Zonovan Knight Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

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.

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.

Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs (hamstring) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Panthers. We’ll see if the rookie can make it back for Week 6 after hurting his hamstring in practice on Friday. Gibbs’ absence today should mean an even bigger workload for RB David Montgomery. RBs Craig Reynolds and Zonovan Knight are active to spell Montgomery.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero now reports that (via miscommunication) he was incorrect this morning on the status of RB David Montgomery. The Lions RB is expected to return from his thigh injury for Thursday night's game against the Packers. Assuming this proves true, Montgomery should be back in the low-RB2 mix for fantasy football lineups. Rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs, meanwhile, should see a big decrease in his rushing share vs. Sunday's game. Craig Reynolds and Zonovan Knight can go back to being guys we forget are there. Detroit is also expected to get LT Taylor Decker back, which can only help both the run and pass offense.

Update: Pelissero adds that Montgomery will be the "lead back," with "plenty" still in the plan for Gibbs as well. We'll trust that he's not working off miscommunication this time. Check your Team Intel page or the Week 4 rankings before setting your lineup.

Lions RB David Montgomery (thigh) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Falcons. RBs Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds, and Zonovan Knight are active for Detroit. We’re expecting Gibbs to get at least a slight uptick in rushing volume, with Reynolds soaking up most of the rest of Montgomery’s work. See where the Lions RBs land in the Week 3 Rankings.

Lions RB David Montgomery (thigh) is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game vs. the Falcons. He didn’t practice all week and is obviously a long shot to play. Montgomery’s absence should mean a bigger role for RB Jahmyr Gibbs, although RB Craig Reynolds and potentially RB Zonovan Knight will be in the mix.

The Lions have promoted RB Zonovan Knight to the active roster. It's an indication that the team expects RB David Montgomery (quad) to at least miss this weekend's game vs. the Falcons. His absence would leave Detroit's backfield to Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds, and Knight.

The Jets are releasing RB Zonovan "Bam" Knight, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Rapoport adds that Knight "received some interest on the trade front," which could mean he'll catch on quickly elsewhere. We'll see whether Knight will be worth keeping track of heading into the season. His departure from New York should solidify RB Michael Carter's roster status.

The Jets have agreed to a one-year deal with RB Dalvin Cook. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that Cook is getting "up to $8.6 million ... with the majority guaranteed." He adds that it's the largest annual average of any deal for a RB free agent this offseason. This seems to signal a few things: First, the Jets like Cook much better than any of their current RB backups and were iffy enough on that crew to make a significant upgrade. Secondly, it also indicates they want to make sure not to overwork Breece Hall in his return from the ACL tear. Hall has yet to take the field in training camp, though reports have said they expect him to be ready for the regular season. Even if that holds true, expect Cook to cut way into the available work. That moves Hall down our RB rankings and gives Cook nice contingent upside, in case Hall misses further games. The rest of the Jets' current RBs are no more than end-of-draft fliers. At least one among Michael Carter, Zonovan Knight, and Israel Abanikanda probably isn't making the regular-season roster.

The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt says Jets RB Zonovan Knight has "had a really good camp -- he's quite clearly been their best RB." That's, of course, with Breece Hall not yet practicing. But it's noteworthy that Knight earns such praise over Michael Carter and rookie Israel Abanikanda. We're not betting on another Jets RB being starter-worthy in fantasy whenever Hall is active. But Hall's still-progressing recovery from the 2022 ACL tear enhances the available opportunity for the rest of the backfield. Knight has been going basically undrafted by best ball ADP this offseason and sits well down our RB rankings. We'll see whether a big adjustment needs to happen.