Ossenfort: Cards want Wilson ‘for a long time’

By all accounts, Wilson has been a beast on the field for the Cardinals through the early portions of camp, with multiple beat reporters hinting at the potential for him to end the 2026 season as the team’s leading wide receiver. The injury was not disclosed but Wilson was seen on the sideline in sweats cheering on his fellow receivers through position drills. It doesn’t appear to be something that could jeopardize his status as one of the team’s top pass catchers as the regular season inches closer, but fantasy managers will want to track his status in the coming days.

Weinfuss writes, “in theory, Harrison is Arizona’s WR1 based on draft status and pedigree,” but “Wilson may think otherwise.” Due to TE Trey McBride’s presence, it is “widely important” to establish which player is viewed as the top wide receiver because the “WR2 could, potentially, be the third receiving option, and the third receiving option doesn’t tend to get their fair share of passes.” Wilson has not yet received the contract extension he was hoping for this offseason, which counts against him in the pecking order. Still, it is worth noting that ESPN’s Cardinals beat reporter believes a competition could be underway soon enough.

Wilson told Weinfuss that he hopes to stay in Arizona long-term and that he knows last year’s 1,000-yard season will help him “a lot” in negotiations. It’s worth noting that this is only one side of the story and Wilson has no need to rock the boat in what would be a contract season, but it sounds like from Wilson’s point of view the Cardinals are engaged in active extension talks with him.

That is unfortunate. Wilson posted top-four NFL receiving marks in targets (87), receptions (56), receiving yards (775) and receiving touchdowns (six) from Weeks 11-18, powering fantasy managers to fantasy titles along the way. When asked whether he planned to offer Wilson an extension, GM Monti Ossenfort said Wilson “is about everything we want in our program to be about, and hopefully he is here for a long time.” It is tough to project Wilson’s 2026 outlook because, odds are, he will take a backseat to both TE Trey McBride and WR Marvin Harrison Jr. in the target pecking order.

LaFleur spent the last three seasons as Nacua’s offensive coordinator with the Rams. Taking on the Z-receiver role means that Wilson, 26, will have an easier time getting free releases because he gets to lineup off of the line of scrimmage. It’s great news, both for fantasy purposes and for Wilson, who is currently hoping for a contract extension. Wilson will also likely get opportunities to run routes from the slot. Wilson broke out in 2025, posting a 78/1,006/7 receiving line. Given the Cardinals’ unsettled quarterback situation, Wilson might prudently be viewed as a reliable FLEX option, but jumping up a tier or two is possible, depending on how the target pecking order shakes out between him, TE Trey McBride and WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

It’s an indirect answer, but it’s hard to read the gushing as a non-yes. Ossenfort also pumped up Paris Johnson Jr., who will likely have his fifth-year option picked up ahead of next season. Wilson is entering the final year of his rookie deal as a third-round pick and would be a priority to extend sooner rather than later. How big a price tag the Cardinals put on Wilson, should they get down this road, will tell us a lot about how they feel about him as a main cog in this offense next to Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr.

Wilson began the year in his usual, wind-sprinting role. He had eight catches for 52 yards through five weeks. Jacoby Brissett then took over and Wilson started stacking usable fantasy games before fully breaking out once Marvin Harrison Jr. went down. Wilson erupted for 303 yards on 25 receptions when MHJ missed two games with appendicitis. Harrison Jr.’s return relegated Wilson to field-stretching duties once again, though it didn’t last long. A heel injury knocked Harrison Jr. out for three of Arizona’s final five games. Wilson continued to feast once MHJ was back on the bench. He totaled a 46/597/4 line in just the games without Harrison Jr. That alone would have been his best season by catches and yards. Wilson’s breakout over the second half of the year made him one of the best waiver wire adds in recent memory and defined the fantasy football season. It also pushed him over 1,000 yards. Jacoby Brissett should be back for 2026, though we suspect the Cardinals will add at the quarterback position. Wilson’s splits with and without MHJ and Brissett will make him one of the most divisive fantasy players in early drafts.

Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said Harrison would continue to play through his heel injury this week if he was healthy enough. It turns out that the 23-year-old receiver isn’t healthy enough after hurting his other foot in the Week 17 loss to the Bengals. Harrison wasn’t having much of an impact with one catch in the last two games since returning to the lineup. With Harrison out, Michael Wilson is a must-start option for fantasy managers. Wilson is the WR3 over the last seven weeks behind only Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He needs 93 yards in Week 18 to have his first 1,000-yard season.

With Marvin Harrison Jr. active but barely playing through his heel injury, Wilson immediately resumed posting strong fantasy lines. He’s up to five touchdowns over the past four weeks. With MHJ once again leaving today’s game and all but certain to be shut down for Week 18 against the Rams, Wilson should be in for a big statistical day as he finds himself just 93 yards shy of 1,000 on the year.

Wilson made both catches count. On the Cardinals’ second drive, QB Jacoby Brissett targeted him down the right sideline from 32 yards out. The ball hit Wilson’s chest and headed toward the ground, but Falcons CB Coby Bryant’s left arm stopped it from hitting the ground as the two players tumbled into the end zone. Wilson unbelievably grabbed the ball before it made contact with the turf. The refs initially ruled it an incompletion, but the Cardinals successfully challenged the initial ruling, resulting in a touchdown for Wilson. Wilson later got open against Bryant via a double move, faking a post route at the top of the stem before breaking outward and hauling in the 20-yard catch. Wilson remains a WR2 against the Bengals next week.