One of the fantasy football darlings of recent seasons has been Arizona Cardinals RB James Conner. However, a knee injury has caused him to miss a few weeks, and fantasy managers are desperate to get him back in their lineup. Let’s take a look at whether Conner will be playing in Week 9 and what it means for the fantasy value of the likes of Keaontay Ingram and Tony Jones Jr.
Is James Conner Going To Play in Week 9?
Sadly, we already know that Conner is not going to be suiting up for the Cardinals in Week 9 on account of his injured reserve stint still having more time to serve. Conner was placed on the IR ahead of Week 6 due to the knee injury suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5 and must now miss four games before being eligible to return.
MORE: Fantasy News Tracker
Conner has already missed the games in Weeks 6, 7, and 8. That means the Cardinals RB only has one more game remaining on his mandatory IR stint, which will be served in Week 9. There is a chance that Conner could be back on the field in Week 10 when Arizona hosts the Atlanta Falcons.
However, that is not a certainty, as Conner still needs to be medically cleared before he can return. The Cardinals do not have a time limit on when they can designate him to return. However, once they do designate him to return to practice, they then have a 21-day window to activate him to the 53-man roster or lose him for the season.
Top Fantasy Options for the Cardinals Include Keaontay Ingram and Tony Jones Jr.
The Cardinals have been somewhat of a revolving door at RB since Conner’s departure. Immediately following the injury, they turned to rookie RB Emari Demercado. However, Week 6 saw them lean on Ingram as he returned from injury. It was then back to Demercado for Weeks 7 and 8, but the rookie is now also injured.
With Demercado ruled out due to a toe issue, it looks as though it will be back to Ingram leading the backfield. However, it is somewhat of a strange situation as Ingram has only touched the ball three times in the past two weeks. The Cardinals appeared to have chosen to use veteran RB Damien Williams as the main backup to Demercado, but Williams is also injured this week.
That has left the Cardinals scrambling at RB once again, as they added Jones to their main roster this week. Jones was previously added on waivers from the New Orleans Saints when Conner got injured but did not even suit up for Week 6 before being waived and re-signed to the Cardinals’ practice squad.
The journeyman back has 88 career carries for 249 yards and two touchdowns, with 80 receiving yards on 14 receptions. The majority of that work came with the Saints over the past four years, but he also played four games for the Seahawks. Now, he could get a chance with a third team, with what could be a one-week audition for a bigger role.
Bizarrely, Jones is the more experienced of the two backs. Ingram has only touched the ball 59 times in his career. He has 51 rushing attempts for 124 yards and a touchdown, with 47 receiving yards on eight receptions. It seems as though Ingram will be the lead back for the Cardinals this week, but it is going to be close to impossible for fantasy managers to trust either of these backs in Week 9.
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!