We are officially past the midway point of this marathon fantasy football season. With that comes plenty of surprises, as injuries or performance changes cause players once on the periphery of fantasy relevancy to become hot commodities on the waiver wire. Week 10 is no different as fantasy managers turn to Arizona Cardinals RB Eno Benjamin as a potentially hot name on the waiver wire.
Eno Benjamin seals his Week 9 emergence with an Angry Run
There is always one play that defines the NFL weekend. You never know where it will come from or who it will be, but when it happens, you know it — and so does all of social media. If you were on Twitter at any point this weekend, you already know the defining play of Week 9.
That honor goes to Benjamin, Arizona’s second-year RB. With roughly eight minutes left in the third quarter, Benjamin saw a cut-back lane to the left and took it — along with the soul of Dre Kirkpatrick. He barreled over and through the 49ers CB en route to a 21-yard touchdown. Benjamin is my betting favorite to headline NFL Network Kyle Brandt’s Angry Run segment. He ended the day with a career-high 9 carries for 39 yards and the score.
Benjamin will see an increased role following Chase Edmonds’ injury
Unfortunately for fantasy managers, the emergence of Benjamin came at a possibly massive cost. Chase Edmonds ran for 3 yards before limping off the field with an ankle injury on Arizona’s first offensive play. He was instantly listed as questionable and did not return to the game.
On Monday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport stated Edmonds suffered a high ankle sprain. MRI tests later in the day confirmed the injury, and Edmonds is expected to miss at least 3-4 games and land on the injured reserve. There is a genuine fear that the next time we see Edmonds will not be until the fantasy playoffs.
Edmonds had been operating as the team’s lead back this year following the departure of Kenyan Drake in free agency. He was the RB20 in PPR, averaging 10.4 points per game. Edmonds has appeared in all nine games, rushing 76 times for 430 yards with 1 touchdown while adding 30 receptions on 37 targets for 211 yards.
With the Cardinals appearing as potential Super Bowl favorites and possessing one of the NFL’s most dangerous offenses, Benjamin has a chance to be an integral part moving forward.
Benjamin is a top priority fantasy waiver wire claim in Week 10
For as great as James Conner has been, the Cardinals know they cannot rush him 21 times per game and expect him to last the remainder of the regular season. They cannot afford to let Conner play on 77% of the snaps as he did in Week 9. That is why I have no issue spending a top claim or sizeable chunk of FAAB on Benjamin.
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Beyond his highlight play last week, Benjamin does not have a ton of film to lean on. He was inactive for the entirety of his rookie season and has only seen sporadic usage this year, totaling 15 touches on offense and special teams combined.
Eno Benjamin’s player profile
But those who pay attention to college football or the NFL draft are well aware of Benjamin. The former Arizona State Sun Devil had a productive collegiate career. He finished his college tenure inside ASU’s top 10 in attempts (576), yards (2,867), touchdowns (31), and 100-yard games (15).
While he was known for his explosiveness and elusiveness, Benjamin also demonstrated the same power ability we saw last week. He is by no means a bruising back at 5’9″ and 210 pounds, but he won’t get bullied and can gain yards after contact.
If you target Benjamin on the Week 10 waiver wire, you’re buying into his situation more than anything else. This late in the season, it’s rare to have a chance at a talented RB who will see a significant snap percentage. It’s even rarer for it to happen in arguably the NFL’s top offense. Benjamin will have flex appeal in Week 10 against the Carolina Panthers, and then we will reassess his role and value based on how the Cardinals operate moving forward.