December 27, 2025
Arizona Cardinals kicker
Chad Ryland is coming off his best fantasy performance of the year. The 26-year-old went four for six with a made extra point attempt during Week 16's matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. When the Cardinals' offense struggled to score touchdowns, Ryland stepped up to put points on the board. Ryland was able to show off his leg, making two 50-plus-yard field goals. Entering Week 17, Ryland and the Cardinals will face the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals' defense has struggled at times this year to stop offenses from moving the ball downfield. If the Cardinals' offense gets into a rhythm early, Ryland could find himself in field goal range quite consistently. Fantasy managers can insert Ryland into lineups as a viable streaming option in Week 17.
--Wyatt McClintockSource: RotoBaller
December 27, 2025
Arizona Cardinals tight end
Trey McBride is coming off his lowest fantasy performance of the season. McBride was unable to extend his NFL record for most consecutive games with at least five receptions, and it will end at 16 straight games. However, the 26-year-old remains the TE1 overall by a large amount and has outscored the TE2 by 83.4 PPR points this season. Entering Week 17, McBride is RotoBaller's No. 1 tight end across all formats in a positive matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals' defense has allowed the third-most receiving touchdowns and the sixth-most receiving yards this year. McBride could bounce back big on Sunday, and he remains a set-it-and-forget-it TE1 heading into Week 17.
--Wyatt McClintockSource: NFL.com
December 27, 2025
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver
Marvin Harrison Jr. (heel) was listed as questionable on the final injury report for the Cardinals' Week 17 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Since Week 10, Harrison has been in and out of the lineup due to an appendectomy, a concussion, and a heel issue that has lingered. In his absence,
Trey McBride and
Michael Wilson have produced big numbers with
Jacoby Brissett under center. The numbers fantasy managers had hoped to see out of Harrison in his sophomore season. Entering Week 17, Harrison will face a struggling Bengals secondary that has given up the third-most receiving touchdowns and the sixth-most receiving yards. If Harrison can play on Sunday, he could finally produce fantasy numbers that managers have been waiting for in a positive matchup. Harrison should be viewed as a WR3 with upside that can be placed in flex spots as needed during fantasy championships.
--Wyatt McClintockSource: Josh Weinfuss
December 27, 2025
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver
Michael Wilson has begun to level out over the last two weeks after putting up video game numbers on the stat sheet earlier this season. Despite a dip in production, Wilson has still managed to put up reliable WR2 numbers in the fantasy football playoffs. The 25-year-old is RotoBaller's 14th-ranked wide receiver in Half-PPR formats ahead of a favorable Week 17 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals' secondary has allowed the third-most receiving touchdowns and the sixth-most receiving yards this season. In a dream matchup, Wilson has the opportunity to put up arcade numbers in fantasy football championships. Even with
Marvin Harrison Jr. (heel) questionable to play Sunday, Wilson can still be plugged into fantasy lineups as a WR2 with confidence.
--Wyatt McClintockSource: Josh Weinfuss
December 27, 2025
Arizona Cardinals running back
Emari Demercado has been gradually reacclimated to the Cardinals' rushing attack after recovering from an ankle injury. In his two games back, Demercado has had six carries for 31 rushing yards and two catches for zero receiving yards. The 26-year-old has been heavily outsnapped and out-touched by fellow running back
Michael Carter since returning to action. Demercado and the Cardinals' offense will face a positive matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17. The Bengals' defense has struggled to stop running backs on the ground and in the air this year. They have allowed the most fantasy points to running backs and have given up 25.9 fantasy points per game this season, according to Pro-Football-Reference. However, Demercado should be viewed as a deep league desperation option in Week 17 because he hasn't been a reliable fantasy option since his ankle injury.
--Wyatt McClintockSource: Pro-Football-Reference
December 26, 2025
Arizona Cardinals running back
Michael Carter has seen double-digit carries in back-to-back games for the first time this season. The 26-year-old finds himself as the Cardinals' RB1 after the team has lost fellow backs
James Conner (foot),
Trey Benson (knee), and
Bam Knight (ankle) to season-ending injuries. Carter enters Week 17 as RotoBaller's 23rd-ranked running back in Half-PRR formats with a favorable matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals' defense has struggled to stop running backs on the ground and in the air this year. They have allowed the most fantasy points to running backs and have given up 25.9 fantasy points per game this season, according to Pro-Football-Reference. Carter is an RB2 with upside that can be fired up as a flex option in fantasy championships in Week 17.
--Wyatt McClintockSource: Pro-Football-Reference
December 26, 2025
Arizona Cardinals quarterback
Jacoby Brissett has been a pleasant surprise for fantasy managers in the 2025 season. Not only has he become a consistent streaming option, but he has managed to take the Cardinals' passing attack to the next level. The 33-year-old had his first misstep in Week 16 against the Atlanta Falcons, and finished outside of the Top-12 quarterbacks for the first time since becoming the Cardinals' starting quarterback in Week 6. Heading into Week 17, Brissett is RotoBaller's ninth-ranked quarterback in a favorable matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals' defense has allowed the third-most passing touchdowns and the sixth-most passing yards this season. In an expected high-scoring game on Sunday, there should be plenty of points to go around on the field and fantasy scoreboards for fantasy football championships. Brissett can comfortably be interested in lineups as a QB1 in Week 17.
--Wyatt McClintockSource: NFL.com
December 26, 2025
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver
Michael Wilson has been seeing a significant boost in usage during the second half of the season. Over the last six games, Wilson has seen double-digit targets in four games. The biggest reason for his increased involvement is that
Marvin Harrison Jr. (heel) continues to miss time due to injuries. Over this six-game span, Harrison has only played in two of those games. He's currently questionable for the Week 17 matchup versus the Cincinnati Bengals. If Harrison remains out, Wilson is likely going to continue being the favorite target of quarterback
Jacoby Brissett. Fantasy managers will need to check for an update on Harrison before plugging Wilson into their lineups on Sunday. Even if Harrison is active, Wilson projects to be a mid-range WR2 and is 16th in the latest RotoBaller rankings for Week 17.
--Andy WebbSource: Pro Football Reference
December 26, 2025
Head coach Jonathan Gannon notes that Arizona Cardinals wide receiver
Marvin Harrison Jr. (heel) is steadily progressing while dealing with a lingering heel issue. The Ohio State alum has battled a heel injury for the better part of a month now. After a few weeks of no practice, Harrison returned to the field in Week 16 to log three limited sessions before also having his reps capped in the Cards' 26-19 loss to the Falcons last Sunday, in which the second-year pro recorded his lowest snap total of the campaign. Per Gannon, Harrison "had a good day of work" on Thursday, and appears to be trending toward playing again in Week 17. However, it's unclear if he'll still be on a snap count. As it stands, fantasy managers should continue to monitor the 23-year-old ahead of his outing with Cincinnati this Sunday.
--Alex CiullaSource: Tyler Drake
December 26, 2025
Arizona Cardinals quarterback
Jacoby Brissett enters Week 17 as a QB1 against the Cincinnati Bengals, who allow the fourth most fantasy points to quarterbacks on the season. Week 16 was underwhelming for Brissett, as he threw for only 203 yards and one touchdown with an interception. Before Week 16, Brissett had finished as a QB12 or better on the week in nine consecutive contests since he took over as the starter in Week 6, and he deserves a pass for his poor showing in Week 16, where he only scored 11.62 points. Looking forward to Week 17, he should be fired up with confidence as
Marvin Harrison Jr. is back from injury and should help the offense even more, combined with his rapport with
Trey McBride and
Michael Wilson, which has allowed Brissett to elevate his play and make both of those players tremendous fantasy assets during the second half of the fantasy season. On the season as a whole, Brissett has thrown for 2,911 yards and 19 touchdowns with seven interceptions in 12 games played. RotoBaller ranks Brissett as the QB9 this week.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: RotoBaller
December 24, 2025
Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said on Wednesday that safety Budda Baker (concussion) came in this week with concussion symptoms and is now in the league's concussion protocol, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. Baker played 68 defensive snaps in Sunday's loss to the Atlanta Falcons, but the 29-year-old suffered a head injury and is now up in the air to be active for a Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Cardinals are eliminated from playoff contention, so expect them to be cautious in bringing Baker back for the final two games of the 2025 regular season. If Baker misses this weekend's game against the Bengals, Kitan Crawford would be in line to start at free safety for the Cardinals. Fantasy managers in IDP leagues should be searching for backup options if Baker is ruled out.
--Keith HernandezSource: AZCardinals.com - Darren Urban
December 24, 2025
Arizona Cardinals running back
Michael Carter had 11 carries for 65 yards in the 26-19 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The Cardinals have been decimated by injuries this season, especially in their RB room.
James Conner (ankle),
Trey Benson (knee), and
Bam Knight (ankle) are all on injured reserve, leaving Carter and
Emari Demercado as the two lead backs. Carter played 54% of the snaps and led the team in carries, while Demercado played 30% of the snaps. Their Week 17 matchup brings some upside, as they face the Cincinnati Bengals, who have allowed the most fantasy points to running backs this season. While he entered the season as an afterthought in Arizona, he could determine fantasy championships this week and offers low-end RB2 value against this struggling Bengals defense.
--Nathan HarveySource: Pro Football Reference
December 23, 2025
Arizona Cardinals quarterback
Jacoby Brissett had a rough week against the Falcons in Week 16, but he should be poised to bounce back in a big way against the Bengals in Week 17. Brissett has thrown multiple touchdowns in eight of his previous nine games, but he only threw for one score and a season-low 203 passing yards last week against Atlanta. The Bengals have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season, allowing 30 QB touchdowns (passing and rushing) in 15 games, along with an average of 256 passing yards per week. In what should be a much better matchup, Brissett can be a great addition and streaming play in Week 17 if you need help at the position.
--Zach ThompsonSource: ESPN
December 22, 2025
The Washington Commanders are signing quarterback
Jeff Driskel off the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad, according to Ben Standig of The Athletic. Driskel served as Washington's QB3 last season and knows how to operate in Kliff Kingsbury's offense. This move adds much-needed depth to an injury-plagued quarterback room in Washington. With
Marcus Mariota's (hand) availability unclear and
Jayden Daniels being sidelined for the rest of the season, Driskel could be forced to slide into the QB2 role. Washington is playing on a short week and will be facing off against division rival Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Day. On a quick turnaround, Washington likely wanted to bring in someone who has been around their offense to back up
Josh Johnson.
--Wyatt McClintockSource: Ben Standig
December 22, 2025
Arizona Cardinals running back
Michael Carter filled in as the starter in Week 16 for the team's banged-up backfield, and he had a solid game against the Falcons. He took 11 carries for 65 yards but failed to catch either of his two targets or get into the end zone. Carter played well ahead of
Emari Demercado and
Corey Kiner and will likely lead the backfield committee again in Week 17 with
James Conner,
Trey Benson, and
Bam Knight all on the shelf for the rest of the season. Carter and the Cards get a favorable matchup in Week 17 against the Bengals, so if you need some emergency help in the backfield, he's a solid streaming option with touchdown-dependent upside in Week 17.
--Zach ThompsonSource: ESPN
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