Down to just the Monday night matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings, fantasy football managers are already looking to potentially get on the waiver wire and make a move.
One of those guys to keep an eye on is Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado. He has been solid for the Cardinals the past few weeks, and he rushed the ball 13 times for 58 yards against the Seattle Seahawks.
As long as James Conner has been out, Demercado has been the No. 1 running back. Should fantasy managers add him off the waiver wire?
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!
Should Emari Demercado Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 8?
The Cardinals had NFL fans excited early in the year as they were battling extremely hard and even beat the Dallas Cowboys. Since then, they have lost four consecutive games, including a 20-10 game against the Seahawks on Sunday.
MORE: Fantasy News Tracker
Arizona is a team that needs help in a lot of places and just doesn’t have a lot of high-level talent. One thing that is going to do is allow the team to really look at their entire roster to see which guys should be a part of the future.
Demercado, a rookie from TCU, has gotten some opportunities in the past couple of weeks. In two of the last three weeks, he has had 10 carries to go along with the 13 on Sunday. He also showed some pass-catching ability against the Seahawks, as he had four catches for 17 yards. With the amount of touches on Sunday, should fantasy managers add him off the waiver wire?
If you haven’t added Demercado to your team, there is no point in bringing him in now. The earliest that Conner could be back on the team is in Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons. Once he is good to go, he will be back to being the featured running back in Arizona.
With two games in between now and the earliest Conner could come back, couldn’t Demercado make some plays? Not likely, as the Cardinals’ next two opponents are the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens. Both teams rank in the top 10 in rush defense, as Cleveland is currently third (79 yards per game), while Baltimore is ninth (97.7 yards).
Arizona is sixth rushing the ball (141 yards), and you can bet both of these teams are going to load the box and force Josh Dobbs to beat them passing the ball. Demercado has done some good things this year for the Cardinals, but he is not the guy to add to try and help your fantasy team as we get closer and closer to the playoffs.