JamesConner

News: 1 day agoConner said Saturday that he expects Trey Benson to get a lot of playing time this season, per Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site.

Spin: Head coach Jonathan Gannon also has relayed high expectations for Benson, who averaged 5.3 touches and 10.5 snaps in 13 games last season before an ankle injury sent him to injured reserve in December. Conner, meanwhile, averaged 41.1 snaps and 18.5 touches through Week 16, ranking ninth among RBs in PPR points until a knee injury ruined his final two weeks. Both running backs are healthy now, with the 22-year-old apparently set to take more work from the 30-year-old, although Benson can also capture some of what went to Michael Carter (46 touches) and Emari Demercado (40) last season. For Conner, it probably makes sense to limit fantasy expectations to the RB2 range, rather than the RB1/2 borderline where he's typically resided when healthy for the Cardinals (four straight seasons in the range of 15.5 to 17.2 PPR points per game).

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Conner returns as the lead back in Arizona. Despite having never played a full regular season in eight tries, Conner has produced at least 220 touches, 1,080 yards and eight TDs in four consecutive seasons. That includes 1,508 yards on 283 touches in 16 games (all three are career highs) in 2024. Productive as both a rusher and receiver, Conner ended the 2024 season with three-plus targets and two-plus receptions in 12 straight games. He has finished as a top-20 fantasy back in four straight seasons (top 15 in PPG each year) and is well positioned for another solid RB2 campaign in his age-30 campaign.