Carter designated to return

Jets RB Michael Carter (ankle) has been designated to return from IR. HC Robert Saleh said earlier this week that he expected Carter to play vs. the Dolphins on Sunday, but we'll keep tabs on his progress over the next few days.

Cardinals RB Michael Carter is a healthy scratch for today's game vs. the Texans. Not a big surprise after he was acquired earlier this week. With RB Emari Demercado out with his toe injury, it'll be RBs Tony Jones and Keaontay Ingram behind James Conner.

The Cardinals have claimed former Jets RB Michael Carter off waivers. That gives Arizona a back who has averaged 2.4 receptions per game since he entered the league in 2021. Carter figures to work into some rushing role as well. But his greatest impact is likely to come in the passing game. The Cardinals had already favored pulling RB James Conner off the field for some passing situations, using Emari Demercado earlier this season. Week 10 found them giving the combo of Keaontay Ingram and Tony Jones Jr. nearly as many routes as Conner (13-10) in his return game. Carter brings more proven receiving ability than all of those RBs and could further cut into Conner's receiving. That doesn't doom the Arizona starter but hurts his weekly stability, especially when his team falls behind. Carter isn't likely to deliver much fantasy value the rest of the way and should be no more than a low-level PPR stash. You can drop Demercado if you haven't already. Conner remains a low-end RB2 option. Check our Week 11 RB rankings to see where he sits for the matchup with Houston.

The Jets released RB Michael Carter. The 2021 fourth-round pick totaled just eight carries and 20 targets in nine games this season, including three carries and nine targets over the last four. Carter's departure is just a slight boost for RB Breece Hall's passing-game usage. RB Dalvin Cook remains fantasy-irrelevant. We'll see where Carter lands, but he's obviously a long shot for 2023 fantasy value and is not a must-hold in dynasty. He'll turn 25 in May.

Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic suggested in a recent report that he expects RB Michael Carter to be RB2 on the Jets' depth chart to open the 2023 season. Rosenblatt also noted that the possibility of free agent RB Dalvin Cook signing with the team "looms large" in the room, though Carter is "the most experienced, popular in the locker room and is generally a quality pass-catcher." It'll be fascinating to see how long he can hold onto this job assuming Rosenblatt is correct. Last season was not great for Carter. He opened the first six full games averaging 11.8 touches per game spelling fellow RB Breece Hall. Though after Hall tore his ACL in Week 7 vs. the Broncos, Carter's involvement dipped to just 7.6 touches per game. He was essentially phased out of a dysfunctional offense late in the year, eventually falling behind 2022 UDFA Zonovan Knight. Among 45 RBs with 100+ carries, Carter ranked 43rd in Pro Football Focus rushing grade, 45th in yards per carry, and 36th in yards after contact per attempt. On top of that, he only finished as a top-24 RB in PPR scoring in four games. Perhaps fantasy managers would be best to avoid Carter and bet on rookie Israel Abanikanda, a player who Rosenblatt predicts will inherit the #2 job as the season unfolds, instead. See where each of these backs appear in our current RB rankings.

Jets RB Michael Carter was the closest thing to an offensive bright spot on a night that saw the team total just 227 yards and pull its 1st-round QB for the 2nd time this season. Carter led the team with 5 catches and 44 yards, though he added just 6 rushing yards on 2 carries. RB Zonovan Knight rushed 6 times for minus-2 and caught his lone target for 15 yards. RB Ty Johnson worked in for 7 yards on 2 carries. WR Garrett Wilson led the team with 9 targets but managed just 4 catches for 30 yards. Practice-squad QB Chris Streveler entered in the 2nd half and wound up leading the team in rushing (54 yards). We'll see who's piloting this offense for a Week 17 trip to Seattle. That matchup is currently battling Houston for friendliest in the league to RB scoring, according to our adjusted fantasy points allowed.