Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado got a good amount of work in the Cardinals' second preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday. Demercado led the running backs with 10 carries but for a paltry 24 yards. He also added one catch on his lone target for nine yards. The battle for the RB3 spot likely comes down to Demercado and Michael Carter, as the two traded third-down snaps with Demercado taking a slight 4-to-3 edge. Carter did take 4-of-5 two-minute drill snaps, however, per PFF's Nathan Jahnke. Demercado should go undrafted in fantasy drafts, but he was solidly useful for a spell last season when he was the lead back with James Conner hurt. With Conner and rookie Trey Benson in tow, Demercado becomes depth running back for Arizona who needs multiple injuries to be relevant in fantasy for 2024.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Clayton Tune got the start on Saturday in their contest with the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Tune was 8-of-10 passing for 79 yards, while adding two rushes for 15 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown was a 12-yard scamper after being flushed out of the pocket and rolling right to beat a defender to the corner of the end zone for the score. Tune is battling former Atlanta Falcon Desmond Ridder for the QB2 job behind Kyler Murray and Tune may just have the leg up on that job after tonight. You can leave Tune undrafted in fantasy, however, as Tune would only have fantasy value if Murray misses any time during the season.

Arizona Cardinals rookie running back Trey Benson took advantage of a resting James Conner as he rushed nine times for 43 yards in the Cardinals' loss to the Colts in Saturday's preseason matchup. Per PFF's Nathan Jahnke, Benson saw 16-of-22 possible first and second-down snaps outside of two-minute drills, which gives a clue that the Cardinals may have other backs like Emari Demercado and/or Michael Carter ticketed for a third-down role outside of Conner. Benson was drafted in the third round this past April as the eventual successor to Conner, but for now, Benson is only a contingency-based fantasy pick in the event of a Conner injury. He's still a worthy upside RB4/5 bench stash and could carve out a bigger role later this season.

Arizona Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. continues to shine at training camp this summer. During Thursday's practice, Harrison created separation with a nice move at the top of the route to get open in the end zone. The 22-year-old highly-touted prospect has been one of Arizona's brightest stars at camp all summer long, and he's being treated as such with a costly second-round fantasy ADP in drafts already in Year 1. Harrison has drawn comparisons to a young A.J. Green, who was also a No. 4 overall pick in the NFL Draft in the past, and he's all set to be quarterback Kyler Murray's top target with the Cardinals. Harrison dominated at Ohio State in 2023 to the tune of 18.1 yards per catch through 67 receptions (12 games) with 12 touchdowns and a massive 29.3% target share.

ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler believes Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson is likely to cede the majority of rushing attempts to James Conner in 2024. After totaling 1,040 rushing yards in just 13 appearances last season, Conner is locked in as Arizona's lead back to start the campaign. However, the Cardinals selected Benson with the second pick in the third round of the NFL Draft to provide a change of pace in the backfield for this year. It's also worth noting that Conner is riding an expiring contract in 2024, which would figure to make him a trade candidate when we get closer to the deadline around midseason. Benson, 22, profiles similarly to a young J.K. Dobbins based on workout metrics, and he's unlikely to see more than the occasional carry on early downs as an RB4/5 luxury stash in fantasy drafts while Conner is around and healthy in the desert.