FANTASY FOOTBALL NEWS

Is Trey Benson A Problem For James Conner?

By Jared Smola | Updated on Mon, Sep 8 2025 1:20 AM UTC

Cardinals RB Trey Benson was more involved than expected in Sunday's season-opening win over the Saints. He finished with eight carries and one target, while RB James Conner tallied 12 carries and four targets. Benson finished with 69 yards on his eight totes -- although 52 of those yards came on one run. He averaged just 2.4 yards per carry on his other seven carries. Conner also found little room to run, averaging 3.3 yards on his 12 attempts. He saved his fantasy day with a four-yard receiving score on a shovel pass in the second quarter.

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

Conner still led Cardinals RBs in carries, targets, and playing time in New Orleans. And his 65% snap rate actually beat his 64% in 15 healthy games last season.

His carry share was down, though: 44% vs. 56% in those 15 games last year. That could be a one-game blip. Or it could be the start of Arizona easing off its 30-year-old RB and giving more work to its 2024 third-round pick.

We'll get another data point when the Cardinals host the Panthers in Week 2. Conner should stay in most fantasy lineups for that plus matchup. But if the Week 1 workload split holds, he'll be just a RB3 or Flex play.

Benson is still short of standalone fantasy value for now, but we'll continue to monitor his role.

Jared Smola, Lead Analyst

Jared has been with Draft Sharks since 2007. He’s now Lead Analyst, heading up the preseason and weekly projections that fuel your Draft War Room and in-season tools. He currently ranks ninth among 173 analysts in draft rankings accuracy.