2026 Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals will be without Froholdt, their starting center, against a Rams team that is likely to rely on its ground game and ascending defense while navigating pass-catcher injuries. This makes life a little harder for rookie QB Carson Beck, who will make his first NFL start this week.

Just weeks after earning a rare blurb from us here at Rotoworld, Higgins followed up his blurb-worthy performance with a three-year extension. The 26-year-old tight end has caught 18 passes for 162 yards and one touchdown this season, and is a year removed from the 30-301-0 line he posted last year. With the Cardinals hurting at receiver, it’s possible Higgins could see an expanded role going forward, especially after signing this deal, which can net him up to $26.8 million.

Froholdt is the Cardinals’ starting center and is trending to miss Week 10 against the Rams as he deals with a concussion. Backup interior offensive lineman Jon Gaines (ankle) also missed practice, leaving the Cardinals’ offensive line depleted with a matchup against Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald coming up this week.

With Jacoby Brissett in Baltimore and Gardner Minshew out because of a UCL injury, the Cardinals are already down to their third-string quarterback. It was almost a given that Beck would start at some point this year, though we imagine head coach Matt LaFleur didn’t think it would be this soon. Beck played well in his lone preseason appearance, throwing for 188 yards and a score. While he’s not much of a streaming option this week, he should be good enough to keep Trey McBride at the top of the TE1 ranks, especially with Michael Wilson done for the year.

Wilson suffered a fracture in his neck on the fourth play of Week 9. He somehow finished the game but was placed on season-ending injured reserve after testing revealed the full extent of the injury. The good news is that this doesn’t sound like it will change the outlook of his career. He will be back next season as the Cardinals’ top wideout unless they make a big splash at his position in the offseason.

Officially he’ll miss at least four weeks, but Adam Schefter reports he’s not expected to play again this season, which essentially confirms that he tore his UCL without actually confirming it. There’s no current timeline for his return.

If this proves to be the case, then Minshew played the entire second half with the injury, gutting things out for the Cardinals against a top-notch Seahawks defense. Minshew will undergo more tests to confirm the severity of his injury, but it now looks as if the Cardinals will be turning things over to rookie third-round pick Carson Beck, who threw for 188 yards and one touchdown in his lone preseason game. Beck could be in for a rough few weeks, and the Cardinals’ receiving corps looks suddenly depleted with Marvin Harrison Jr. now on the Texans and Michael Wilson (neck) and Kendrick Bourne (leg) both done for the season.

Minshew took a hard hit to his right elbow/arm in Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks and is now undergoing tests to determine the severity of his injury. He managed to play through the game, but if he is unable to go in Week 10 against the Rams, rookie Carson Beck would be in line to make his first career start. Minshew threw for 166 scoreless yards against a stout Seahawks defense, but led a comeback victory in just one half of play against the Cowboys the previous week. With recent reports of Michael Wilson (neck) being lost for the season, both Minshew and Beck would be best left on waivers this week.

It’s a tough and unexpected loss for the Cardinals, and Wilson, who was not reported to have suffered any injury after the game. Wilson was on track for another solid season after breaking out for 76-1,006-7 last season. He was averaging a solid 9.8 targets per game this season, and never saw fewer than seven targets in any game. Wilson signed a three-year, $75 million contract extension earlier this offseason and will hopefully recover in time to be back for the start of training camp next season. Now without the top three receivers they opened the season with, the Cardinals will likely lean on the trio of Harrison Wallace III, Reggie Virgil, and Simi Fehoko for the remainder of the season.

We don’t believe him. But it really doesn’t matter because Beck will get his chance at some point in the coming weeks. The Cardinals’ rookie looked good in the preseason Hall of Fame game, though it is unclear whether he can do enough to warrant QB2 treatment as a pure pocket passer. The Cardinals’ schedule softens after matchups against the Rams and Chiefs over the next two weeks. Beck should have a chance to play in Week 12 against the Commanders, if not sooner.

The lone incompletion directed toward McBride came on the team’s final play of the game when the veteran tight end was unable to corral an end zone target that was thrown slightly behind him on fourth and goal. McBride combined with alpha wide receiver Michael Wilson to account for 15 targets on 30 Minshew pass attempts, something we’d expect to continue forward give the current state of the team. The Cardinals get another difficult matchup against the Rams in Week 10, where McBride will remain a surefire TE1 in fantasy circles.

The lone Gardner Minshew incompletion directed toward Wilson was an end zone target late in the fourth quarter, a miss that would have salvaged a usable fantasy outing for the veteran receiver. Wilson was responsible for nearly one third of the total offensive output from a Cardinals offense that was held to under 200 yards by the stingy Seattle defense, finishing second on the team in targets behind the eight of tight end Trey McBride. He remains an upside WR2 ahead of another difficult test against the Rams in Week 10.

In what was the first game as the clear starter for the Cardinals in the absence of both Jeremiyah Love and Bam Knight, Allgeier was contained to only 2.7 yards per carry as the offense managed under 200 yards of total offense against the stingy Seattle defense. Fantasy managers that were quick to scoop Allgeier off of waivers heading into Week 9 are surely to be disappointed with the returns, particularly considering Knight had largely outperformed the former prior to missing Week 9 with a concussion. Expect a near-even split backfield once Knight returns, which appears likely to be in Week 10 when the Cardinals face another difficult test in the Rams.

To be fair, the matchup in Week 9 was far different than the one Minshew erupted in last week, with the Seattle defense placing the clamps on the Cardinals from the first kick, holding them to just 198 total yards of offense on the down night. The only points mustered came on the team’s first possession, with three of their five first half possessions resulting in three-and-outs. The Cardinals saw the football only thrice following the break, getting stopped after achieving first and goal from the four on their final possession of the game. It was an outing to forget for all parties. Minshew remains likely to be the starting quarterback, at least in the immediate future, but the looking presence of rookie Carson Beck could be accelerated if the former returns more games like this one. Up next for the Cardinals are the Rams in Week 10, where Minshew will be nothing more than a streamer in two-quarterback leagues.

To no one’s surprise, the Cardinals hung up the phone in record time. Even as a perennially rebuilding franchise, Arizona was never going to trade arguably the league’s best tight end in the middle of his prime. Schefter added that the Cardinals have “checked in around the league on tight ends.” Evan Engram has a measly 13 catches for 136 yards this year and Denver’s passing attack has taken a step back despite acquiring Jaylen Waddle in the offseason. Dallas Goedert is the biggest name believed to be available at tight end ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. On an expiring contract, he wouldn’t cost the Broncos much. Carolina tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders is likely on the trade block as well.

Wilson caught 8-of-15 targets for 111 yards and a touchdown in the Cardinals’ Week 8 win over the Cowboys while playing through a pair of broken ribs. The Cardinals kept him limited all week. He should be good to go for WR2 duties against the Seahawks’ elite defense this week.

Wilson will face the Seahawks this weekend, barring a setback. It’s a tough matchup, but Wilson’s target volume keeps him worth of remaining in starting lineups. Wilson showed decent chemistry with Gardner Minshew last week, which was nice to see, now that Jacoby Brissett is headed to the Ravens.

Virgil practiced fully after colliding with the goalpost in the Cardinals’ Week 8 win over the Cowboys. It’s a good sign that his back is not a major issue heading into the week. He’s in line to play in Week 9 against the Seahawks.

LaFleur could only say the team was taking things “week to week” when asked if Conner will play this year. It sounds like the veteran running back may ultimately miss the entire season. With Jeremiyah Love on IR, Tyler Allgeier will handle the bulk of the backfield touches versus Seattle.

The Cardinals’ offensive line has been slowed by injuries this season. Adams’ return is good news. It is unclear whether he will be able to play this week, but he will be back within 21 days at the very least.