Jacoby Brissett Fantasy Overview

Production & Fantasy Finishes

Brissett took over for an injured Kyler Murray in Week 6 last year. Over the final 12 games, he averaged:

• 280.5 passing yards
• 1.9 TDs
• 0.7 INTs
• 13.8 rushing yards
• 0.1 rushing TDs

Brissett ranked eighth among QBs in fantasy points per game over that stretch. He finished as a top-12 fantasy QB in 10 of those 12 outings, although he never finished better than QB6.

Usage & Role

Brissett benefited from big volume in his 12 starts. His 484 pass attempts over that span led the league, 46 ahead of any other QB. He ranked second to Matthew Stafford with 40 throws into the end zone.

Brissett also led all QBs in expected fantasy points per game from Week 6 on.

Efficiency & Regression

Brissett posted middling efficiency marks last year:

• 64.9% completion rate (18th among 32 qualifying QBs)
• 6.9 yards per attempt (20th)
• 4.7% TD rate (20th)

Brissett ranked 22nd among those 32 QBs in Pro Football Focus passing grade.

Offensive Context

The Cardinals ranked first in pass rate (68.6%) across Brissett’s 12 starts. No other team threw on more than 63.4% of their plays over that span.

That was largely by design. Arizona ranked first in neutral pass rate (65.8%) and pass rate over expected (+7.1%) with Brissett at the helm. The pass rate also got a boost from negative game script. The Cardinals went 1-11 in Brissett’s starts.

Historical Production & Trends

Last year's 12 starts were Brissett's most since 2019. He's spent most of his 10 NFL seasons as a backup and has made double-digit starts just four times. Here is where he finished in fantasy points per game in those seasons:

• 2017: 27th
• 2019: 28th
• 2022: 37th
• 2025: eighth

Brissett's career 61.9% completion rate and 6.6 yards per attempt both sit well below league average.

Projected Role & Competition

The rebuilding Cardinals appear set to enter 2026 with Brissett as their starter. They released Murray in March and only added free-agent Gardner Minshew and rookie Carson Beck.

Minshew is on his sixth team in eight NFL seasons. Minshew beats Brissett in career completion rate (63.1%) and yards per attempt (6.9). But there’s been no indication that he’s a real threat for the starting job.

Beck looks like a better bet to see the field this season. He made 43 starts across six college seasons, completing 69.5% of his passes at 8.4 yards per attempt. But the fact that he fell to the third round of the draft says the league doesn’t think he’s likely to develop into a full-time starter.

We only expect Beck to take the field this year if Brissett struggles or if (when) the Cardinals fall out of contention.

Supporting Cast

Arizona’s top three targets return for 2026: Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Michael Wilson.

McBride has emerged as one of the league’s top TEs, with 237 catches and 2,385 yards over the last two seasons. He averaged 7.6 yards per target from Brissett last year.

Harrison has been relatively disappointing through two NFL seasons. But he’s provided big-play pop (14.5 yards per catch) and scored 12 TDs in 26 games.

Wilson was one of the biggest surprises of 2025, tallying a 78-1,006-7 receiving line. Most of that production came when Harrison was out. But Wilson finished a solid 29th among 76 qualifying WRs in Pro Football Focus receiving grade.

The Cardinals bolstered their weaponry by using the third overall pick on RB Jeremiyah Love. He projects as a three-down contributor right away. Love caught 55 balls at 9.4 yards per catch across his final two seasons at Notre Dame.

There’s little to get excited about behind those four guys, but it’s a strong pass-catching corps at the top.

The offensive line looks shakier. Last year's unit ranked 21st in ESPN's pas- block win rate and 27th in PFF pass-blocking grade. Arizona added free-agent G Isaac Seumalo and second-round rookie G Chase Bisontis, but this still projects as a subpar line.

Coaching & Offensive Scheme

Arizona features a new coaching staff led by HC Mike LaFleur, who is expected to call offensive plays.

LaFleur spent the past three years as Rams OC but did not call plays. He also spent seven seasons working under Kyle Shanahan from 2014 to 2020.

LaFleur’s only play-calling experience came with the Jets in 2021 and 2022. Both teams finished bottom-8 in total yards and points, although it’s tough to pin too much blame on LaFleur when his QBs were Zach Wilson, Mike White, and Joe Flacco.

LaFleur’s offenses were relatively balanced in run/pass split, registering pass rates over expected of +3.9% and -0.6%.

Considering LaFleur’s history, the team’s personnel, and the likelihood the Cardinals won’t be good, expect a balanced to pass-leaning offense this season. But don’t expect them to throw anywhere near as much as they did last year.

Paths to Ceiling

We saw Brissett's ceiling last year. This group gives him a path to low-end QB1 production, but he'd need huge pass volume to get there again.

Risk Factors

Brissett has spent most of his career as a backup. His career completion rate and yards per attempt sit below average. Last season marked the first time he was a consistent fantasy asset.

On a rebuilding Cardinals team, it’s easy to see Brissett giving way to Beck around the middle of the season, if Beck proves ready for duty.