Fantasy football managers have been hoping for some good news with regards to the status of Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner. And this week, they got some, with the news that Conner has been designated to return. This designation to return opened up the 21-day practice window for Conner, allowing him to return as early as today.
However, will Conner, who is officially listed as questionable with a knee injury heading into today’s game versus the Atlanta Falcons, play today? And, if he does, what is his fantasy outlook for today’s game versus the Falcons?
Is James Conner Going To Play Week 10?
Conner is currently listed as questionable with a knee injury that has kept him on injured reserve for a little over a month. However, the Cardinals designated the running back to return to practice this week.
Conner practiced on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week, albeit in a limited capacity in all three sessions. However, with running back Emari Demercado ruled out with a toe injury, the Cardinals are keen to get Conner back and playing this week.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport did provide an update on Conner’s status on Saturday afternoon on X, posting: “The #AZCardinals are activating starting RB James Conner from Injured Reserve and he’ll play Sunday, sources say.”
Therefore, it appears Conner will play. What is his fantasy outlook for today against the Falcons?
What Is Conner’s Potential Fantasy Outlook for Today?
Conner comes into today as the RB37 despite missing the last four games due to knee injury putting him on IR. However, he is the RB26 in fantasy football on a points-per-game basis, averaging 11.1 half-PPR points per game.
Conner is currently listed as the RB26 in our PFN Consensus Rankings for Week 10. That is due to the fact the Falcons are currently ranked sixth in fantasy points allowed to running backs so far this season, allowing just 14.7 fantasy points per game so far this season.
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However, with the state of the running back position currently, and with running backs such as Kyren Williams and Darrell Henderson for the Los Angeles Rams, Isiah Pacheco for the Kansas City Chiefs, D’Andre Swift for the Philadelphia Eagles, and Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane for the Miami Dolphins on bye this week, Conner appears to be a decent start option this week.
While Conner might struggle to break off big runs, the injury to Demercado means Conner will have little competition for touches today. The only person who will hamper his production will be Kyler Murray, who is likely to carry the ball 5-7 times today, depending on his own health.
Conner is certainly a start option for fantasy managers, even if in the Flex. It is unlikely many running backs will have significantly more touches than Conner, other than the elite options likely to finish in the top 12 at running back this week.
Therefore, Conner can be seen as a volume-dependent low-end RB2 with mid-RB2 upside if he manages to get some goal-line work and find his way into the end zone.
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