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We are proud to be among the first, if not the first, to publish full projections for the upcoming season, going live just days after the Super Bowl. Publishing detailed projections in early February comes with trade-offs, not the least of which is a near-total lack of clarity on how free agency, cap transactions, and the NFL draft will reshape rosters.
We've been updating our projections in near real time, including during the recent onslaught of free-agent transactions. This version will remain largely stable until we can layer in the April NFL draft, but stable projections don't mean settled debates.
We have a staff of sharp analysts with sharp takes of their own, so I thought it would be worthwhile to solicit their views on the key coin-toss situations that will shape each team's outlook in the coming months. These are important questions where reasonable, informed people can credibly land in very different places. I asked my colleagues to weigh in with one assumption: they were answering strictly through the lens of a standard 0.5-PPR redraft league.
Arizona Cardinals Coin-Toss Questions:
- Can Jacoby Brissett sustain Top-12 QB value?
- Who do you rank higher: James Conner or Tyler Allgeier?
- How do you foresee the rushing attempt split between them?
- Who do you rank higher: Michael Wilson or Marvin Harrison Jr.?
- What do you project the target share to be for each?
Q: Jacoby Brissett was QB9 after taking over the starting job last year. Do you think he can sustain Top-12 value with Mike LaFleur and Nathaniel Hackett running the offense?
Meng Song: Maybe? Need to take a deeper dive, but Brissett performed relatively well last year, even against tough defenses like Seattle and Houston. There's some optimism that he could bring a Ryan Fitzpatrick-esque level of competency to the Arizona Cardinals' offense and likewise be a usable QB1 in fantasy.
Maurile Tremblay: I'm pessimistic. Sustaining top-12 value would be a real stretch, even with the coaching upgrade.
Brissett's 2025 numbers (3,366 yards, 23 touchdowns, eight interceptions) were solid but came with important context. He took over a team that went 1-11 in games he started, which means a lot of those counting stats accumulated in negative game scripts and garbage time.
The LaFleur hire is genuinely promising from a schematic standpoint. His Rams offense in 2025 led the NFL in points per game, yards per game, yards per play, and expected points added per play. He brings a sophisticated West Coast system, and he'll be calling plays himself. That's a real upgrade over the Gannon-era staff.
But let's pump the brakes on projecting top-12 quarterback production. First, LaFleur's offensive success in LA was built around Matthew Stafford, a first-team All-Pro and MVP candidate. Brissett is a journeyman bridge quarterback, not a franchise arm. LaFleur has worked with a wide range of quarterbacks, including some underwhelming ones like Zach Wilson and Johnny Manziel. Scheme alone didn't elevate those players into high-end producers. Second, the Cardinals haven't even named Brissett the starter. They signed Gardner Minshew at a higher AAV specifically to create a competition, which signals the front office isn't sold on Brissett as the answer. Third, Hackett's track record as an offensive coordinator is mixed: he's been fired or had play-calling stripped in three of his five OC stints, and while LaFleur retains the play-calling, the overall offensive staff is being built from scratch with a new system. That transition period alone could hinder early-season efficiency.
My best guess is that Brissett lands somewhere in the QB15-QB20 range: functional, improved by coaching, but capped by his own ceiling and potentially splitting time with Minshew if things don't go well early. Top-12 would require a lot to break right and probably isn't a realistic baseline expectation.
Andy Hicks: Brissett unlocked the fantasy potential of Trey McBride and Michael Wilson last year, and his passing stats were deserving of a high ranking.
In 2026, we will have a new coaching staff and a new scheme. Nathaniel Hackett, the new offensive coordinator, does not inspire confidence. His last stint in this role with the Jets was poor, but that organization has left far bigger casualties in its wake than him.
With a 1-11 record in his time as a starter, Brissett last year will be under pressure to win. Not only is his likelihood of being a starting fantasy quarterback this year slim, but the chances of him holding the job all year are not great. His status on the team is tenuous. He is in the final year of his contract and holds a low salary cap hit this year. Projecting him to be the starter all year with starting numbers seems like folly.
VERDICT: I share Maurile and Andy's reticence, and currently project Brissett as a low-end QB2.
The NFL annals are littered with veterans who go on multi-month hot streaks, and we convince ourselves it's the new normal. The Arizona Cardinals are a team in major upheaval, and neither Mike LaFleur nor Nathaniel Hackett has a promising history as an NFL play-caller.