Every week, Mike Johrendt breaks down one of the new coaching changes from across the NFL, focusing on scheme fit, player usage, and the dynasty fantasy football impact for 2026 and beyond.
Mike LaFleur will be tasked with turning around the misfortunes of the Arizona Cardinals as he steps into his first-ever head coaching gig. Using the no. 3 overall selection on Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, the Arizona offense is looking to re-establish its identity as it’s still without a quarterback of the future.
🔗 Build Your Dynasty
Arizona Cardinals
2026 Coaching Staff: HC Mike LaFleur, OC Nathaniel Hackett, DC Nick Rallis
Previous Staff: HC Jonathan Gannon, OC Drew Petzing, DC Nick Rallis
A 3-14 finish in 2025 ended the Jonathan Gannon experience for the Cardinals, as their defensive-minded head coach wasn’t the right fit. Between needing to oversee quarterback issues with Kyler Murray, and navigating a maligned defense that whiffed on a few top picks, it was consistently an uphill battle for Gannon to turn this roster around.
Last year was a bit of a lost season for developing the core of this team, evidenced by Jacoby Brissett stepping in as the team’s starting QB for most of the year. While we were able to see Michael Wilson ascend into WR1 status when Marvin Harrison Jr. was out/struggling, the offense lacked a lot of firepower.
Defensively, there really isn’t a lot to be excited about, even as old man Budda Baker continues to lead this unit from his safety spot. Rookie cornerback Will Johnson looks like he can be a piece to build around on the defense, and big-money free agent Josh Sweat looked good in his first year with the franchise, but a lot of holes need to be fixed heading into the 2026-27 season.
Major Fantasy Implications
| Arizona Cardinals | Fantasy Football Outlook |
|---|---|
| Offensive Philosophy | McVay/Shanahan-influenced run game with pre-snap motion |
| Biggest Winner | Jeremiyah Love |
| Sneaky Winner | Michael Wilson |
| Biggest Question | Quarterback stability |
| Dynasty Watch | Trey McBride’s target ceiling |
Mike LaFleur’s Coaching Background
LaFleur is an offense-minded coach, most recently serving as the offensive coordinator under Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams. There, LaFleur was a catalyst for some of the NFL’s best offenses, including last season, when Los Angeles produced one of the best pound-for-pound units.
It will be a shift for LaFleur as he takes the reins in Arizona, taking over play-calling duties for the first time since his days with the New York Jets. Coaching under McVay allowed LaFleur to learn a ton under one of the league’s best offensive minds, but it never afforded him the consistent opportunity to call plays during games.
The Cardinals will need to do more with less in LaFleur’s first year, as the offense will be tasked with playing from behind more often than not. Their early investment in Love is questionable to say the least, as they had far bigger holes to plug on their roster, but a heavy reliance on the run game can be expected for this offense.
Mike LaFleur’s Offensive Scheme
As a disciple of both the McVay and Shanahan ways of offense, LaFleur has quite an extensive lineage of offensive playcalling. While that isn’t to say that LaFleur will be the next McVay running an offense, after leading the NYJ offense for two seasons and then latching onto McVay, he has been down this path before.
For LaFleur, expect the pre-snap window dressing that McVay utilizes almost every play. Expect a passing attack designed to put his top target, Trey McBride, in a position to see 100+ targets in a season. Expect the scheme to rely heavily on the run game, which also means using Love in the passing game as an exciting weapon out of the backfield.
Passing Game Impact
As maligned as the QB room is, there are enough pieces in place to run LaFleur’s offense well enough. With Brissett looking like the favorite to be the team’s main starter (provided his contract situation is figured out) and both Gardner Minshew and rookie Carson Beck providing depth, there really isn’t much to look forward to with this group.
But as was the case last year, all pass catchers ate well in the Arizona offense, especially with how often they faced a deficit. Look for a shotgun-driven game plan once deficits reach double digits, likely alternating between long route combinations and short route trees.
There is a canyon full of differences between the Rams and Cardinals’ offenses, especially in the passing game. And while no one is remotely comparing anyone on the Arizona offense to Puka Nacua or Davante Adams, both Harrison and Wilson can fill the roles of the two superstar wide receivers in LaFleur’s offense.
A big element of LaFleur’s offense is his reliance on running backs catching passes out of the backfield. Love is clearly the best option of the crowded group, so don’t be surprised if the top-drafted RB is heavily integrated into the passing game to maximize his impact on the offense.
Running Game Impact
LaFleur relies on his Shanahan background to build his run game—centered on a zone scheme that opens up holes on a one-cut basis. This means the offensive line will need to open cutback lanes for Love and be mobile at the point of attack, something rookie lineman Chase Bisontis will help with.
But outside of Bisontis and left tackle Paris Johnson, the offensive line needs some work. While that isn’t to say that Love will suffer greatly from the lack of talent on the OL, it certainly will contribute to his stat line this year. Even with Arizona playing from behind in many of their 2026 contests, they still expect establishing the run to be a major focus this year.
New Fantasy Additions
Jeremiyah Love
Drafting a running back third overall in the current state of the NFL isn’t common, so it becomes obvious what LaFleur and the Cardinals have in mind for Love. Expect a heavy dosage of Love right out of the gate, which would buck the trend of rookie running back usage of late.
- The Rams averaged 27 rush attempts per game (5th-most in 2025) and ran the ball on 43.7 percent (10th-fewest) of their plays last year, an offense where LaFleur was offensive coordinator but didn’t call plays
- Los Angeles led the league in 13 personnel (1 RB/3 TEs) plays, having run 30.5 percent of their offensive plays out of this formation, which lends itself to a run-leaning formation
Michael Wilson
Wilson ascended into one of Brissett’s favorite targets last year, almost doubling his previous career high in receiving yards. Having crossed the century mark for the first time (1,006 receiving yards), Wilson finished as the WR10 last year, supported by 5 weeks of 10-plus targets (5 weeks where Marvin Harrison Jr. didn’t record a reception).
Expecting another WR1 finish is highly unlikely from Wilson, but he has definitely solidified himself as a WR3/FLEX option every week moving forward, provided Brissett remains QB1.
- In the 6 weeks that Marvin Harrison Jr. didn’t record a reception/missed time, Wilson averaged 13 targets, 8.5 receptions, and 114.5 yards while scoring 5 touchdowns
- In the other 11 games that Harrison Jr. recorded at least 1 reception, Wilson’s averages dropped to 4.2 targets, 2.4 receptions, and 29 yards while scoring 2 times
Kendrick Bourne
Arizona decided to bypass all major offensive additions in free agency this offseason, adding only former Niners pass catcher Kendrick Bourne on a two-year deal. Having played a complementary role in San Francisco, Bourne joins another NFC West team, shoring up their wide receiver depth chart. While he isn’t fancy on paper, Bourne has the upper hand as Arizona’s WR3, a role that has some fantasy relevance to it.
- Bourne put up the third-most receiving yards (551) in his career last year, averaging 10.4 yards per target, the second-highest mark of his career
Biggest 2026 Takeaways
It will be another tough year for Arizona, as they will likely finish at the bottom of the NFC West. They have enough firepower on offense to make things fun for dynasty purposes, even if the high-octane passing output doesn’t roll over in the same fashion as it did last season. You should be able to count on McBride to feast yet again this year, and with the pecking order of the wide receiver room set with Harrison and Wilson, there are three pass catchers that can be counted on next year.
- McBride is the only weapon relatively unchanged in this offense, as he is a QB-proof asset that will benefit from whoever is throwing him the ball
- Brissett is the best option at QB for this offense to be fantasy-relevant, although rookie Carson Beck will likely see snaps at some point
- The balance between Harrison and Wilson will remain tough to predict this year, so pencil in Harrison as a WR2 and Wilson as a WR3 to start the year
- Love’s workload will increase as the season progresses, but he is absolutely expected to have a role right out of the gate in Week 1
Take Control of Your Dynasty Today
Want to see where your lineup stacks up? Start building like the pros with our most powerful tools and resources:
👉 It’s time to take control of your dynasty and see where your lineups truly rank.
