We are full go with our preparation for the upcoming Fantasy season, which means it's time to write all the player outlooks for this year. I'm privileged to get the NFC West, and we're going to do team-by-team previews as well. Here, you get to see all the interesting information I find about the Cardinals. I'll highlight players to target, as well as others to avoid. And you'll get a good idea of what the Cardinals can hopefully do in 2026. Let's see if Arizona is a Fantasy destination for you this year.
Team Breakdown
Coach: Mike LaFleur (replaces Jonathan Gannon)
Offensive coordinator: Nathaniel Hackaett (replaces Drew Petzig)
Key additions: RB Tyler Allgeier, WR Kendrick Bourne, QB Gardner Minshew
Draft picks of note: RB Jeremiyah Love (Round 1 from Notre Dame), QB Carson Beck (Round 3 from Miami), WR Reggie Virgil (Round 5 from Texas Tech)
2026 strength of schedule: No. 3 (opponents combined 2025 record: 155-133-1)
2025 numbers of note
Points for: No. 23 at 355 (20.9 per game)
Passing yards: No. 7 at 3,955 (232.6 per game)
Passing attempts: No. 1 at 649
Rushing yards: No. 31 at 1,583 (93.1 per game)
Rushing attempts: No. 32 at 366
Players to target based on Average Draft Position (ADP)
1. Jeremiyah Love The Cardinals selected Love in the first round of the NFL Draft from Notre Dame at No. 3 overall, and Love has the chance to be a standout Fantasy option right away. We recommend drafting Love as a high-end No. 2 Fantasy running back in all redraft leagues toward the end of Round 2 or beginning of Round 3. In rookie-only drafts for dynasty leagues, Love should be the No. 1 overall pick. Love's potential is amazing after his career at Notre Dame, and he finished the past two seasons with a combined 362 carries for 2,497 yards and 35 touchdowns and 55 catches for 517 yards and five touchdowns in 28 games. We hope the Cardinals will treat Love like a workhorse running back, but the concern is Arizona will use him in a committee since Allgeier, James Conner, and Trey Benson are on the roster. Ideally, not all of those running backs will remain in Arizona this season, which is something to monitor. But if that happens, then we hope Love's talent keeps him on the field as much as possible, even though Allgeier could steal touchdowns, while Conner could do a little of everything. We'll keep an eye on what happens in training camp, but the Cardinals didn't draft Love at No. 3 overall to use him sparingly. He should have the chance for a big season, and we hope he competes to be a top-10 Fantasy running back in his rookie campaign. I think his FantasyPros ADP is perfect at No. 30 overall as RB12. 2. Marvin Harrison Jr. Harrison enters into Year 3 of his career with a lot to prove in Fantasy and reality. His first two years have been disappointing, but he has the chance to rebound in 2026. Fantasy managers should treat Harrison as a high-end No. 3 Fantasy receiver, and he's worth drafting as early as Round 6 in the majority of leagues. The positive for Harrison is he should benefit with Jacoby Brissett as the starter for the Cardinals. The two had limited action in 2025 due to Harrison battling a foot injury, but Brissett helped Harrison play well when healthy. There were four games where Harrison played at least 61 percent of the snaps with Brissett, and Harrison scored at least 12.9 PPR points in three of those outings while averaging 14.4 PPR points per game over that span. Harrison also averaged 8.8 targets per game in those four outings. Harrison has 12 games in his career with at least seven targets, and he scored at least 14.3 PPR points in eight of them while averaging 16.1 PPR points per game over that span. Now, Harrison still shares the field with Trey McBride and Michael Wilson, so consistently getting seven-plus targets could be an issue, along with the addition of Love. And Brissett isn't guaranteed to start the entire year. The Cardinals also have a new head coach (LaFleur) and offensive coordinator (Hackett), and we hope they decide to feature Harrison. We've been burned by Harrison in each of the past two seasons when he averaged fewer than 12 PPR points per game in each year, but there's reason for optimism in Year 3. And the good news is his cost is lower with his FantasyPros ADP at No. 65 overall as WR31, but the production will hopefully be higher in 2026. 3. James Conner The offseason has worked out poorly for Conner, who now finds himself in a committee backfield in Arizona. Conner is only worth drafting with a late-round pick in the majority of leagues. The Cardinals signed Allgeier and drafted Love. There's a chance Conner is third on the depth chart this season if he remains in Arizona. Ideally, the Cardinals will trade or release Conner to allow him the opportunity for an increased role, and that's something to monitor for the 31-year-old veteran, which is why he's listed here. He's done well for the Cardinals and Fantasy managers during his four-year tenure with the team, averaging at least 15.5 PPR points per game from 2021-2024. But he was limited to three games in 2025 due to a foot injury, and it's hard to envision him getting a lot of work in 2026 if everyone is healthy. I'm hopeful he's traded prior to Week 1, and he's worth stashing on your bench in case that happens with his FantasyPros ADP at No. 124 overall as RB47.
Players to avoid based on Average Draft Position
1. Michael Wilson Wilson had a breakout season in 2025, and we'll see if he can repeat that performance in 2026. We view Wilson as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver, and he's worth drafting as early as Round 7 in all leagues. The story of Wilson in 2025 has to be told in two parts -- with Harrison and without. With Harrison on the field, Wilson averaged just 7.6 PPR points in 12 games and had only two outings with more than 9.1 PPR points over that span. Now, in five games without Harrison, Wilson averaged 25.9 PPR points and had just one game below 20.9 PPR points over that span. Wilson averaged 13.6 targets per game without Harrison and 4.8 targets per game with Harrison. We'll see how the offense looks in 2026 since the Cardinals have a new head coach (LaFleur) and offensive coordinator (Hackett), and Wilson might be featured more than Harrison. And Brissett, who is expected to return as the starter, also loved throwing to Wilson, especially when Harrison was out. Just keep in mind that Wilson averaged 8.8 and 7.8 PPR points per game in the first two years of his career before 2025. And he still shares the field with Harrison, McBride and now Love. Wilson could be risky to trust in 2026, but we now know what he's capable of doing when featured. We just don't know if that will happen again while everyone is healthy for Arizona this year. I would prefer to get Wilson later than his FantasyPros ADP No. 68 overall as WR33.
2026 Prediction
The Cardinals have plenty of stars on offense. As long as Brissett shows up for Week 1, then Arizona should give Fantasy managers plenty of production. I'm concerned if either Minshew or Beck start for the majority of the season, and we'll see if the LaFleur/Hackett combination keeps the Cardinals near the top of the leaderboard in pass attempts in 2026, especially following the addition of Love and Allgeier. Let's start with the backfield, where I'm hoping Conner gets traded prior to Week 1. While he's 31 and coming off a three-game season due to a foot injury, he can still be a flex option if given enough work. Moving Conner would help alleviate some concerns for Love and Allgeier, and Benson is capable of being the third running back on this roster. But even if Conner stays in Arizona, you should still draft Love early in Round 3 in all leagues, and he should be a borderline No. 1 Fantasy running back all season. Harrison and Wilson are both being drafted as No. 3 Fantasy receivers, but I like Harrison better. Wilson's best stretch of his career -- and it was awesome -- only happened when Harrison was injured. I expect Harrison to have the best season of his career in Year 3, and he will perform like a breakout candidate as long as Brissett starts for most of the season. Wilson will end up being a bust at his current ADP. McBride will regress with his production due to Petzig being gone and Harrison improving, along with a better run game for the Cardinals. But McBride will still finish the season as a top-two tight end, likely in a competition with Bowers. I have no problem drafting McBride in Round 2, just lower expectations from his dominating season in 2025. He will not be that much better than the field this year.
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