Don't Doze: NFC West

By: Josh Frey-Sam

We continue our Don’t Doze series with the NFC West, which consists of a Super Bowl favourite, the reigning Super Bowl champions, a favourite for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 Draft and a team with one of the widest ranges of outcomes this season.

Let’s get into it.

Arizona Cardinals: Carson Beck, QB

It’s not a matter of if, but when we see Beck this season.

The third-round pick will start the year as the third-string QB behind Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew, but with the Cards expected to be in the running for a top-five pick, they will want to see what Beck can offer before they turn the page to potentially looking for their next franchise QB.

The downside is we don’t know when Beck’s time will come. It could be in the last month of the season, which will make him difficult to trust as the fantasy playoffs begin. But if he starts half the season, he could show enough to prove he’s worth rostering.

Part of the intrigue for his fantasy production is the talented group of weapons he’ll have at his disposal. You could do a lot worse than Trey McBride, Jeremiyah Love, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson as a starting situation for a rookie.

Then there is what I expect to be a porous defence that will put Beck in a lot of favourable situations to boost his passing numbers.

Beck doesn’t provide any value as a rusher, but he took big strides as a passer last year at Miami that could translate quickly when given the opportunity.

Of course, you won’t draft Beck unless you’re in a deeper superflex league, but this is just one name to remember as we progress through this season.

Los Angeles Rams: Terrance Ferguson, TE

Ferguson is one of my favourite late-round picks in best ball leagues. The second-year pro is also an intriguing dart throw in the last round of redrafts.

Yes, Ferguson is effectively the third TE on the Rams’ depth chart, but it’s no surprise that Sean McVay deployed three-TE sets regularly last season, and that has every reason to continue in 2026.

What makes this interesting for Ferguson is that while he is technically a TE, he’s effectively a big-body WR who can give the Rams a mismatch in the passing game.

McVay won’t deploy him as an inline TE. Instead, he’ll line him up in the slot to leverage his excellent route-running ability over a linebacker or his size over a defensive back.

Ferguson, who missed three games due to injury in his rookie season, caught just 11 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns last year, but he began to see more snaps late in the regular season and made good on the opportunity.

From Weeks 16-17, he drew eight targets, catching five passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns.

While Colby Parkinson and Tyler Higbee could see more snaps than Ferguson this year, Ferguson is undoubtedly the most dynamic of the bunch, and with the Rams opting not to address the WR room this off-season, I think that is another sign that McVay has more in store for Ferguson in Year 2.

San Francisco 49ers: De’Zhaun Stribling, WR

It caught me a bit off guard last month when I asked beat writer Grant Cohn about his thoughts on Stribling as a prospect, and one of the first things he said was that he thinks Stribling could see significant snaps in his rookie season.

With Mike Evans and Ricky Pearsall locked in as the top two WRs, and Christian Kirk also in the fold, Stribling projects to start the year as the No. 3/4 option on the depth chart.

However, as Grant explained, the fact that the Niners traded up to take Stribling with the first pick of the second round says a lot about how they view him and perhaps the fragility of this WR room.

At 6-2, 207 pounds, Stribling is one of the bigger targets available to Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy, and the early impressions he made in mini-camp and OTAs were that he was a prospect who was ready to make an immediate impact.

While Stribling could overthrow Kirk as the clear No. 3 option, it could take an injury to Evans or Pearsall before he sees a significant share of the targets, but if history is at all telling, it won’t come as a shock if Evans or Pearsall have to miss time.

Stribling could be a late-round dart throw, but it’s more likely that you’ll want to see how quickly he can get on the field before making a waiver claim.

Seattle Seahawks: Elijah Arroyo, TE

Another young, second-round TE who could see a second-year breakout.

Arroyo was an intriguing, physically gifted TE prospect when the Hawks drafted him last season, but injuries and the presence of AJ Barner derailed any hopes of him making a significant impact.

Now entering his second year under new OC Brian Fleury, there is a thought that the Hawks may run more two-TE sets this season, which would pave the way to potential breakout for Arroyo.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the clear No. 1, and it can be argued that Barner is actually No. 2 in the pecking order to receive targets. With Cooper Kupp and Rashid Shaheed as the other two weapons at the top of the depth chart, Arroyo could slide himself into the No. 3 option in this passing attack.

Don’t draft him, but be ready to strike on the waiver wire.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh