Apr 20, 2026, 9:34 AM ET

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is expected to be one of the first names off the board in this week's NFL Draft, and some around league circles believe that could be as early as third overall to the Arizona Cardinals. According to NFL Insider Adam Schefter, the Cardinals have made exploratory calls to move back and acquire additional picks, but if they are unable to find a trade partner, there is a growing belief that the selection could be Love. Even in what would then be a crowded backfield, Love would still be worthy of the first overall pick in dynasty rookie drafts of all formats, including superflex leagues. He split the Notre Dame backfield with Jadarian Price, a player many are calling the second-best running back in the class. In their three seasons together, Love nearly doubled Price's career yardage total, an indicator of how far ahead of the class he truly is. His 40 touchdowns across his past two seasons as a starter paced the FBS, and he has the speed and physicality to win in multiple ways. He catches the ball cleanly and gets upfield with no wasted motion. Love should make an immediate fantasy impact regardless of landing spot, and he is currently RotoBaller's overall RB4 in dynasty rankings.--Patrick McGrath
Source: Adam Schefter

Apr 18, 2026, 11:43 AM ET

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.--Andersen Pickard
Source: RotoBaller

Apr 17, 2026, 1:59 PM ET

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.--Keith Hernandez
Source: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport

Apr 17, 2026, 9:26 AM ET

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.--Patrick McGrath
Source: RotoBaller

Apr 17, 2026, 12:03 AM ET

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.--Andersen Pickard
Source: RotoBaller

Apr 16, 2026, 6:28 PM ET

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.--Keith Hernandez
Source: NFL Network - Mike Garafolo

Apr 16, 2026, 4:07 PM ET

SNY's Connor Hughes writes that there's "significant buzz in league circles" that the Arizona Cardinals will take Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick. The Tennessee Titans and New York Giants sit at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, and they could be in play for Love, too, if he slips past Arizona. The Cardinals signed RB Tyler Allgeier in free agency, and they also have James Conner (ankle) and Trey Benson (knee) coming off season-ending injuries. "There's a lot of smoke there," Hughes says about Love going to the Cardinals. If Arizona doesn't go with Love, they could opt for whichever pass-rusher the New York Jets pass on at second overall. The Las Vegas Raiders (first overall) are expected to take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. If Love were to land in the desert, it wouldn't be ideal for his short-term fantasy value, but in the long run, he'd be the overwhelming favorite to eventually emerge as the RB1 for the Cardinals.--Keith Hernandez
Source: SNY - Connor Hughes

Apr 15, 2026, 2:00 PM ET

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is on a top-30 pre-draft visit with the Arizona Cardinals on Wednesday, according to Field Yates of ESPN. It's the final day that draft prospects are allowed to make visits with NFL teams. Arizona released Kyler Murray this offseason and signed Gardner Minshew. Veteran Jacoby Brissett is still on the team, too, and he's fully expected to open the 2026 campaign this fall after putting up career-best numbers in the desert when he took over for the injured Murray in Week 7 of last year. The Cardinals have the third overall pick in this year's NFL draft, although that wouldn't be where they'd target Simpson. The No. 34 overall selection at the top of the second round might be right in the wheelhouse for Simpson, who is viewed as more of a project at the QB position at the next level after starting just one season at Alabama. If Simpson were drafted by the Cardinals, he'd most likely enter his rookie season as the QB3 behind both Brissett and Minshew.--Keith Hernandez
Source: ESPN.com - Field Yates

Apr 11, 2026, 9:40 AM ET

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.--Patrick McGrath
Source: RotoBaller

Apr 7, 2026, 9:56 PM ET

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.--Keith Hernandez
Source: PHNX Sports - Bo Brack

Apr 4, 2026, 6:30 PM ET

The Ringer's Todd McShay reports that someone in the Arizona Cardinals building is "pushing really hard" to draft Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love at the end of April. The Cardinals have the No. 3 overall pick in this year's draft, but they also have pressing needs on their offensive line and at defensive end. They could trade back a few spots in the first round if they think they'll still have a chance to draft the consensus top RB in this year's class. The Cardinals already have James Conner (foot), Trey Benson (knee), and Tyler Allgeier in their backield, though, so Love landing in Arizona would be bad news for his short- and long-term fantasy football value. The Tennessee Titans (No. 4 overall) and New York Giants (No. 5) have also been rumored to be looking at drafting Love early in the first round this year. Love has the potential to be a three-down start at the next level after leading his conference in rushing yards in each of the last two seasons, with a total of 2,497 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns on 362 carries in 28 games. He also had 55 catches for 517 yards and five additional touchdowns as a receiver.--Keith Hernandez
Source: The Ringer - Todd McShay

Apr 4, 2026, 2:14 PM ET

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.--Patrick McGrath
Source: RotoBaller

Apr 1, 2026, 1:58 PM ET

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.--Andersen Pickard
Source: RotoBaller

Mar 31, 2026, 10:20 AM ET

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.--Andersen Pickard
Source: RotoBaller

Mar 28, 2026, 3:01 PM ET

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.--Will Brady
Source: RotoBaller