Arizona Cardinals DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo has named veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett the starter for the Week 1 contest against the Cincinnati Bengals, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye will start his pro career in the backup role. This has been the expectation this offseason and Maye is viewed as a project QB, while Brissett can stabilize the position early in the 2024 campaign. Although Brissett has had some success during his career, New England is lacking established weapons on offense and could rely heavily on Rhamondre Stevenson and the running game. That said, it would be a surprise if the 31-year-old is high on the fantasy football radar in single-QB leagues. Fantasy managers in Superflex and two-QB leagues could target Brissett as a late-round short-term starter, but Maye should also be stashed in those setups.

The New England Patriots released kicker Chad Ryland on Tuesday, according to a source. Ryland has officially lost the starting kicking competition in New England to Joey Slye and will now be looking for work elsewhere. The 24-year-old was the Patriots' starting kicker in 2023 after being drafted in the fourth round out of Maryland. He made just 64% of his 25 field-goal attempts in his rookie season while making 24 of his 25 extra-point tries for a bad offense. Ryland could end up rejoining the team's practice squad, but he's obviously not even close to being fantasy relevant. Slye, 28, made 79.2% of his 24 field-goal attempts for the Washington Commanders in 17 games last year, missing three of his 35 extra-point tries. Fantasy managers should avoid Slye in pretty much all formats in 2024.

New England Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett (shoulder) said he feels "100% fine" after being pulled from the preseason finale on Sunday against the Washington Commanders with a right-shoulder injury. "It's good. I think it was more of a precautionary measure; I hadn't gotten hit in eight months, so it kind of surprised me more than anything. I'm excited, ready for the season," Brissett said. Head coach Jerod Mayo said Brissett could have gone back into the game if needed. The 31-year-old veteran should be fully ready for Week 1 in two weeks, but he may have lost the starting QB gig to rookie first-rounder Drake Maye, who has outplayed Brissett of late. If Brissett is starting in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals, it's because the Pats want to give Maye a bit more time to develop before throwing him into the fire. At best, Brissett is a low-upside QB2 in superflex fantasy leagues.

The Arizona Cardinals released running back Michael Carter on Tuesday. Carter was clinging to a roster spot behind James Conner, Trey Benson, Emari Demercado, and DeeJay Dallas. Carter joined the Cardinals in the middle of the 2023 season and recorded 22 carries for 149 yards and no touchdowns in six games with the team. He was unlikely to factor into the offense in 2024 despite a solid preseason.

New England Patriots veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett (shoulder) left the team's preseason finale early on Sunday night against the Washington Commanders after his opening drive, but he could have returned if needed, according to head coach Jerod Mayo. It's an injury that shouldn't keep Brissett from being available for the Week 1 regular-season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 8. The bigger concern for the 31-year-old signal-caller is that rookie first-rounder Drake Maye has outplayed him for much of training camp and the preseason, and it feels as though things are trending towards the Patriots naming Maye as their Week 1 starter. Even if Brissett is given the Week 1 start so that Maye is allowed more time to learn on the sidelines, the veteran is no more than a QB3 option in superflex leagues and will probably be on the bench sooner than later in 2024.