Arizona Cardinals News

Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson (knee) doesn't have a direct path to fantasy relevance in dynasty leagues. Benson was once viewed as the running back of the future in Arizona after the Cardinals selected him with a third-round pick. However, James Conner was healthy and productive in 2024, leaving Benson in a backup role for most of his rookie season. Then, when Conner suffered a season-ending right foot/ankle injury, it seemed like Benson might finally have an opportunity to shine. Instead, he started one game before suffering a season-ending knee injury of his own. Now, Conner is healthy again, and he's expected to occupy the lead-back role in 2026. New head coach Mike LaFleur also went out and signed Tyler Allgeier, who presumably will operate as the No. 2 running back, pushing Benson to third on the depth chart. Benson is still 23, so we're not completely out on him yet, but it seems like it will take either a lot of patience or a lot of teammate injuries before he has a chance to prove his fantasy relevance. He can be stashed at the end of your bench in most dynasty leagues, as there's really no motivation to buy or sell here.

Arizona Cardinals veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett is not attending the team's first phase of their offseason program and is asking for a contract extension that would pay him as a starter, sources told Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Brissett is set to make $9.06 million in 2026 and has only $1.5 million in guaranteed money. He's looking for more security, and the Cardinals appear willing to address it. The 33-year-old took over for Kyler Murray in Week 6 of last year after Murray suffered a foot injury, and he went on to have a career year, completing 64.9% of his 485 pass attempts for 3,366 yards, 23 touchdowns, and eight interceptions in 14 games played (12 starts) for the Cards. Murray is now in Minnesota, and Brissett is expected to enter the 2026 campaign as the starter under new head coach Mike LaFleur. Brissett was a valuable QB2 streamer, especially in superflex leagues last year, but in an offense that should be more balanced under LaFleur, fantasy managers should temper expectations with Brissett.

Cardinals running back Tyler Allgeier appears to have been hand-selected for Arizona's new offensive system. First-time head coach Mike LaFleur landed in the desert with a plan and wasted no time in naming Nathaniel Hackett as his offensive coordinator. The two will presumably marry Hackett's classic West Coast scheme to philosophies from the McVay-Shanahan system, with a run game dominated by outside-zone looks. Arriving in Arizona, though, they inherited a running back room of James Conner and Trey Benson, two backs who have spent the past two years in a more North-South man/gap system. Allgeier's two-year deal with the team was one of the first announced at the start of free agency, after spending the past two seasons in Atlanta with another McVay disciple, Zac Robinson. While the transition in Arizona may be more nuanced for the team's offensive linemen than its backs, Allgeier's past experience can not be discounted, as more than 76% of his career carries have come on some variant of zone run, while that number sits at a combined 42% for Conner and Benson. The most likely outcome for fantasy is that all three backs will eat into one another's workload, making all of them unreliable as weekly plays, but with Conner about to turn 31 and coming off a severe foot injury, and Trey Benson yet to deliver up his early third-round draft capital, Allgeier could be the early front-runner for a leading role in a system with which he should have some familiarity.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett offers a bridge or stop-gap option on his own team, and he could provide similar value to fantasy football managers in 2026. Brisett was thrust into the starting quarterback role somewhat unexpectedly last year, starting 10 games in the absence of Kyler Murray (foot). The veteran signal caller was easily better than anyone could have imagined, accruing 3,336 passing yards with 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Not only did he unlock a level of fantasy dependability that Murray, who is now a Viking, was never able to achieve, but he also supported top-tier fantasy performances from his teammates. Most notably, tight end Trey McBride was the year's overall TE1, and Michael Wilson enjoyed a nice breakout of his own at wide receiver with 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns. Unless the Cardinals make an aggressive quarterback selection in the NFL Draft, Brissett will be the starter for most of 2026. He has a decent chance to pick up where he left off, but the fact that he isn't guaranteed to start games beyond 2026 certainly reduces his dynasty upside. He currently ranks as the QB30 in RotoBaller's latest dynasty rankings, only offering trade appeal to fantasy managers with no other quarterback options.

The Arizona Cardinals picked up the fifth-year option on left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. (knee) on Thursday, a source told Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. Johnson will now make just over $19 million for the 2027 season, with the former sixth overall pick back in 2023 out of Ohio State most likely to eventually sign a contract extension with the team. The 24-year-old finished last year on Injured Reserve due to a knee injury, but he should be ready in plenty of time for the start of the 2026 campaign this fall. Johnson has started in all 43 games that he's appeared in over his first three seasons with the Cardinals in the desert. He's coming off a career-low 12 games played in 2025, but Johnson could bounce back as one of the better left tackles in the league in 2026 in his fourth year in the league if he's completely past his knee injury. Johnson will be blocking the blind side for veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett to begin next season.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson was a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and despite playing his college ball in Stanford's low-passing-volume offense, he came into the league with a dynamic set of traits that made him a popular dynasty stash. In 2025, he rewarded patient managers with a third-year breakout that saw him top 1,000 yards for the first time in his career and finish as the fantasy WR2 from Week 11 through the end of the season. Opinions are now split as to how targets will be distributed in Arizona, creating an interesting market for Wilson in which he could be viewed as a buy-low in one league or a sell-high in another. Few would argue that tight end Trey McBride will again be the focal point of Arizona's offense, but outside of that, constants are limited in the desert. The Cardinals return Jacoby Brissett as their starting quarterback after his 41.6 pass attempts per game led the league after taking over at starter in Week 6, putting him on a 17-game pace for the fourth-highest total in NFL history and nearly 250 attempts more than his previous high. Running backs James Conner and Trey Benson are both expected to return to full health after playing in a combined seven games in 2025, and the team added Tyler Allgeier through free agency, which should see that outlier passing rate regress to the mean. Additionally, most of Wilson's best games in 2025 came with Marvin Harrison Jr. either sidelined or playing through injury, and the former led the latter in targets only twice in the 12 games they played together. Wilson's late-season breakout could be a legitimate superstar turn, or it could be the product of circumstance, but it is up to savvy dynasty managers to determine how their own leagues feel about him and act accordingly.

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (foot) was present on Tuesday for the start of the team's voluntary strength and conditioning program, according to Bo Brack of PHNX Sports. Conner was limited to just three games last year due to a foot injury that required surgery, but he's back for offseason workouts as he heads into his 10th year in the NFL. The 30-year-old two-time Pro Bowler will not only see a big drop in fantasy value going into next season because of his injury, but also because the Cardinals added Tyler Allgeier in free agency on a two-year, $8 million deal. Trey Benson (knee), who is also rehabbing from a season-ending injury in 2025, remains on the roster as well. Conner has been the Cardinals' lead back since the start of the 2021 season, but that is definitely going to change in 2026, as he'll be battling for playing time among two other very capable backs. In addition, the Cardinals have been rumored to be considering taking Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick in this year's NFL draft.

Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was largely viewed as one of the safest prospects in years when Arizona made him the fourth overall pick and the first non-quarterback selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. Through his first two years in the league, he has yet to make good on that promise, totaling just under 1,500 yards on 103 career receptions. While a concussion, a heel injury, and an emergency appendectomy caused him to miss five games in 2025, he spent much of his sophomore season third in line for targets behind All-Pro tight end Trey McBride and third-year breakout Michael Wilson. Both players return to an offense helmed once more by Jacoby Brissett, and with free agent acquisition Tyler Allgeier joining a backfield that should see returns to health from James Conner and Trey Benson, the Cardinals' overall passing volume could see a steep decline. Before ever taking a snap in the NFL, Harrison was viewed as a consensus top-three dynasty wide receiver, but RotoBaller currently has him ranked at WR20, and the current landscape in Arizona could make it difficult for him to see a meaningful rise.

Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride is coming off a tremendous 2025 season in which he caught 126 passes for 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns. He ended up finishing as the undisputed TE1 in fantasy football, just one year removed from being the overall TE2. No tight end has scored more fantasy points since the start of the 2024 season. As a result, there's an argument to be made that McBride might be the top tight end in dynasty fantasy football. Not only has he been highly productive year over year, but he's also just 26 years old and has an incredibly promising, long career ahead of him. McBride's biggest competition for the TE1 spot is Brock Bowers, who was the top-scoring tight end in 2024 but missed five games in 2025. Bowers is three years younger than McBride, but the two have similar quarterback situations. McBride will catch passes from Jacoby Brissett in 2026, but his quarterback situation in 2027 and beyond is unclear. Bowers will likely upgrade from Geno Smith to projected No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza. Given his youth and quarterback situation, Bowers has the slight edge right now, ranking as the TE1 in RotoBaller's latest dynasty fantasy football rankings. However, McBride is not far behind in the TE2 spot.

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (foot) faces newfound competition in the backfield ahead of the 2026 season. Conner previously had the backfield essentially to himself, and it looked like he would return to the starting role over Trey Benson in 2026. However, the Cardinals addressed the running back position in free agency, signing Tyler Allgeier to compete with Conner. If Arizona is anything like Atlanta, Allgeier will be more of a complementary piece, stealing carries and touchdowns here and there but lacking standalone value. We don't expect that to be the case, though. It's more likely that we'll see a conventional competition throughout training camp, allowing Conner, Allgeier, and even Benson to push for the starting job. Conner may be the incumbent, but he's also coming off a season-ending foot injury. Benson is the youngest of the group, but he's also coming off an injury that sidelined him for 13 games. Allgeier may end up being the favorite to start at running back, especially since he's the only player in this backfield that the new regime, led by head coach Mike LaFleur, went out and actively signed. Conner is a sell-high in dynasty leagues this offseason, and managers can likely still salvage modest compensation given his experience and name value.

Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson (knee) had a golden opportunity to take over his team's backfield in 2025 after fellow Cardinals back James Conner (ankle) went down with a season-ending ankle injury in Week 3. However, Benson suffered a knee injury that ultimately ended up being season-ending as well in the Cardinals' next game in Week 4. Now entering his third NFL season, the 23-year-old has compiled 574 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown on 111 touches across 17 career games. Conner should be back in the mix this season for Arizona, and the team also made a move to upgrade in the offseason by signing former Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier to a two-year, $12.25 million contract. As a result, Benson could be completely blocked off from playing time with the Cardinals in 2026. He still carries some dynasty upside, but Benson's stock is trending in the wrong direction after Arizona's offseason moves.

Former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray injured his foot in Week 5 of the 2025 season and never played again after that, opening the door for veteran signal-caller Jacoby Brissett to have the best year of his 10-year NFL career. The 33-year-old veteran played 14 games (12 starts) and completeed 64.9% of his pass attempts for 3,366 yards, 23 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He went just 1-11 as a starter for the lowly Cardinals, but there's no question that he elevated Arizona's offense from what Murray had shown in the first five games. In a pass-happy offense with the Cardinals often finding themselves down big early, Brissett racked up the passing attempts and aired the football out to finish as the QB15 in fantasy scoring. Murray is now gone, and although the Cardinals signed Gardner Minshew at the position, the expectation is that Brissett will remain the starter in 2026. The Cardinals led the NFL in pass attempts last year, but under new head coach Mike LaFleur, the Cardinals should be a much more run-heavy offense, which means that fantasy managers probably won't be able to count on Brissett putting up similar numbers over a full season in his second year in the desert.

The Arizona Cardinals are setting up to be a run-heavy offense in 2026 under new head coach Mike LaFleur. Running backs James Conner (foot) and Trey Benson (knee) will both be returning from season-ending injuries early in 2025, and the team also signed former Atlanta Falcons RB Tyler Allgeier to a two-year, $12.25 million contract in free agency. The 25-year-old Allgeier could never truly reach his ceiling in Atlanta while working behind stud RB1 Bijan Robinson, and now he could be part of a three-headed RB attack in the desert, depending on the health of both Conner and Benson. Allgeier had a 1,000-yard rushing season in his rookie campaign in 2022 on 210 carries and then regressed each season after that in terms of yardage, although he did have a career-high eight TDs in 17 games in 2025. He's been durable in his four NFL seasons, missing just one game. Allgeier should at the very least be in play as a touchdown-dependent RB3/flex (like he was in Atlanta), but he'll have clear RB2 upside if he emerges as Arizona's backfield leader.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson exploded for a breakout campaign in 2025, and he could remain one of the team's top fantasy scorers next year. Marvin Harrison Jr. was the consensus No. 1 receiver in Arizona entering the season, but his struggles created a perfect scenario for Wilson to break out, and the 26-year-old capitalized on this opportunity. Playing most of the season with Jacoby Brissett as his quarterback (plus a few weeks of Kyler Murray), Wilson delivered 78 receptions, 1,006 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns. He finished as the WR10 in PPR leagues, ranking ahead of stars like A.J. Brown, CeeDee Lamb, and Justin Jefferson. This outcome is even more incredible when you consider that Wilson didn't have a single double-digit fantasy performance until Week 11. From Week 11 through Week 18, he was simply otherworldly, averaging 21.2 points per game and ranking as the overall WR2 -- behind Puka Nacua and ahead of Jaxon Smith-Njigba. It would be a little too bold to predict another top-10 season from Wilson, so dynasty managers might consider trying to sell high on the Stanford product. With that said, we wouldn't be surprised to see him still have success in 2026. After all, he'll have much-needed consistency at the quarterback position with Brissett coming back, and Arizona didn't bring in any major weapons on offense to compete with him. An offense-oriented scheme under new head coach Mike LaFleur should bode well for Wilson, too. He remains firmly in the top-24 fantasy receiver conversation for next year.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. had another underwhelming season in 2025. Once viewed as a near lock to succeed in the NFL, Harrison has been one of the biggest disappointments in dynasty fantasy football. He was the overall WR30 as a rookie in 2024, and he followed it up with 41 catches, 608 yards, and four touchdowns across 12 games in 2025. He fell to WR49 last year and, more importantly, lost the grasp on his No. 1 receiver job in Arizona. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett built a terrific rapport with breakout receiver Michael Wilson, leaving Harrison in more of a de facto No. 2 role. Brissett is expected to return as the Cardinals' starting quarterback in 2026, and Wilson is also back as the potential top receiver. As a result, dynasty managers should be prepared for another subpar season from Harrison. Even if he manages to stay healthy for a full 17 games, he's firmly entrenched as a WR3/flex option, falling short of the lofty WR1 expectations that were attached to him in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Former Chicago Bears All-Pro wide receiver/returner Devin Duvernay is signing with the Arizona Cardinals on a one-year, $2.5 million deal on Sunday, according to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports. Duvernay was a Pro Bowler in 2021 and 2022 with the Baltimore Ravens as a kick returner, and that's where most of his production will likely come as he heads to the desert. The 28-year-old former third-round pick by the Ravens in 2020 out of the University of Texas only caught two passes on five targets for 26 yards in 17 regular-season games for the Bears last season. On special teams, though, he returned 40 kickoffs for 1,069 yards and returned 21 punts for 231 yards. In his six years in the NFL, Duvernay's best year on offense was in 2022 with Baltimore, when he caught 37 passes for 407 yards and three touchdowns on 49 targets in 14 games. Duvernay is highly unlikely to become a fantasy asset as a receiver next season in Arizona.

Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride had a spectacular 2025 season, and he'll look to repeat his success with quarterback consistency on the way in 2026. Outside of five games with Kyler Murray as his quarterback, McBride spent most of last season catching passes from Jacoby Brissett. The veteran backup isn't a flashy passer by any means, but he played surprisingly well and supported an elite-tier campaign from McBride. The 26-year-old finished the year with 126 catches, 1,239 yards, and 11 touchdowns, ranking as the overall TE1 in full-PPR leagues. He has now been a top-two fantasy tight end in back-to-back seasons, and with Brissett due back next year, McBride remains a top fantasy option at his position. Of course, the markets have adjusted and McBride no longer comes at a discount. He's priced as one of the top tight ends in fantasy football and will likely have a second-round ADP in most leagues next summer. From a dynasty perspective, he should be held in all leagues. He's too expensive to buy low, but too young and talented to sell high.

The Arizona Cardinals re-signed wide receiver Simi Fehoko (wrist) to an undisclosed one-year deal on Friday, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN. Fehoko didn't play behind Week 10 last year after suffering a wrist injury. The 28-year-old finished his fifth year in the league (first with Arizona) with no catches on no targets despite appearing in eight games for the Cardinals. The former fifth-round selection by the Dallas Cowboys in 2021 out of Stanford played just 37 offense snaps and 116 special teams snaps. In his five years in the NFL, Fehoko hasn't seen many opportunities as a pass-catcher, hauling in 10 of 22 targets for 139 yards and one touchdown in 32 games (two starts). He will return to the desert to provide WR depth behind Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, and Kendrick Bourne. Fehoko can be ignored in all fantasy football formats.

Two-time Pro-Bowl running back James Conner (foot) and the Arizona Cardinals agreed to a restructured contract that will keep him in the desert for the 2026 season. One day later, the team agreed to a two-year deal with Tyler Allgeier, adding depth to a running back room that already featured 2024 third-round pick Trey Benson. None of the three backs has a guaranteed salary above $2.1 million in 2026, and with a new coaching staff, this committee situation profiles as one of the murkiest in the league. Allgeier has the most experience in the type of wide-zone scheme expected to be implemented by offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, while Benson offers the most explosiveness, and Conner still boasts the best hands and receiving ability. With the Cardinals coming off a 3-14 season and expected to return Jacoby Brissett as the starting quarterback, this backfield may not find itself in a position to deliver much overall value, regardless of the division of labor.

Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson (knee) seemed like an intriguing buy-low candidate in fantasy football entering this offseason, but his upside has been squandered following the Cardinals' backfield roster moves so far in free agency. The Cardinals restructured a deal to keep James Conner in Arizona, signed Tyler Allgeier, and also brought back Zonovan Knight. Their urgency to put pen to paper with three different running backs could spell disaster for Benson going forward, and even though he's not a cut or trade candidate, he could be falling out of favor in Arizona, where new head coach Mike LaFleur is starting to put his own print on the offense. In his second pro season last year, Benson, a former third-round pick, amassed 160 rushing yards and 64 receiving yards over four games (one start). Just as he was starting to take on a larger role with Conner injured, Benson suffered a knee injury of his own and missed the rest of the season. At this point, it seems like the best-case scenario for Benson is the third-string running back role, and even that's not guaranteed after Knight signed his deal. Dynasty managers should hold Benson for now; he has minimal fantasy football trade value, but at just 23 years old and one year removed from being a backup running back, it's too soon to cut bait entirely.