Michael Carter Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Cardinals RB Emari Demercado (ankle) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Packers. That should mean some extra passing-down snaps for RB Michael Carter, who sits slightly ahead of RB Bam Knight in our Week 7 PPR rankings.

In a surprising move, Jonathan Gannon announced before Arizona's Week 6 game in Indianapolis that Zonovan Knight, who was listed as third on the depth chart and was just activated from the practice squad in Week 5, would draw the backfield start for the Cardinals. The move paid off, as Knight led the team in rushing and scored a 1-yard TD in the first quarter in Arizona's 31-27 loss.

Cardinals RB Emari Demercado is questionable to return to Sunday's game vs. the Colts with an ankle injury. His absence leaves the backfield to Michael Carter and Bam Knight. We'll update Demercado's status when we know more.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Cardinals RB Zonovan "Bam" Knight will play a "more prominent role" ahead of Michael Carter today against the Colts.

A final decision on QB Kyler Murray (foot) will come on Sunday, but the Cardinals are "preparing" for QB Jacoby Brissett to start vs. the Colts, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Murray is dealing with a mid-foot sprain that kept him to just a limited practice on Friday this week. "There is a possibility Murray is out more than this week, as pushing it can cause an aggravation," Rapoport adds.

Michael Carter led the Cardinals backfield Sunday in the first game since RB Trey Benson went down with a knee injury. Carter handled 18 of the 25 RB rushes in the Week 5 loss to the Titans. He also drew five of the team's six RB targets, tying Marvin Harrison Jr. for second on the team in that category. Carter caught all five of those to match TE Trey McBride for the team reception lead. But his yardage efficiency in both phases failed to impress.

Emari Demercado generated the most rushing yards Sunday in a Cardinals backfield spreading the work around after losing both James Conner and Trey Benson to knee injuries. But Demercado overshadowed the work split and his performance and effectively lost his team the game by voluntarily dropping the ball before he crossed the goal line on what should have been a long fourth-quarter TD run.

The Cardinals "plan to ride the hot hand" in the backfield vs. the Titans on Sunday, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "That includes Michael Carter and Bam Knight on base downs and Emari Demercado on third downs," Fowler adds. We still expect Carter to get the first shot at developing that hot hand -- and he remains the best fantasy bet in this backfield. But he clearly carries a wide range of outcomes. Demercado seems unlikely to get big rushing volume but could dominate passing-down work. Knight could be worth stashing in super deep fantasy leagues while we wait to see what this backfield looks like, but he shouldn't be in Week 5 fantasy lineups.

The Cardinals have announced that RB Trey Benson will hit IR for the knee injury he suffered late in Week 4. That announcement comes just after we learned the RB's Week 5 status was "in question" and knocks him out for at least four games.

Update: Benson underwent arthroscopic surgery on his meniscus and is expected to be out for four to six weeks, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Arizona has a Week 8 bye, so it's still possible that Benson only misses four games.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Cardinals RB Trey Benson is "in question" for Sunday's game vs. the Titans due to a knee injury suffered in Week 4. "Near the end of last Thursday’s game vs. the Seahawks, Benson banged his knee. It is not thought to be serious, but his status for Sunday now is in question," Schefter said. Benson did not participate in Monday's practice. We'll keep you updated on his status over the next few days. His absence would leave Arizona's backfield to RBs Emari Demercado and Michael Carter. Demercado would handle most of the passing-down snaps, but Carter would likely play plenty on early downs.

Cardinals RB Trey Benson did not participate in Monday's practice. There was no report of an injury before or after Thursday night's loss to the Rams, but HC Jonathan Gannon said Monday that they're taking it "day by day" with Benson. We'll look for more info on his status and get Arizona's first official practice report of the week on Wednesday. Benson's absence would leave RBs Michael Carter and Emari Demercado likely forming a committee. Neither would be an exciting fantasy play.

Cardinals RB James Conner (knee) won't play in this weekend's game vs. the 49ers, HC Jonathan Gannon said Wednesday. RB Trey Benson (ankle) was placed on IR on Tuesday, leaving Michael Carter as Arizona's lead back for the finale. He out-touched RB DeeJay Dallas 15-1 in last week's loss to the Rams and sits surprisingly high in the Week 18 RB Rankings.

Cardinals RB Trey Benson has been placed on Injured Reserve with an ankle injury, so he will not be playing in Week 18. With RB James Conner battling a knee injury, Benson had a chance to start and potentially go off heading into the 2025 season. Instead, Michael Carter will likely start if Conner is out.

Cardinals RB James Conner (knee) is active for tonight’s game vs. the Rams. RB Trey Benson (ankle) is inactive, leaving RBs Michael Carter and DeeJay Dallas behind Conner. Conner was limited in practice all week and listed as questionable after hurting his knee six days ago. He won’t be at 100% tonight and could have his touches scaled back with the Cardinals eliminated from postseason contention. Check your Team Intel page to see if Conner belongs in your starting lineup.

The Cardinals expect RB James Conner (knee) to play vs. the Rams on Saturday night, according to Amazon's Albert Breer. RB Trey Benson (ankle) remains "up in the air," Breer added. Conner got in three limited practices this week and is listed as questionable. It's safe to assume he won't be at 100% tomorrow. And, with the Cardinals having nothing to play for, Conner's volume could be scaled back. We'll look for any reports on his expected workload. For now, consider him a risk/reward RB2 in Week 17 fantasy lineups.

Cardinals RBs James Conner (knee) and Trey Benson (ankle) are listed as questionable for Saturday's game vs. the Rams. Both guys were limited in practice all week. HC Jonathan Gannon said Conner has progressed well throughout the week, so it sounds like he has a legitimate chance to play. We'll look for further updates on Conner and Benson and get Arizona's inactives a little after 6:30 pm ET on Saturday. If both guys are out, Michael Carter would be the favorite for touches in the Cardinals backfield.

Cardinals RBs James Conner (knee) and Trey Benson (ankle) were listed as limited participants in Wednesday's practice. Both guys seemingly have a chance to play vs. the Rams on Saturday night. We'll get Arizona's final injury report on Thursday afternoon.

Cardinals RB James Conner is questionable to return to Sunday's game vs. the Panthers with a right knee injury. He was having a huge game before going down, running for 117 yards and a score and catching four balls for 49 yards. With RBs Trey Benson and Emari Demercardo out, Arizona is down to RBs Michael Carter and DeeJay Dallas.