The Arizona Cardinals have leaned heavily on RB Emari Demercado over the last two games, with starting RB James Conner still on injured reserve (IR). Unfortunately, the rookie running back picked up a toe injury against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
What is the fantasy football fallout from Demercado’s injury heading into their matchup against the Cleveland Browns in Week 9? Let’s take a closer look.
Latest Injury Update on Emari Demercado
According to a recent report from Bo Brack, Demercado was not on the practice field for Thursday’s session. For some context, Demercado was also a non-participant in Wednesday’s practice.
Will Demercado Play This Week?
Starting the week off by missing two practices is never an encouraging sign for a rookie being available to play. Another sign that doesn’t exactly scream he’ll play in Week 9 is another report from Brack, which mentions the Cardinals’ decision to sign RB Tony Jones Jr. to the active roster.
I wouldn’t say you can write off Demercado for Week 9 quite yet, but I would definitely say it’s time to start formulating a backup plan if you were planning on inserting him into your starting lineup this week. Fantasy managers should closely monitor his participation in Friday’s practice.
What Does This Mean for RB Keaontay Ingram?
When Conner missed his first game after being sent to IR, fantasy managers were very disappointed to see that Demercado only tallied two carries and one reception against the Los Angeles Rams. Fortunately for those who didn’t give up on him immediately, he did end up seeing 33 carries over the next two games.
MORE: 2023 RB Fantasy Football Rankings
With Demercado’s status for Sunday in jeopardy at the moment and Damien Williams being sent to the practice squad IR, Keaontay Ingram feels like the clear option out of the Cardinals’ backfield against the Cleveland Browns.
Ingram has been effective with limited work since Conner went to IR, averaging over four yards per carry on 12 totes since Week 6. Ingram split work with Williams and Demercado against the Rams three weeks ago and actually led the backfield in carries and yards.
He does have a three-down skill set and could have some success in an expanded role. However, Ingram’s fantasy ceiling against one of the league’s toughest defenses with a rookie quarterback potentially set to make his starting NFL debut in Week 9 doesn’t exactly set the table for a breakout fantasy performance.
If Demercado can’t go against the Browns this week, Ingram would enter the low-end RB2 conversation with the expectation he will see the bulk of the work out of this backfield.
If Demercado is able to play, then he would likely be the best option out of this backfield. But there would be a chance he splits time with Ingram because of his toe injury heading into this contest.
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