The Arizona Cardinals will face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB James Conner.
Is James Conner Playing in Week 12?
Week 17 Status: QUESTIONABLE
Conner is not currently listed on the injury report this week so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Cardinals’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit James Conner in Week 12?
That’s now four straight games with a TD or 100 rushing yards as James Conner continues to fend off Father Time with reasonable levels of success (though it should be noted that none of his 159 carries have gained more than 22 yards this season).
While the splash plays haven’t been there, just about every other box is being checked.
- Four straight games with 3+ red-zone touches
- Four straight games with a 15-yard gain
- Six straight games with at least three targets
- Six games this season with at least 18 carries
Seattle’s defense has regressed in a big way since its 3-0 start and doesn’t project as the type of defense that poses a threat to slow down the momentum of a rested Conner.
If you want to discuss Conner’s rest-of-season value, hit me up on X (https://x.com/KyleSoppePFN), but when it comes to the Week 12 rankings, I’m pushing forward without any hesitation.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 12 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
James Conner’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 12
As of early Sunday morning, Conner is projected to score 16.6 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 16 rushing attempts for 70.4 yards and 0.7 touchdowns. It also includes 2.7 receptions for 21.2 yards and 0.1 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Rams' Defense
The Rams' defense will almost certainly finish the season as a bottom-10 unit. The slow start, coupled with the disastrous Week 14 showing against Buffalo, serves as a massive anchor on the overall season numbers.
However, the Rams had a solid 75.8 (C) grade and have now posted top-10 weekly finishes in consecutive weeks and three of the last four games. The run defense excelled against the Jets, averaging its second-highest EPA per play of the season (0.29). Since Week 9, the Rams rank 12th in EPA per rush allowed, a huge jump from their 26th-place ranking from Weeks 1-8.
The pass defense is still a question mark, as only the Bills rank lower in EPA per dropback or pass success rate among current playoff teams. That probably limits LA's playoff upside, particularly given the inconsistent game-to-game performance from the passing offense.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
James Conner’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 3:30 AM ET on Saturday, December 28. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 17 RB PPR Rankings
1) Saquon Barkley | PHI (vs. DAL)
2) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (at SF)
3) Derrick Henry | BAL (at HOU)
4) Bijan Robinson | ATL (at WAS)
5) Josh Jacobs | GB (at MIN)
6) De'Von Achane | MIA (at CLE)
7) Jonathan Taylor | IND (at NYG)
8) Chase Brown | CIN (vs. DEN)
9) Kyren Williams | LAR (vs. ARI)
10) James Conner | ARI (at LAR)
11) Bucky Irving | TB (vs. CAR)
12) Chuba Hubbard | CAR (at TB)
13) James Cook | BUF (vs. NYJ)
14) Breece Hall | NYJ (at BUF)
15) Joe Mixon | HOU (vs. BAL)
16) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (at CHI)
17) Aaron Jones | MIN (vs. GB)
18) Jerome Ford | CLE (vs. MIA)
19) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (vs. ATL)
20) Tony Pollard | TEN (at JAX)
21) Rico Dowdle | DAL (at PHI)
22) D'Andre Swift | CHI (vs. SEA)
23) Isaac Guerendo | SF (vs. DET)
24) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE (vs. LAC)
25) Rachaad White | TB (vs. CAR)
26) J.K. Dobbins | LAC (at NE)
27) Alexander Mattison | LV (at NO)
28) Isiah Pacheco | KC (at PIT)
29) Kimani Vidal | LAC (at NE)
30) Jaylen Warren | PIT (vs. KC)
31) Tyjae Spears | TEN (at JAX)
32) Javonte Williams | DEN (at CIN)
33) Najee Harris | PIT (vs. KC)
34) Tank Bigsby | JAX (vs. TEN)
35) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (vs. TEN)
36) Ameer Abdullah | LV (at NO)
37) Kendre Miller | NO (vs. LV)
38) Kareem Hunt | KC (at PIT)
39) Devin Singletary | NYG (vs. IND)
40) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (at WAS)
41) Audric Estimé | DEN (at CIN)
42) Raheem Mostert | MIA (at CLE)
43) Ray Davis | BUF (vs. NYJ)
44) Antonio Gibson | NE (vs. LAC)
45) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. DAL)
46) Craig Reynolds | DET (at SF)
47) Cam Akers | MIN (vs. GB)
48) Ty Johnson | BUF (vs. NYJ)
49) Blake Corum | LAR (vs. ARI)
50) Roschon Johnson | CHI (vs. SEA)
51) Braelon Allen | NYJ (at BUF)
52) Patrick Taylor Jr. | SF (vs. DET)
53) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (vs. ATL)
54) Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN (at CIN)
55) Isaiah Davis | NYJ (at BUF)
56) D'Onta Foreman | CLE (vs. MIA)
57) Jamaal Williams | NO (vs. LV)
58) Cordarrelle Patterson | PIT (vs. KC)
59) Emanuel Wilson | GB (at MIN)
60) DeeJay Dallas | ARI (at LAR)
61) Chris Brooks | GB (at MIN)
62) Pierre Strong Jr. | CLE (vs. MIA)
63) Keaton Mitchell | BAL (at HOU)
64) Ke'Shawn Vaughn | SF (vs. DET)
65) Trey Benson | ARI (at LAR)
66) Sean Tucker | TB (vs. CAR)
67) Israel Abanikanda | SF (vs. DET)
68) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG (vs. IND)
69) Samaje Perine | KC (at PIT)
70) Michael Carter | ARI (at LAR)
71) Ezekiel Elliott | DAL (at PHI)
72) Khalil Herbert | CIN (vs. DEN)
73) Dare Ogunbowale | HOU (vs. BAL)
74) Jaylen Wright | MIA (at CLE)
75) Kyle Juszczyk | SF (vs. DET)
76) Trey Sermon | IND (at NYG)
77) Mike Boone | CAR (at TB)
78) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (vs. ATL)
79) Sione Vaki | DET (at SF)
80) Dameon Pierce | HOU (vs. BAL)
81) Hunter Luepke | DAL (at PHI)
82) Alec Ingold | MIA (at CLE)
83) Tyler Goodson | IND (at NYG)
84) Will Shipley | PHI (vs. DAL)
85) Kenny McIntosh | SEA (at CHI)
Cardinals at Rams Trends and Insights
Arizona Cardinals
Team: Arizona is 4-15 and has been outscored by 152 points (492-340) in their past 19 road games.
QB: Kyler Murray doesn’t have more touchdown passes than interceptions in a game since doing so against the Jets in Week 10 (Arizona has lost four of five games over that stretch).
Offense: James Conner has consecutive games with a 40+ yard carry – he had one such run in his career with the Cardinals prior (794 rush attempts).
Defense: The Cardinals allowed the Panthers to average 3.0 points per drive on Sunday – Arizona falls to 1-6 this season when allowing at least 2.0 points per drive.
Fantasy: Conner is the first RB aged 29 or older with 100 rush yards, a rush TD, and 25 receiving yards in consecutive games since Latavius Murray (2019) – he joined this list in the first half last week against the Panthers.
Betting: Since the start of 2022, overs are 4-0 when the Cardinals play on extended rest (1-0 this season: 28-27 win over the Dolphins with a game that closed with a 46.5-point total).
Los Angeles Rams
Team: The Rams have won eight of 10 games after a 1-4 start, but they’ve only outscored their opponents by 27 points during that run (235-20)
QB: Matthew Stafford has thrown one touchdown pass on 46 attempts over his past two games (one TD toss every 11.7 attempts over his four games prior).
Offense: Los Angeles has won four straight games, but they’ve been walking on thin ice over their past two by converting just two of their eight red zone trips into TDs.
Defense: Opponents have converted just eight-of-18 red zone trips into touchdowns against the Rams over their past six games.
Fantasy: Kyren Williams has a league-high 15 games with 20+ carries since the beginning of last season.
Betting: The Rams have covered seven consecutive short rest games (average cover margin: 11.4 PPG).