Cardinals RB James Conner will begin his 10th season on injured reserve, designated to return, per Cardinals beat reporter John Gambadoro. The veteran back will miss at least the first four games to open the 2026 campaign.
2026 Fantasy Football Impact
The Cardinals selected RB Jeremiyah Love with the fourth overall pick in this spring's draft and signed Tyler Allgeier to a two-year, $12.25 million contract in March.
Both moves from the new coaching regime signaled the end of Conner’s time atop the depth chart.
But with Love suffering a high-ankle sprain this preseason, a sizable share of carries could be available to open the season.
Unfortunately, with Conner still recovering from an ankle injury he suffered last September, so he won’t be available to take advantage of the opportunity.
The season before, Conner finished as a top-16 RB with 15.6 PPR points per game. But after handling 54.2% of the team's rushing attempts to get there, that level of production is likely behind him now, even when he returns healthy.
