The Arizona Cardinals have certainly surprised many people with their start to the 2023 NFL season, and James Conner is smashing expectations that were set for him coming into the year.
However, the veteran running back popped up on the injury report this week. Is he now at risk of missing Week 4’s matchup against the San Francisco 49ers? Here’s the latest news and what fantasy football managers need to know.
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Latest News Surrounding James Conner
Conner was limited during practice on Wednesday this week as he’s dealing with a back injury. It’s a good sign that he was still able to practice in a limited fashion, but fantasy managers are certainly concerned anytime they see injury news related to the Cardinals’ RB.
.@JamesConner_ rushes in for the first @AZCardinals TD of the day
📺: #DALvsAZ on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/UQdQ05gT8f pic.twitter.com/Hc0xCbLP6S— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2023
Conner has missed a lot of action over the course of his NFL career battling injuries, which was one of the risks associated with drafting him in fantasy football this year.
It’s almost certainly a guarantee that he’s not going to be able to play all 17 games in a season, but he’ll be productive when he’s out there.
Will Conner Play This Week?
As of right now, it’s too early to discern whether or not Conner is in danger of missing the Cardinals’ matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. If he was a non-participant in Wednesday’s practice, it would be much more concerning.
The practice reports from Thursday and Friday will be telling for fantasy managers whether or not they can expect to have Conner in their starting lineups for Week 4. We’ll update this regularly with the latest news and information, so check back in frequently.
What Does This Mean for Conner’s Fantasy Ranking?
For right now, Conner can be viewed as a low-end RB2. He’s most likely going to struggle up against this vaunted 49ers run defense, but the volume that he’ll see will offset it.
MORE: PFN Consensus Rankings
If he continues to participate in a limited fashion, though, and there’s significant buzz that this back injury is going to affect his performance in this matchup, it may be worth considering another option in that range of rankings.
If you’re stuck trying to figure out who you should play this week between Conner and another running back on your roster, plug these options into our free Start/Sit Optimizer and find out who you should play to dominate your fantasy football matchup in Week 4!