Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner is headed to the IR after suffering a knee injury in the Week 5 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, and his absence creates quite an issue for fantasy managers to tackle moving forward. With Conner out for at least the next four weeks, filling his running back spot is going to create some challenges, especially with the Bye weeks here and robbing teams of depth.
How should fantasy football managers go about replacing Conner’s production? And what should Conner managers do in season-long and dynasty leagues? Let’s break it all down.
Replacement options in the Cardinals’ backfield
Replacing a talented player like Conner won’t be easy. He runs hard between the tackles with his physical nature, but he was also a solid receiver out of the backfield. Conner wasn’t being used as a receiver nearly as much as previous years (8 receptions through five games), as the Cardinals have recently opted to use Emari Demercado as the preferred passing down back with Keaontay Ingram inactive the last two weeks with a neck injury.
Ingram came into the season as Conner’s backup, but has been woefully ineffective. Ingram has 12 carries for 15 yards and just one reception on the season, while Demercado has made the most of his opportunities over the last few games. The undrafted free agent out of TCU has 14 carries for 48 yards and a touchdown, in addition to 6 receptions for 40 yards.
It’s important for fantasy football managers to note that the Cardinals clearly trust Demercado as a pass protector. That’s a big deal for a team that’s going to be playing from behind a lot. While the Cardinals did sign Tony Jones Jr. from the New Orleans Saints this week, he’s a between-the-tackles thumper who could potentially be used in short-yardage situations more than anything else.
The Cardinals could potentially trade or sign another running back, but rebuilding teams don’t invest draft capital in short-term fixes at the cheapest spot to acquire talent.
Emari Demercado has flashed enough to get a chance to be the Cardinals’ lead back in Conner’s absence and should be the top priority waiver wire addition this week at running back. He’ll be a low-end RB2/Flex candidate with a bump in PPR leagues against two explosive offenses in the next two weeks in the Rams and Seahawks.
