The fantasy football landscape shifts each week, bringing fresh opportunities and unexpected challenges that separate the prepared from the pretenders. Savvy managers know that last week’s performance tells only part of the story, and diving deeper into the underlying metrics reveals the accurate picture.
This week presents some intriguing decisions. Here’s insight about key Arizona Cardinals players heading into their matchup with the Los Angeles Rams to help you craft a winning lineup.
Jacoby Brissett, QB
The good stats, bad team MVP of the season goes to Jacoby Brissett, and it may not be close.
He had the run of QB1 finishes during a stretch in which the Cardinals won one game, and while he was far from good on Sunday in Cincinnati (56.8% complete, seven real-life points scored through the first 58 minutes), he still delivered more fantasy points than his play would suggest was likely.
Fantasy Finishes, Weeks 6-15
- Week 6: QB7
- Week 7: QB12
- Week 8: bye
- Week 9: QB10
- Week 10: QB9
- Week 11: QB4
- Week 12: QB7
- Week 13: QB10
- Week 14: QB12
- Week 15: QB12
Brissett has one year left on his deal, and that makes this an interesting situation. Arizona probably isn’t winning at a high level next season, regardless of what they do at the QB position: Do they bring someone in and allow Brissett to keep the seat warm?
If so, you can sign me up for stock in this offense. If not, the receivers take a hit, though I’ll still have Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson both ranked as top-36 receivers regardless.
Michael Carter, RB
The Cardinals opened this season with James Conner, then leaned heavily on the Trey Benson experience.
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This was supposed to be a Kyler Murray-led offense with a veteran running back and a high-pedigree receiver. Things haven’t exactly worked out as expected, and that makes all data from this season a little skewed, as it’s essentially been a backup plan most of the way.
Week 17 Snap Data
- Emari Demercado: 51.9% of snaps, 7 touches, 4.0 PPR points
- Michael Carter: 44.4% of snaps, 9 touches, 6.3 PPR points
They can’t decide on who their RB3 is, and that tells me all I need to know. Both Carter and Demercado are if-pressed-into-duty types at the pro level and nothing more. If Arizona is reasonably healthy entering next season, I don’t anticipate either of these RBs being of much interest come draft day 2026.
Marvin Harrison Jr., WR
Injuries have plagued Harrison this season to a degree, and a case of Kyler Murray-itis didn’t help. Still, nothing has been more frustrating about his second season than the explosion of Wilson in his stead.
He’s been ordinary by the standards set by his pedigree. His metrics are nearly identical across the board this year from last (target rate, slot usage, red-zone usage, etc.), and that’s the part that is bothering me.
He hasn’t been a bad player; we just haven’t seen the type of growth we’d expect.
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The future of this offense is going to hinge on who is taking snaps, but it appears safe to say that Wilson (one more year left on his contract) isn’t going anywhere, and Trey McBride is coming off a historic season.
I’m tempted to think this offense will be more balanced next season if their running backs can stay close to full health, but as long as the defense remains a weak spot, this passing game should be able to support multiple options.
Will Harrison be the WR1 that occasionally struggles when Wilson gets loose or the WR2 who occasionally thrives when Wilson struggles?
That’s a decision we have eight months to ponder. Currently, I have him ranked at the lower end of a tier that includes Courtland Sutton, Jakoi Meyers, and Jaylen Waddle. It’s not a group of comfort, but it is a class of receiver that could give us a league winner.
Who will it be?
Check back with me as the season approaches. I’ll roll up my sleeves and have you covered, I can assure you of that.
Michael Wilson, WR
Cincinnati played a Wilson catch into a 38-yard score last week with some shoddy tackling in the second quarter, but one way or another, he’s scored in four straight games and has been one of the storylines of the second half of this season.
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He’s produced slightly over expectations in all three of his pro seasons, and it was good to see him sustain that production with increased work this season. His spot in this offense might well depend on who is under center.
- With Kyler Murray, 2025: 8.5% above expectations, 1.98 yards per route, 11.7 aDOT
- With Jacoby Brissett, 2025: 34.4% below expectations, 0.32 yards per route, 12.5 aDOT
The target type wasn’t all that different, but the production gap is wide. I’m not crazy about penciling in three pass catchers from this offense on a routine basis, so how I stack him up and Harrison will depend mainly on the structure of this offense.
Trey McBride, TE
McBride broke the single-season TE reception record in the most McBride way possible: catching essentially everything thrown in his general vicinity.
From targets downfield to crazy deflections that have a chance to be caught by six different players, Arizona’s #85 finds a way to get his mitts on the ball.
Sunday in Cincinnati was his fourth game this season with double-digit receptions, and he continued his season-long streak of consecutive games earning 7+ targets. At a position where it’s hard to succeed at a high level, McBride’s failure has been a rare occurrence, and that makes him arguably the most valuable commodity in our game for the 2025 regular season.
He checks every box. Youth. Varied route tree. Projected game scripts that force the Cardinals to lean into their passing game. He seems more bulletproof in terms of profile than Brock Bowers was a year ago in this same position as the one-of-one at a position that demands high levels of draft capital to acquire.
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We don’t yet know what the QB situation holds, and natural regression feels inevitable. What if the Harrison breakout season comes in Year 3? What if Wilson is special? What if the run game stays healthy and provides balance?
It’s not you, McBride, it’s me. I’m going to have a hard time affording a one-size-fits-all position. That said, I’m more convinced that McBride leads his position by a decent margin than any QB doing so, and in that vein, he’d be the one-off player that I’d reach for if I’m going that route.
