Jacoby Brissett Heads to Baltimore as the Ravens Finalize a Trade With Arizona: What It Means for Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers and the Ravens' Fantasy Outlook

The Baltimore Ravens are finalizing a trade with the Arizona Cardinals for veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett, according to reports from ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport on Wednesday. The move comes days after Lamar Jackson was placed on injured reserve with a thumb injury that needs surgery and Tyler Huntley was lost for the season with turf toe. For fantasy managers, the deal does not change Thursday night: undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano still starts against Jacksonville. It does change the outlook for Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers and the rest of the Baltimore offense from Week 10 on.

As of Thursday morning, neither team had announced the trade and the compensation had not been reported as final. One projection from Arizona's side expects a low Day 3 pick, but that is an estimate, not a confirmed term. Treat the deal as close to done, not official, until the league processes it.

Why Baltimore made the call

The Ravens are 4-4 and staring at a quarterback room that, a week ago, nobody in Baltimore could have imagined. Jackson is on IR. Huntley is done for 2026. Head coach Jesse Minter confirmed on Tuesday that Fagnano, an undrafted rookie out of UConn, will make his first NFL start on Thursday Night Football against a 5-2 Jaguars team that is laying around 10 points at M&T Bank Stadium.

Brissett gives Baltimore a floor. He has started more than 70 NFL games and knows how to operate a structured offense without turning the ball over in bunches. There is also a direct connection: Ravens quarterbacks coach Israel Woolfork held the same job in Arizona last season, so Brissett arrives already familiar with the language and the coaching voice in the room.

Reports indicate Brissett is not expected to be in uniform for Thursday's game. His likely debut is Week 10, when the Ravens host the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football, which gives him a long week (11 days after Thursday's game) to learn the offense.

What Arizona is giving up

Brissett lost the Cardinals' job in dramatic fashion in Week 8. He was pulled late in the third quarter at Dallas after going 10 of 23 for 119 yards and an interception, and Gardner Minshew led four straight touchdown drives to force overtime in a 33-30 Arizona win. Minshew was named the starter going forward, and the Cardinals moved quickly to turn a surplus veteran into a draft pick.

Through eight games this season, Brissett's line was modest, which tells you exactly what he is: a caretaker, not a difference-maker.

That is roughly 215 yards per game with more than one touchdown per start. Not exciting, but meaningfully better than what a rookie making his first career start is likely to provide.

Fantasy fallout: Derrick Henry

Henry is the biggest winner of the trade, with a caveat. In the short term, Thursday's matchup is brutal: Jacksonville has one of the better run defenses in the league, and Baltimore is a heavy underdog, which threatens the game script that Henry needs. Expect the Ravens to lean on him early to protect Fagnano, but if the Jaguars build a lead, the volume can evaporate quickly.

From Week 10 on, Brissett should help. A veteran who can complete short and intermediate throws forces defenses to respect something other than the run, which means fewer eight-man boxes for Henry. Keep Henry in lineups as an RB2 with touchdown upside. The other storyline to watch: ESPN's Dan Graziano floated Henry as a possible trade candidate if Baltimore falls to 4-5, and the Ravens' decision to acquire Brissett is a signal that the front office still intends to compete, which lowers the odds of a Henry sale before the November 10 deadline.

Fantasy fallout: Zay Flowers and the pass catchers

Flowers is the player most hurt by Jackson's injury and the player who gains the most from Brissett's arrival. With Fagnano, Flowers is a low-end WR3 at best for Thursday; the volume should be there, but the efficiency and the deep shots will not. With Brissett, Flowers moves back toward WR2 territory, because Brissett's game is built on getting the ball to his top option in rhythm on short and intermediate routes, and that suits Flowers' after-the-catch profile.

The tight ends and secondary receivers follow the same pattern: downgrade for Thursday, modest upgrade from Week 10. Nobody behind Flowers should be in a fantasy lineup in standard formats until we see Brissett run this offense.

Should you add Brissett?

Only in superflex and two-quarterback leagues. In those formats, Brissett is a priority add today, because he projects as a weekly starter for a team with real weapons, and quarterback-needy superflex managers rarely find a starter on waivers in November. In one-quarterback leagues, he is a streaming option at best and should not be rostered over a bench running back with upside.

Fagnano is a hold only in deep superflex leagues through Thursday, and a drop afterward once Brissett is confirmed as the starter.

Betting angle

The Thursday line already reflects the worst-case quarterback situation: the Ravens opened as a small home favorite and moved to a road-favorite-sized number for Jacksonville, with the total dropping sharply from its opener. Brissett's arrival does not affect that game. Where it matters is Week 10 against the Chargers and beyond, when the market will need to price a Brissett-led Ravens team that is meaningfully more functional than the Fagnano version. If the Week 10 lookahead line still reflects Thursday's version of the Ravens, that is the spot to watch.

For the model's view of Thursday night and the rest of the slate, see the weekly picks page at /blog/nfl-week-9-picks-2026 and the live board at /nfl/predictions.

What's next

The trade should become official in the coming days, once compensation is finalized and Brissett passes a physical. The Ravens will then need a roster move. Watch for two things: whether Baltimore adds a third quarterback for depth, and whether the front office stays in buy mode before Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline. A 4-4 team that just traded for a stopgap quarterback is a team that still sees a path to January, and that matters for every Raven on your fantasy roster.