| News |
|---|
|
Pharaoh Brown Pharaoh Brown Logs seven appearances in 2025
Sun, Jan 18, 2026, 10:23 PM
Brown reeled in both of his targets for one yard in seven regular-season appearances in 2025.
Analysis: Brown spent the offseason and preseason with the Dolphins before getting released during roster cut downs in late August. He then joined the Cardinals in mid-October after TEs Tip Reiman (ankle) and Travis Vokolek (neck) landed on injured reserve. Arizona used its three elevations on him before he was signed to the active roster for good in early December, but he remained well behind Trey McBride, Elijah Higgins and Josiah Deguara in the pecking order for offensive snaps. Brown is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, so it remains to be seen where he'll be plying his wares in 2026. |
|
Josiah Deguara Josiah Deguara Records rare TD in 2025
Sun, Jan 18, 2026, 10:21 PM
Deguara secured three of five targets for 21 yards and one touchdown in 12 regular-season contests in 2025.
Analysis: Deguara was one of seven Cardinals to record a receiving TD this past season, which marked his first end-zone visit since he was a member of the Packers in 2021. However, he never garnered a snap share greater than 18 percent in any of his appearances and enters the offseason as an unrestricted free agent, so he may need to prove himself elsewhere after spending the last two years in Jacksonville (2024) and Arizona. |
|
Elijah Higgins Elijah Higgins Has career year in 2025
Sun, Jan 18, 2026, 10:20 PM
Higgins caught 30 of 37 targets for 301 yards and no touchdowns in 17 regular-season games in 2025.
Analysis: Higgins set new career highs in all major receiving categories but touchdowns in 2025, his third season as a pro, but most of his output occurred during a 7-91-0 outburst on eight targets in Week 16 against the Falcons. Otherwise, he didn't find much sway in the Cardinals offense behind No. 1 TE Trey McBride, reaching 30 receiving yards in a game only three other times. Along with McBride and Tip Reiman (ankle), Higgins is under contract with Arizona in 2026, meaning he'll remain a tertiary target in the offense with WRs Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison (foot) also still on board. |
|
Jalen Brooks Jalen Brooks Notches three catches in 2025
Sun, Jan 18, 2026, 10:17 PM
Brooks tallied three catches (on six targets) for 51 yards and 10 kick returns for 254 yards in five regular-season appearances in 2025.
Analysis: With all of Marvin Harrison (foot), Greg Dortch (chest) and Zay Jones (Achilles) being placed on injured reserve in the second half of the campaign, Brooks received regular run over the final five games but didn't do much with the increased workload as WR Michael Wilson and TE Trey McBride dominated the attention of QB Jacoby Brissett. Brooks is one of seven wide receivers under contract with the Cardinals in 2026, so he at least should be in the mix for reps along with Xavier Weaver behind Harrison and Wilson, barring other additions at the position this offseason. |
|
Xavier Weaver Xavier Weaver Gets more run in second season
Sun, Jan 18, 2026, 10:15 PM
Weaver compiled seven catches (on 13 targets) for 67 yards and two kick returns for 51 yards in 10 regular-season contests in 2025.
Analysis: Prior to Week 11, Weaver earned a scant 22 offensive snaps in four appearances, but in the six games in which he was available after that point, his weekly snap shares ranged from 44 to 78 percent. He played second fiddle, at best, in the receiving corps behind Michael Wilson, who emerged as the Cardinals' No. 1 WR in the second half of the campaign while Marvin Harrison battled first a heel injury and then a foot issue, but Weaver made only minimal marks in box scores. A 2024 undrafted free agent, he heads into the offseason as one of seven wide receivers under contract for Arizona, but considering two of those are Wilson and Harrison, Weaver doesn't have much upward mobility in this offense. |
|
Greg Dortch Greg Dortch No action after Week 13
Sun, Jan 18, 2026, 10:12 PM
Dortch (chest) hauled in 29 off 33 targets for 206 yards and three touchdowns, notched seven carries for 15 yards and another TD and turned 31 kick returns into 811 yards and 15 more punt returns for 185 yards in 12 regular-season games in 2025.
Analysis: Dortch didn't see any game action after Week 13 due to a chest injury, spending the rest of the campaign on injured reserve, but he served as the Cardinals' primary returner and a regular option at wide receiver before that point. Overall, he recorded a new career high in touchdowns with four and also reached 200 receiving yards for a fourth straight season. Dortch is a pending unrestricted free agent, so he should handle return duties, at least, wherever he lands this offseason. |
|
Ihmir Smith-Marsette Ihmir Smith-Marsette Signs with Arizona
Wed, Jan 14, 2026, 12:15 PM
The Cardinals signed Smith-Marsette to a reserve/future deal Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Analysis: Smith-Marsette spent the 2025 season as a member of the Giants' practice squad and was not elevated for any games. The return specialist played in 15 games for the Giants during the 2024 campaign, logging 381 kick return yards and 228 punt return yards over 135 special-teams snaps. |
|
Emari Demercado Emari Demercado Closes season with quiet showing
Wed, Jan 7, 2026, 9:28 AM
Demercado rushed twice for 29 yards and caught his lone target for 28 yards in Sunday's 37-20 loss to the Rams. He finished the season with 44 rushes for 312 yards, adding 13 receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown on 20 targets across 13 games.
Analysis: Demercado had an underwhelming 2025 campaign despite being given more opportunities than expected when both James Conner (foot) and Trey Benson (knee) were lost early in the season. The third-year running back shared backfield duties with Michael Carter and Bam Knight for most of the season, limiting his fantasy production. Demercado will enter the 2026 offseason as a restricted free agent, giving the Cardinals the opportunity to match any potential offers from other teams in free agency. With Knight also set to become a restricted free agent and Carter becoming an unrestricted free agent, it remains to be seen how this backfield will shake out and if Demercado will be back with the team next season. |
|
Michael Carter Michael Carter Minimal production in season finale
Wed, Jan 7, 2026, 8:35 AM
Carter rushed seven times for 18 yards, adding three catches for 21 yards in Sunday's 37-20 loss to the Rams. He finished the season with 92 rushes for 333 yards and one touchdown, adding 33 receptions for 267 yards on 45 targets.
Analysis: Despite an uneven 2025 campaign, Carter finished the season as the team leader in carries, rushing yards, targets, receptions and receiving yards. The 26-year-old was forced into a bigger role in the backfield when teammates James Conner (foot) and Trey Benson (knee) were lost early in the season. Alongside Emari Demercado and Bam Knight, Carter handled backfield duties for a significant part of the season, allowing him to show off his abilities ahead of the 2026 offseason, in which he will become an unrestricted free agent. Though it is unclear if he'll be back with Arizona, the North Carolina product has likely done enough to garner interest from teams around the NFL as a versatile rotational player out of the backfield. |
|
Jacoby Brissett Jacoby Brissett Career year in Arizona
Sun, Jan 4, 2026, 8:48 PM
Brissett completed 22 of 31 pass attempts for 243 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while gaining 19 yards and losing a fumble on three carries in Sunday's 37-20 loss to the Rams.
Analysis: Brissett rallied Arizona in the second half with touchdown passes to WR Michael Wilson and TE Josiah Deguara to give his club a 20-16 lead. That woke up Matthew Stafford and the Rams' offense, who then responded with three touchdowns to hand the Cardinals their ninth-straight loss to end the year. Brissett was one of the few bright spots for Arizona in a forgettable 2025 campaign. The journeyman backup took over for an injured and struggling Kyler Murray back in Week 6 and played so well that head coach Jonathan Gannon named Brissett the starter for the rest of the year. The 32-year-old Brissett became a hot fantasy add while posting career highs in passing yards (3,367) and touchdown passes (23) across 12 starts. Both Murray and Brissett are under contract with the Cardinals for the 2026 season, so it will be interesting to see how the franchise handles its QB situation this upcoming offseason. |
|
Trey McBride Trey McBride Finishes second in NFL with 126 catches
Sun, Jan 4, 2026, 7:49 PM
McBride had seven receptions on eight targets for 65 yards in Sunday's 37-20 loss to the Rams.
Analysis: Fresh off setting a new league record for catches by a tight end in a single season last week, McBride shifted his focus on Sunday to the league lead in receptions for all position players. Arizona's star tight end entered Week 18 in a tie for first place with Rams wideout Puka Nacua, but it was the latter who finished the contest with more receptions and first-place honors. McBride's 126 grabs across 17 starts were still good enough to earn second place, finishing one catch ahead of Cincinnati's Ja'Marr Chase this regular season. The 25-year-old McBride corrected the red-zone woes that plagued him early in his career (six TDs in first three seasons) with a whopping 11 trips to the end zone in 2025. The breakout fantasy star accomplished all of this while catching passes from two different starting quarterbacks, so expect McBride to remain productive in 2026 whether it is Kyler Murray, Jacoby Brissett or another signal-caller under center for Arizona. |
|
Michael Wilson Michael Wilson First 1,000-yard season of career
Sun, Jan 4, 2026, 7:14 PM
Wilson had five receptions on eight targets for 99 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 37-20 loss to the Rams.
Analysis: WR Marvin Harrison was officially placed on IR after reinjuring his heel in Week 17, affording Wilson the opportunity to ball out in his teammate's absence like he already had on multiple occasions this season. The 25-year-old Wilson experienced a true breakout campaign after reaching 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his three-year career. A significant portion of Stanford product's 78-1,006-7 line came in games that either QB Jacoby Brissett started or Harrison missed due to injury, so Wilson's 2026 outlook will hinge greatly on how committed the franchise will remain to the underperforming duo of Harrison and Kyler Murray. Wilson will enter next season playing on the fourth year of what now feels like an undervalued rookie contract. |
|
Steven Sims Steven Sims Elevated for Week 18
Sat, Jan 3, 2026, 3:47 PM
The Cardinals elevated Sims from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday ahead of Sunday's game against the Rams.
Analysis: Sims is set to play his third consecutive game for the Cardinals. The 28-year-old is likely to serve as the Cardinals' kick and punt returner for Sunday's game, as he has logged 187 kick return yards and five punt return yards over the last two contests. The wide receiver also has upside as the fifth receiving option behind Michael Wilson, Xavier Weaver, Jalen Brooks and tight end Trey McBride. |
|
Marvin Harrison Marvin Harrison Officially shifts to IR
Fri, Jan 2, 2026, 2:53 PM
The Cardinals placed Harrison (foot) on injured reserve Friday.
Analysis: Harrison's placement on IR is no surprise, given that he was ruled out for Week 18 on Wednesday by head coach Jonathan Gannon. The second-year pro is dealing with a foot injury suffered during Arizona's loss to the Bengals in Week 17, but there have not yet been any indications that the issue is anything that could impact his participation in the team's offseason program. Across a disappointing sophomore campaign in which injuries limited him to just 12 regular-season appearances, Harrison secured 41 of 73 targets for 608 yards and four touchdowns. |
|
Marvin Harrison Marvin Harrison Ruled out for Week 18
Wed, Dec 31, 2025, 10:55 AM
Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said Wednesday that Harrison (foot) will not suit up for Sunday's regular-season finale on the road against the Rams, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.
Analysis: Harrison will miss Arizona's final game of the 2025 campaign due to a foot injury suffered versus Cincinnati in Week 17, a contest in which he played just 33 percent of offensive snaps and failed to secure his only target. That wraps a disappointing second professional season for the 2024 first-round pick, who concludes the year with a 41-608-4 receiving line on 73 targets across 12 regular-season appearances. Prior to his current foot issue, a heel injury limited Harrison to just three appearances after Week 10, across which he combined for just seven catches for 83 yards. Harrison fading down the stretch has paved the way for WR Michael Wilson to emerge as a legitimate playmaker alongside TE Trey McBride, both of whom will will remain the clear top targets for QB Jacoby Brissett in the Cardinals' regular-season finale against a Los Angeles squad that may have nothing to play for in terms of playoff seeding should the 49ers defeat the Seahawks on Saturday night. |
|
Jalen Brooks Jalen Brooks No targets in Week 17
Tue, Dec 30, 2025, 2:11 PM
Brooks wasn't targeted during Sunday's 37-14 defeat in Cincinnati.
Analysis: Brooks has garnered offensive snaps in four straight games for the Cardinals, but his shares have ranged from five to 71 percent on a weekly basis. He rang in at 30 percent Sunday behind Michael Wilson (86 percent), Xavier Weaver (67 percent) and Marvin Harrison (33 percent). Because Harrison's status for the regular-season finale at the Rams is up in the air after emerging from Week 17 with a foot injury, Brooks could be poised for more snaps this weekend, but his output so far in Arizona (3-51-0 on six targets) isn't appealing for fantasy purposes. |
|
Xavier Weaver Xavier Weaver Makes two catches in Week 17
Tue, Dec 30, 2025, 2:07 PM
Weaver recorded two catches (on three targets) for 24 yards during Sunday's 37-14 defeat at Cincinnati.
Analysis: Weaver ranked second among Cardinals wide receivers in offensive snap share (67 percent) behind Michael Wilson (86 percent), which was somewhat aided by Marvin Harrison's (33 percent) early exit in the fourth quarter after he suffered what eventually was called a foot injury (as opposed to his lingering heel issue). The workload was Weaver's third highest of the campaign, and the second-year pro actually set a career high in receiving yards Sunday. Even if Harrison is inhibited or sidelined Week 18 at the Rams, Weaver is an unlikely candidate to produce in that contest considering Wilson and TE Trey McBride have been absorbing most of the targets down the stretch of the current campaign. |
|
Elijah Higgins Elijah Higgins Held without catch Sunday
Tue, Dec 30, 2025, 2:05 PM
Higgins didn't haul in his only target during Sunday's 37-14 loss at Cincinnati.
Analysis: After racking up a career-best 7-91-0 line on eight targets Week 16 against the Falcons, Higgins fell back to earth this past Sunday, notching no catches for the third time in 16 games this season. Because he routinely is a distant second to Trey McBride in the TE pecking order in Arizona, Higgins doesn't hold much sway in an offense that also has seen WR Michael Wilson emerge as one of QB Jacoby Brissett's favorite targets over the last seven games -- Wilson has 80 targets to McBride's 73 during that span. Higgins' recent eight-target performance aside, he has only nine total targets in the other six contests in that stretch, keeping him firmly out of fantasy consideration heading into Sunday's road matchup with the Rams. |
|
Emari Demercado Emari Demercado Compiles seven touches in Week 17
Mon, Dec 29, 2025, 10:58 PM
Demercado turned five carries into 11 yards and gathered in two of three targets for nine yards during Sunday's 37-14 loss at Cincinnati.
Analysis: Demercado actually paced Arizona's backfield with a 53 percent snap share ahead of Michael Carter's 44 percent and Corey Kiner's four percent, but game script resulted in the Cardinals attempting 37 passes versus just 13 combined runs. Carter tallied seven rushes for 29 yards to lead the team on the ground and also added two catches (on four targets) for 14 yards. Since Bam Knight (ankle) joined James Conner (foot) and Trey Benson (knee) on injured reserve after Week 15, Demercado has notched just 12 touches for 50 total yards over the last games, leaving him on the outside looking in to fantasy relevance Week 18 against the Rams. |
|
Marvin Harrison Marvin Harrison Could play Week 18
Mon, Dec 29, 2025, 3:58 PM
Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said Monday that Harrison (heel) will suit up for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Rams "if he is healthy enough to play," Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.
Analysis: Harrison has at least not yet been ruled out for Week 18, which is encouraging. He missed Weeks 14 and 15 due to a heel injury before he was cleared to suit up for each of Arizona's next two games. He then was forced off the field Week 17 versus Cincinnati due to an apparent aggravation of that issue. Gannon said Monday, however, that Harrison is dealing with a foot injury. It appears as though Harrison's availability for Week 18 will come down to the extent of his practice activity Wednesday through Friday. |
Connect With Us:
