Fantasy Football News

The Cardinals placed RB Bam Knight on IR with the ankle injury suffered in Sunday's loss to the Texans. He's the third Arizona RB to be lost for the season, following James Conner and Trey Benson. The backfield is now down to Michael Carter and Emari Demercado. Carter dominated work in Houston, tallying 14 carries and four targets to Demercado's one carry and three targets. We're expecting Demercado to be a bit more involved the rest of the way, but Carter is the far superior fantasy bet. And he gets nice matchups the next two weeks vs. the Falcons (19th vs. RBs) and Bengals (32nd).

Cardinals RB Bam Knight hurt an ankle in the first quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Texans and was carted back to the locker room. He's officially questionable to return, but we'd be surprised if we saw him back out there today. Knight's absence leaves Arizona with RBs Michael Carter and Emari Demercado.

Update: Knight has been ruled out.

Cardinals RB Bam Knight suffered an ankle injury in the second half of Sunday's game vs. the Seahawks and is questionable to return. His absence leaves the backfield to Emari Demercado and Michael Carter.

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.

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 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.

The Cardinals believe RB James Conner's right ankle injury is season-ending, although that prognosis isn't yet official, according to ESPN's Josh Weinfuss. It certainly looked like a season-ender when Conner had to be carted off the field in the loss to the 49ers. We should get final confirmation on Monday.

Update: ESPN's Adam Schefter now confirms that Conner will need season-ending surgery. "The injury is considered 'severe,' even if the team does not yet know the full extent of the damage," Schefter adds.

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.

Arizona Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon says RB James Conner is "getting ready to go, and he's excited to get back when he can get back and play," according to Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com. This week will mark Conner's fourth game on IR, so it sounds like he should be ready to return for a Week 10 home date with the Falcons. We'll obviously have to watch reports on his expected role coming off the knee injury. But you can bet Arizona will be looking to get him back to workhorse use as soon as possible. Neither Emari Demercado nor any other Arizona reserve RB has done anything to challenge the status of a healthy Conner. It's worth noting that Conner would face the eighth-toughest remaining RB schedule if he does return in Week 10, according to our adjusted fantasy points allowed. The biggest potential trouble spots look like a Week 14 bye (duh) and a Week 17 visit to Philadelphia.

Cardinals RB Emari Demercado (toe) did not practice on Wednesday. We don't have any details on the injury -- or whether he's in danger of missing Sunday's game vs. the Browns. With RB James Conner still on IR, Demercado's absence would leave Arizona's backfield to RBs Keontay Ingram and Damien Williams. We'll update Demercado's status again tomorrow.

Cardinals RB Keaontay Ingram (neck) is not listed on the final Week 6 injury report. He'll play vs. the Rams on Sunday for the first time since Week 3. The Cardinals, of course, will be without RB James Conner in that one, leaving the backfield to Ingram, Emari Demercado, and the newly signed Tony Jones. Demercado is the best bet for fantasy production after a solid Week 5 showing, but it's anyone's guess as to exactly how backfield touches will be split here.

Cardinals RB James Conner is expected to miss "multiple weeks" with the knee injury he suffered in the Week 5 loss to the Bengals, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. We'll see if Conner ends up landing on IR, which would cost him four games. His absence leaves Arizona's backfield to Emari Demercado, Keaontay Ingram, and the just-acquired Tony Jones. Ingram has missed the past two weeks with a neck injury but did get in a couple of limited practices last week. We'll see if he makes it back for Sunday's game vs. the Rams, but Demercado will be the best fantasy bet in this backfield at least for Week 6.

The Cardinals on Monday claimed RB Tony Jones Jr. off waivers from the Saints. That, of course, comes a day after RB James Conner suffered a knee injury and doesn't bode well for Conner's chances of playing in Week 6. Arizona also went without RB Keaontay Ingram in Week 5 because of a neck injury. We'll see about his availability for Sunday's game against the Rams. Emari Demercado currently stands as the best bet to lead Arizona's backfield for that one and is worth a look on waivers this week for needy fantasy teams.

Cardinals RB James Conner logged 6 carries for 48 yards in Week 5 vs. the Bengals before leaving in the second quarter with a knee injury. In his absence, rookie Emari Demercado put up 45 rushing yards and a TD on 10 attempts. We’ll keep an eye on Conner’s health throughout the week. Should he miss time, Demercado would be a name to consider off the waiver wire ahead of Week 6 vs. the Rams.