PPR leagues, his precipitous declines in yards after contact (2.2; RB65) and broken tackle percentage (11.7; RB68) explain why many refuse to spend a top-seven pick on him this year. But unlike last season, he won’t routinely barrel into overloaded fronts (24.0 stack% in’18) nor be overlooked as a receiver.

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