Fantasy Football Draft Guide 2024: NFC West Coaches & Their NFL Systems

When it comes to your fantasy football research, there is no better tool in our Fantasy Football Draft Guide than this article series breaking down every NFL coaching system. 

The base knowledge provided becomes a springboard for everything you do between now and that final week when your fantasy football championship trophy is raised. Once you learn the basic concepts of a team’s offensive scheme, it becomes significantly easier to identify which players become legitimate draft day targets, which players you should pick up off the fantasy football waiver wire and which players you want in your starting lineups each week. The knowledge even carries you beyond this season.

Imagine having the base knowledge and then tracking NFL offseason coaching movements? It becomes easier to identify which players to target for offseason trades in keeper and dynasty leagues. It also helps understand which fantasy football rookies to target after the NFL Draft.

Don’t get me wrong – there are plenty of other exciting fantasy tools here at Fantasy Alarm to help guide you to a championship. The Dynamic Tier Rankings are fantastic for proper roster construction on draft day, as well as figuring out the types of players you should be targeting on waivers. We have League Sync to help you organize your teams, a fantasy football trade analyzer to help you in-season, a start/sit tool to help you with your weekly decisions and even a Strength of Schedule grid to help you identify favorable matchups as the season progresses.

But for me, it starts with the coaching schemes. Learn them and your entire fantasy football existence will change for the better. As we dive into another division, allow me to direct you to the glossary of terms and personnel packages found in the AFC East coaching breakdown. Bookmark it if you need to as it makes for a great quick-reference guide.

2024 Fantasy Football: NFC West NFL Coaching Systems

Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Offensive Breakdown

We enter Year 2 of Drew Petzing’s offense here in Arizona, as head coach Jonathan Gannon is a defensive guy who was happy to put his trust in his offensive coordinator. Petzing, who spent years with Kevin Stefanski in Minnesota and followed him to Cleveland, installed an up-tempo, west coast offense with a lot of RPO work and a wide-zone blocking scheme. They use the run to set up the pass and like to use a lot of multi-TE sets to get those extra blockers on the line.

The bonus of using a wide-zone blocking scheme is that it pushes the play to the outside where the running back will either beat everyone to the edge and turn up the field, or he has the option to cut back and go inside the pulling tackle. When you mix this with a lot of RPO work, it tends to open up wider rushing lanes which means bigger chunk yardage. James Conner thrived in this system last season and actually ranked ninth in breakaway-run rate. He will lead this backfield again and has an immediate handcuff in rookie Trey Benson, who, depending on how they split workload, could also have some standalone value.

The passing attack is about to take another step forward. The RPO work is going to freeze the linebackers and safeties which will open up plenty of options for Kyler Murray who now has an elite receiving weapon in Marvin Harrison The rookie is a multi-faceted receiver who can handle both underneath and downfield work. He’s explosive and should be a favorite target for Murray.

The west coast passing (short, high-percentage) and multi-TE sets tells me Trey McBride will, again, be a PPR darling handling a ton of the underneath work. He’ll be joined by either Greg Dortch or Zay Jones while Michael Wilson will be a strong downfield threat opposite Harrison.

Overall, this offense is going to dramatically improve this season. The weapons are better than last season and the level of comfort these guys will now have in this offense should help things click even faster. Maybe that’s why we see so many #FAmily members investing in Murray, MHJ, McBride and the rest. Smart folks.

• Players Who Best Fit The System: James Conner, Trey Benson, Marvin Harrison, Trey McBride
• Worst Fits For The System: Kyler Murray

Cardinals Defensive Breakdown

• Defensive Front: 3-4 With Multi-Front Looks
• Secondary: Mix Of Man & Zone Coverages
  • Man Coverage: 16.3% (27^th)
  • Zone Coverage: 82.3% (5^th)

It was not a good year for the Arizona defense in 2023. By season’s end, they ranked 31st in points allowed (455), 29th in yards allowed per play (5.7), 28th in takeaways (17), 31st in first downs allowed (369), last in rushing yards allowed (2,434), 20th in passing yards allowed (3,613), 30th in sacks (33), 31st in QB pressures (98) and last in QB knockdowns (23). Pretty surprising, considering the defensive mind of Jonathan Gannon, but he and his defensive coordinator Nick Rallis ran into a few issues in their first year they’re hoping to correct this season.

First off, they dealt with a rash of injuries. Nothing you can do about that. It happens. Second, they installed a brand-new NFL system filled with a ton of nuances and different coverage schemes the players struggled to grasp. And third, the overall personnel. It just wasn’t as strong as they would have liked.

Fast forward to this year where the Cardinals spent a ton of draft capital on defensive players, primarily in the secondary, and spent the entire offseason making sure everyone was familiar with the terminology, the play calls, the pre- and post-snap adjustments, etc. They expect marked improvement this season.

Up front, they will use a 3-4 base and added Bilal Nichols, Justin Jones and Khyiris Tonga to the interior. Gannon and Rallis prefer big bodies capable of occupying multiple gaps and allowing the edge rushers to do their job. They also added DE Darius Robinson with their first-round pick who, alongside BJ Ojulari and Zaven Collins, will handle the pass rush and outside work when they opt to use a four-man front. The personnel repairs on the defensive line will allow the linebackers to fall back into coverage more, something both Gannon and Rallis prefer.

In the secondary, we will see a mix of man and zone coverage. Gannon likes for his corners to be physical and will leave them in press-man coverage to allow for the safeties to be more versatile. You will see two-high safeties initially, but then he’ll drop linebackers into coverage to free one of them up to confuse the quarterback. They struggled in this system last year, but we got another personnel makeover as they drafted Max Melton, Elijah Jones, Dadrion Tayor-Demerson and Jaden Davis. Budda Baker and Sean Murphy-Bunting will help lead this group of defensive backs, but overall, the collective group will hopefully land on the same page in training camp and this defensive unit will thrive.

• Players Who Best Fit The System: Zaven Collins, Kyzir White, Budda Baker
• Worst Fits For The System: Jalen Thompson, Justin Jones

Los Angeles Rams

Rams Offensive Breakdown

Sean McVay’s offense is one of the most copied in the NFL right now. After his first year with the Rams, every assistant who worked with McVay was landing a coaching or coordinator job and using his system as their base. Some tweaks were done here and there as everyone likes to put their own stamp on things, but the base was always McVay’s NFL system.

Since it’s a west coast offense that uses the pass to set up the run, we’ll start there. McVay uses 11-personnel almost exclusively though he will splash in some four and five-receiver sets from time to time. He will also, on rare occasions, use some 12-personnel, but given the way he likes to bunch receivers up and send most of them downfield, that is not something we worry too much about. Unless, for some reason, you think Tyler Higbee should be owned, which… he shouldn’t be. 

The reason McVay likes the multi-receiver sets and bunch his guys up is that defenses focus so much on the receivers headed downfield that the one who runs an underneath route is usually left in one-on-one coverage, sometimes by a linebacker who has no business covering a receiver. Think about how many times you’ve watched a Rams game and asked yourself, “how in the world Cooper Kupp gets open so often?” This is why. Well, one of the reasons.

As for the ground game, this is pretty interesting. Traditionally, McVay used a wide zone blocking scheme which pushes the runner to the sideline, and he either can beat everyone to the edge and run up field or choose to cut back inside the tackle and find himself running in space. Because of the multi-receiver sets, the defense is stretched horizontally and those running lanes get super wide. However, smart defensive coordinators caught on and started focusing their defense to stifle the outside runs. In turn, McVay made an adjustment of his own.

Credit offensive line coach Ryan Wendell for bringing another option to the table in the form of some hybrid power/gap blocking. This is obviously in conjunction with the wide-zone, so in essence, two blocking schemes. The power/gap rendition is called “duo” which is a straight-up blocking technique that gives the illusion of pass blocking. That dupes the linebackers and safeties and when the runner straight ahead as opposed to the sidelines. Kyren Williams found plenty of running room this way and will, again, prove the naysayers wrong. Yes, Blake Corum will be able to do this as well and probably will to some degree, but there is definitely an element of surprise with Williams, who is likely the primary pass blocker in the backfield as well.

What more can you say? This is a fantastic NFL system and the fact that McVay lets it evolve is probably what makes it so dangerous. Draft Kyren Williams with confidence but be sure to handcuff Corum later in the draft. Both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua have shown they both thrive in this scheme, so drafting either works, though my personal preference is the discount you get on Kupp. Nacua in the first round seems like we’re drafting his ceiling. Now healthy, I think Kupp balls out this year.

• Players Who Best Fit The System: Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams
• Worst Fits For The System: Stetson Bennett

Rams Defensive Breakdown

• Defensive Front: 3-4 With Multi-Front Looks
• Secondary: Match-Zone Coverage
  • Man Coverage: 15.8% (28^th)
  • Zone Coverage: 82.1% (6^th)

With Raheem Morris and several of his assistants now in Atlanta, McVay promoted linebackers coach Chris Shula to defensive coordinator with the hopes that the scheme wouldn’t change, and the defense would have an easy transition. From everything I’ve studied, that does seem to be the case, though a few personnel changes do require Shula to tweak the game plan just a little.

It starts with the front seven and the loss of Aaron Donald on the defensive line. The Rams have typically played in a 3-4 base and while that will remain the base, we expect to see a number of four-man fronts. Donald was such an elite defender and capable of not only rushing the passer, but occupying multiple gaps at once; they’re going to need some help in replacing him. To do so, they drafted Jared Verse and Braden Fiske who were defensive line teammates at Florida State, so the familiarity with each other’s styles and tendencies should help.

Shula does like to blitz, so we can definitely expect to see an array of blitz packages with pressure coming from a variety of angles. Shula likes for his linebackers to be versatile, so who drops back into coverage and who rushes the passer will be different every time. Keep an eye on the front seven in camp and see how they are shaping up against the run. If this is a run defense we can target in fantasy in 2024, we should know relatively early.

As for the secondary, we are looking at a Cover-2 base, but the Rams play a match-zone which just means the coverage plan changes based on what they are reading pre-snap. If they’re facing a team that uses a lot of pre-snap motion, they will oftentimes fall into man coverage until the ball is snapped and fall into their coverage zones from there. The addition of Tre’Davious White, coupled with the return of Darious Williams, should help a unit that finished 20^th against the pass last season. 

• Players Who Best Fit The System: Ernest Jones, Byron Young, Jared Verse
• Worst Fits For The System: Kamren Curl, Quentin Lake

San Francisco 49ers

49ers Offensive Breakdown

Have you ever seen the movie Multiplicity with Michael Keaton? Highly underrated flick. The reason I bring it up is because it is the perfect (and hilarious) example of how the quality of something dissipates the more times you make a copy and that is exactly what we are seeing around the NFL. Look at all the offenses around the league – Miami, Houston, New Orleans. All of them are run by former assistants of 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and while they are all finding their own success, the copies are never as good as the original.

To help combat all the copying and to stay ahead of the NFL curve, Shanahan routinely changes things up, though the base scheme remains the same. Shanahan uses a west coast offense that uses the run to set up the pass. He likes to use zone-blocking schemes, usually to the outside, and he loves the short, high-percentage passing to help move the chains and set up bigger, chunk-yardage plays. He tasks his quarterback, Brock Purdy, to get rid of the ball quickly and get it into the hands of his playmakers. Simple enough, right? So how does he always manage to stay ahead of defenses and keep the 49ers among the top-ranked teams in the NFL? Let’s dive into what we’re seeing for 2024.

The ground game is all about Christian McCaffrey. Duh. He remains the 1.01 for me in any format and is absolutely dominant in Shanahan’s outside-zone blocking scheme. The dude can catch some passes too, amirite? There’s really not a lot to say, except for the fact that, at 28-years-old and with another 300-plus touch season, you may want to think about handcuffing him. Most will turn to Elijah Mitchell and if you’re working off a short bench/small roster, he’s worth the look, but don’t sleep on Isaac Guerendo who they took in the fourth round of the NFL Draft this year. The former Louisville back has the size to take it between the tackles, but also has the speed to thrive in this outside-zone scheme. 

A key factor to always remember when looking at Shanahan’s ground game is the heavy reliance on the fullback. We’ve watched Kyle Juszczyk set up as both a blocker and, at times, a pass catcher, over the years and that won’t change. He’s fantastic as a lead blocker and if Shanahan can squeeze in a few gimmicky plays, he will. Keep in mind that this means a lot of 21-personnel which is a two-receiver set. Not that you were looking too hard at Jauan Jennings, but you should always know what personnel packages are favored.

Where Shanahan does change things up to stay ahead of the league is typically found in the passing game. In years past, Shanahan was using a lot of pre-snap motion and had his quarterback under center most of the time. He also used a lot of play action and had them looking downfield for deeper throws. Right now, he’s more than content to use the shorter, more intermediate routes and get the ball into the hands of Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, allowing them to pick up more yards after the catch. 

He also uses his key playmakers as interchangeable cogs in the machine. He’ll use Deebo in the backfield while lining up both McCaffrey and George Kittle out wide. He’ll also use Juszczyk as an in-line tight end. If other NFL coaches and coordinators want to copy that, they’re going to need different personnel. Maybe that’s why we are seeing guys like Jayden Reed, Curtis Samuel and even Tank Dell doing more Deebo-like things on the field.

• Players Who Best Fit The System: Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel
• Worst Fits For The System: Joshua Dobbs, Ricky Pearsall

49ers Defensive Breakdown

• Defensive Front: 4-3 Base
• Secondary: Cover-3 Zone & Man-Coverage Mix
  • Man Coverage: 21.8% (18^th)
  • Zone Coverage: 77.8% (13^th)

The 49ers head into the season with another change at defensive coordinator. But unlike the previous season, this change was prompted by Shanahan, who was unhappy with the defense Steve Wilks was running. He promoted defensive assistant Nick Sorenson, but he also brought in former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley to serve as an assistant head coach in charge of the defense. The two have some different philosophies, so this should be interesting to see how things play out.

The front seven is expected to play in a 4-3 base this season. In previous years, they would use a 4-2-5 formation, but with the loss of Arik Armstead on the defensive line, the Niners lose some of their versatility and are going to need that extra linebacker to help stop the run and/or pressure the quarterback. They have some solid pieces like Leonard Floyd and Maliek Collins, but replacing Armstead is pretty tough.

The secondary is probably where we are going to see the biggest clash between Sorenson and Staley. Sorenson likes to use Cover-3, the coverage his predecessors have used, but Staley has always been a man-coverage guy. He’ll park two safeties up high and allow them to help out the corners where it is needed. The current roster of defensive backs, however, are built more for zone than they are man, so we’ll see how this goes early on.

• Players Who Best Fit The System: Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, Charvarius Ward
• Worst Fits For The System: Leonard Floyd

Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks Offensive Breakdown

Welcome to your new-look Seattle Seahawks, everyone! There’s no more Pete Carroll and no more Shane Waldron. They start from scratch with former Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald taking over as the new head coach and him bringing in former University of Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb to handle the same job here in Seattle. Macdonald understands his strengths lie on the defensive side, so Grubb has carte blanche in building his offense.

It starts with the passing attack and Grubb likes to run an Air Raid offense that spreads the field. We expect to see a lot of three and four-receiver sets so he can spread the defense both horizontally and vertically. He also likes to play an up-tempo style so the pace will be very fast, something he prefers as it gives the defense little time to prepare for what’s coming. And one other thing he likes to use – misdirection. Lots of misdirection. 

One of the things that made Grubb’s offense so effective in college was that he had receivers running routes specifically to pull coverage away from where he wanted the quarterback to throw the ball. You’ll see a lot of vertical routes being run, but at the same time, you’ll also see crossing routes, drag routes and other intermediate passing concepts. He’ll identify the coverage, use a lot of pre-snap motion to get the defense to tip its hand and then have his guys run routes to pull defenders away from where he ultimately wants the ball to go.

Now, where the ball ultimately goes will be based on what he sees from the defense, but his goal is to get his primary target in one-on-one coverage. Yes, having multiple receivers on the field means the ball could be going anywhere, but if you watched Rome Odunze in this scheme in college, you’ll see that Grubb likes to feature one talent over the rest. This is why you see DK Metcalf so high up in my fantasy wide receiver rankings. 

As for the ground game, don’t think that just because this is an Air Raid/Spread scheme that the rushing attack will be ignored. It’s actually closer to the opposite as Grubb knows you need to run the ball effectively in order to keep the passing attack going. Grubb used to be an offensive line coach, so he is more than familiar with designing blocking schemes. He’s going to use zone blocking, both inside and outside, but you can also expect him to mix in some power runs. The pace is going to be taxing on the offensive line, so I could see him making in-season adjustments based on how the line is performing.

• Players Who Best Fit The System: Kenneth Walker, DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba
• Worst Fits For The System: Geno Smith, Noah Fant

Seahawks Defensive Breakdown

• Defensive Front: 3-4 
• Secondary: Man/Zone Mix With A Cover-4 Lean
  • Man Coverage: 12.4% (31^st)
  • Zone Coverage: 87.2% (2^nd)

This is where Mike Macdonald will shine the brightest. He’s spent nine years with the Ravens with the last two as their defensive coordinator and has routinely turned out one of the fiercest defensive units in the league. He will call the plays and control the defense while new DC Aden Durde serves more as a defensive line specialist and the guy who is going to help implement Macdonald’s scheme during practices. That’s not to say he won’t eventually be calling plays, but it’s going to take some time before this defense is where Macdonald wants it to be and a lot of that has to do with the personnel.

We’ll see a three-man front, but Macdonald will have a four-man rush while the rest of the defense falls back into coverage. Who the fourth rusher will be will change from play-to-play, as that is one of the driving concepts – not allowing the offense to know where that fourth rusher is coming from. This “mystery rusher” idea will also allow them to not be forced into blitzing too much, something Macdonald believes weakens a defense – to have to blitz too often. Expect a lot of movement on the defensive side as they will make it look like the pressure is coming from one place but switch it up as soon as the ball is snapped.

In the secondary, the heavier lean will be towards Cover-4, but Macdonald is a big proponent of mixing in different zone concepts and using a lot more man coverage than this unit has ever used. Again, we’ll see a lot of pre-snap movement on the defensive side until the ball is snapped and from there, based on the read, the defensive backs will fall into their proper zone. It’s going to take a lot of work to get this secondary into the shape these particular NFL coaches want, so expect some struggles early on and, given how inexperienced these corners are in man coverage, we may start targeting them, especially in NFL DFS.  

• Players Who Best Fit The System: Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy, Devon Witherspoon
• Worst Fits For The System: Riq Woolen, Dre'Mont Jones, Julian Love

2024 Fantasy Football: Related Draft Guide Articles

Discover our range of additional 2024 fantasy football draft guide articles for more tips and guidance to prepare for the upcoming campaign:

• AFC West Coaches & Systems
• AFC South Coaches & Systems
• NFC South Coaches & Systems
• NFC North Coaches & Systems