Cardinals RB James Conner got just 9 carries and 1 target in Sunday's loss to the Lions. He turned those limited opportunities into a mere 17 rushing yards and an 8-yard catch.
Cardinals RB James Conner ran the ball 21 times for 122 yards and a TD against the Los Angeles Rams. He also added one catch for two yards in a dominating win by the Cardinals.
Cardinals RB James Conner stayed busy in Sunday's close loss to Buffalo. He handled 16 of 19 team RB attempts and 4 of 7 backfield targets.
Cardinals rookie RB Trey Benson might not be a lock to run second behind James Conner right away. Johnny Venerable of PHNX Cardinals told the Rotoworld Football Show this week that Michael Carter is "the No. 2 back" and that he expects Benson to sit third on the depth chart to enter the season.
Cardinals RB James Conner turned 29 in May, which tends to be a dangerous age for RBs according to our aging-curve research. But Conner has shown no signs of decline. In fact, his 80.0 rushing yards per game last year were a career high and ranked fourth league-wide behind only Kyren Williams, Christian McCaffrey, and Nick Chubb. Conner also excelled in advanced rushing metrics, ranking top-12 among 49 qualifying RBs in NFL Next Gen Stats’ Rush Yards Over Expected Per Attempt, yards after contact per attempt, missed tackles forced per attempt, and Pro Football Focus rushing grade.
The Cardinals spent a third-round pick on RB Trey Benson from Florida State. Benson suffered a multi-ligament knee injury as a freshman at Oregon in 2020 and did very little in 2021. He transferred to Florida State ahead of the 2022 campaign and turned in two highly efficient seasons for the Seminoles. Benson averaged 6.1 yards per carry and scored on 7.4% of his attempts across the past two years. An explosive runner with strong contact balance, Benson scored TDs of 80+ yards as a runner, receiver, and pass-catcher at Florida State. He confirmed his elite athleticism by earning a 9.73 Relative Athletic Score at the Combine, highlighted by a 4.39-second 40 time. Benson also showed promise as a pass-catcher over the last two years, catching 32 of 39 targets and averaging 11.5 yards per reception. He averaged just 13.2 touches per game at Florida State but has the potential to garner a bigger workload as a pro. Going to Arizona likely limits Benson's touch outlook for 2024. But it's a solid landing spot for his dynasty outlook. Check our rookie rankings to see where he lands.
Cardinals RB James Conner tallied 27 carries for 150 rushing yards and a TD in Week 18’s loss vs. the Seahawks. He also added 4 receptions for 54 yards as a pass-catcher in Sunday’s contest. Injuries have marred the veteran throughout his career, though 2023 marks the first time Conner has been able to amass over 1,000 rushing yards in a season, ending the year with 1,040 across 13 games. Though he’ll play in 2024 at age 29, Conner has averaged no fewer than 15.4 PPR points per game over the past three seasons and should be considered a solid low-cost buy for dynasty managers in contending windows. The only item worth being mindful of is that the Cardinals have a potential out in Conner’s contract that would cost a mere $3 million should they choose to move on from him this offseason.
Cardinals RB James Conner dropped 105 rushing yards and 2 scores on Pittsburgh. He handled 25 carries against his former team, the second most of his career. Rainy conditions (Sunday's game was delayed twice) and a surprise 14-point victory helped Conner handle all but 4 team RB carries. He drew 2 targets (0 catches), but it's worth noting that he topped Michael Carter in routes, 15-4. Week 14 turns up a well-earned bye. An elite 49ers defense awaits following the rest.
Cardinals RB Emari Demercado (toe) is active for today’s game vs. the Rams. It’ll be his first action since Week 8. RB Michael Carter will also make his Arizona debut today, while RB Keaontay Ingram is a healthy scratch. James Conner should still operate as the Cardinals’ clear lead back.
Cardinals RB Michael Carter is a healthy scratch for today's game vs. the Texans. Not a big surprise after he was acquired earlier this week. With RB Emari Demercado out with his toe injury, it'll be RBs Tony Jones and Keaontay Ingram behind James Conner.
The Cardinals have claimed former Jets RB Michael Carter off waivers. That gives Arizona a back who has averaged 2.4 receptions per game since he entered the league in 2021. Carter figures to work into some rushing role as well. But his greatest impact is likely to come in the passing game. The Cardinals had already favored pulling RB James Conner off the field for some passing situations, using Emari Demercado earlier this season. Week 10 found them giving the combo of Keaontay Ingram and Tony Jones Jr. nearly as many routes as Conner (13-10) in his return game. Carter brings more proven receiving ability than all of those RBs and could further cut into Conner's receiving. That doesn't doom the Arizona starter but hurts his weekly stability, especially when his team falls behind. Carter isn't likely to deliver much fantasy value the rest of the way and should be no more than a low-level PPR stash. You can drop Demercado if you haven't already. Conner remains a low-end RB2 option. Check our Week 11 RB rankings to see where he sits for the matchup with Houston.
Cardinals RB James Conner claimed 16 of 19 RB carries Sunday in his return from the knee injury that landed him on IR for four games. Conner took those for 73 yards (4.6 per rush) but watched QBs Kyler Murray and Clayton Tune claim the team's two rushing scores. No Cardinals RB drew a target, but Conner's 13 pass routes led the position and marked a 36% route rate. That last number marks potential trouble once RB Emari Demercado returns to health. But Conner can help fantasy lineups even just as lead rusher and part-time backfield receiver going forward. Arizona gets a solid RB-scoring matchup with Houston in Week 11.
Cardinals RB James Conner (knee) is active for today’s game vs. the Falcons. He’s been out since Week 5 and was limited in practice all week, so it’s possible that Conner is on some type of touch count today. But he projects to see enough work to at least be a low-end fantasy starter. See where Conner sits in the Week 10 RB Rankings.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the Cardinals are activating RB James Conner from IR and will play him Sunday against the Falcons. We've been assuming all week this would be the case. We'll watch for any early Sunday reports about Conner's expected playing time and/or touch count. For now, he sits low in RB2 territory in our Week 10 RB rankings.
Cardinals RB James Conner (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Falcons. He was limited in practice all week after being designated to return from IR. HC Jonathan Gannon said Friday that Conner is “trending in the right direction” to play this weekend. We’ll look for further updates on Conner’s status – and how much work he might be in for in his first action since Week 5. RB Emari Demercado (toe) has been ruled out for Sunday’s game.
Cardinals RB James Conner (knee) was limited in Wednesday's practice. He's seemingly on track to return for this weekend's game vs. the Falcons, but we'll keep an eye on his status over the next few days. RB Emari Demercado (toe) remained sidelined on Wednesday after missing last weekend's game.
The Cardinals have officially designated RB James Conner to return from IR. That allows Conner to practice with the team this week. Arizona now has three weeks to decide whether to return him to the active roster. Signs have pointed to Conner returning to game action this week against the Falcons. We'll watch the RB's status throughout the week.
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