The Las Vegas Raiders and Arizona Cardinals both hit reset this offseason, hiring Klint Kubiak and Mike LaFleur to revive offenses that badly needed direction. While the situations are different, the fantasy implications are massive. Kubiak steps into Las Vegas with the No. 1 overall pick and a clear path to installing a quarterback-friendly system built on timing, efficiency, and volume, exactly the kind of structure that fuels fantasy production. Meanwhile, LaFleur arrives in Arizona, inheriting elite pass-catching talent and the chance to modernize an offense that has underachieved despite high-end skill players
Fantasy Impact: Kubiak to the Raiders
Klint Kubiak’s meteoric rise as an offensive mind was cemented by his work in Seattle, where he helped maximize Sam Darnold and turned Jaxon Smith-Njigba into an elite duo that resulted in a Super Bowl appearance. That resume made him a finalist for multiple head coaching jobs, but Kubiak ultimately chose Las Vegas, and the reason is simple: quarterback control.
With the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Raiders can hand Kubiak the keys to the offense by selecting Fernando Mendoza, coming off a historic Heisman-winning, national-title season at Indiana. From a fantasy football Raiders lens, this pairing matters.
Kubiak’s system, rooted in his father Gary Kubiak’s principles and the Shanahan tree, emphasizes timing, rhythm, and easy completions that set up chunk plays. It doesn’t demand a cannon arm. It demands accuracy, processing, and ball placement. That is Mendoza’s game, and it’s why he projects as an immediate stabilizer for fantasy purposes, even as a rookie.
The ripple effects extend beyond the quarterback:
- Brock Bowers is the biggest fantasy winner here. Kubiak showed in Seattle that he’s comfortable funneling targets to one elite option. Smith-Njigba doubled (and in some cases tripled) the production of other Seahawks pass catchers. Bowers already led the Raiders in receptions and touchdowns despite missing time. Imagine him as the clear offensive centerpiece with better QB play. A top fantasy tight end outcome is firmly on the table.
- Ashton Jeanty should benefit from the shift to zone-heavy concepts. He struggled last year in a gap-based run scheme under Chip Kelly, often forced into predetermined lanes. Kubiak’s zone approach allows Jeanty to read, cut, and exploit space, something that can mask offensive line deficiencies. Even a marginal OL improvement could unlock RB1 weeks.
Overall, fantasy football Raiders managers should view 2026 as a full offensive reboot. Kubiak didn’t take this job without a quarterback plan, and all signs point to Mendoza being that plan. Volume, efficiency, and clarity of roles are coming. I am intrigued to see what the Raiders do at receiver in the draft.
Fantasy Impact: LaFleur to the Cardinals
LaFleur arrives after three seasons as the Rams’ offensive coordinator, where Los Angeles ranked near the top of the league in points, yards, and passing efficiency. While he didn’t call plays under Sean McVay, the scheme’s results speak loudly and LaFleur has called plays before, notably with the Jets (where quarterback circumstances did him no favors).
From a fantasy football Cardinals perspective, the skill-position environment is already loaded:
- Trey McBride is a fantasy cheat code. Coming off a 126-catch, 1,239-yard, 11-TD season, he’s the kind of tight end LaFleur can build an offense around. Expect heavy usage, motion, and mismatch hunting. TE1 overall is well within reach again.
- Marvin Harrison Jr. profiles as the X-receiver LaFleur has consistently leaned on in his career. His early production (103 catches, 1,493 yards, 12 TDs in 29 games) suggests he’s already matchup-proof. A more structured passing game could push him into elite WR1 territory.
- Michael Wilson will once again be a coveted receiver in this offense. LaFleur’s Rams offenses routinely supported multiple pass catchers, and Wilson’s ability to win downfield and in the intermediate areas fits cleanly.
The biggest variable and the biggest fantasy swing is Kyler Murray.
Murray’s efficiency has dipped since 2021, and injuries have limited his availability. However, LaFleur’s arrival offers a potential reset. His offense thrives on defined reads, play-action, and spacing elements that can simplify the game for Murray while boosting yards after catch for his playmakers. If LaFleur can rebuild that relationship and keep Murray healthy, Arizona could quietly become one of fantasy football’s most productive offenses alongside a strong ground game.
