James Conner's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner put up 83 yards from scrimmage and found the end zone in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills. He will look to do more of the same on Sunday in the Cardinals' home opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Fears that he might lose work to rookie Trey Benson were assuaged last week as Conner handled 16 of Arizona's 20 handoffs and was on the field for 67% of offensive snaps compared to Benson's 13% share. The Rams had one of the toughest run defenses in the league in 2023 but no longer have Aaron Donald anchoring their line. In Week 1, they gave up 131 yards and two touchdowns on the ground to the Lions. Conner should be locked into fantasy lineups this week and can be expected to put up another RB1 performance.

Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing described running back James Conner as the team's "bell cow" in recent comments to the media. Anyone left wondering how much Petzing's coachspeak could be trusted got their answer on Sunday. Conner handled the ball in each of the Cardinals' first six plays from scrimmage to open the game and paced the team's running backs with 16 rushing attempts. The eighth-year veteran gained 50 rushing yards and caught three passes for another 33 yards through the air. Conner scored his first touchdown of the season in the second quarter, taking the handoff from three yards out and punching it through the line for the score. Conner and the Cardinals next face the Rams, who allowed a combined 131 rushing yards and two touchdowns to David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs of the Lions in Week 1.

When the Arizona Cardinals open their season on Sunday, it will mark running back James Conner's eighth as a pro, and his fourth with the team. Since joining the Cardinals in 2021, Conner has the eleventh-most carries in the league despite missing seven games due to injury over the last two seasons and starting only six games in 2021. Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing recently told the media that Conner is "the bell cow in that room," signaling he will maintain his role despite rookie Trey Benson's presence on the depth chart. In 2023, Conner turned in his first 1,000-yard season and finished with the third-most rushing yards per game (80.0). The Buffalo Bills have a stout defense but last season had a weakness against running backs, allowing 4.4 yards per carry (eighth-worst in the NFL) and 6.33 yards per target (fourth-worst) to the position. Conner can be started as a solid RB2 option in Week 1.

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner "is the bell cow in that room," offensive coordinator Drew Petzing told the media on Tuesday. In simpler terms, Conner remains the primary option in Arizona's backfield. After all, there's no reason to reduce his workload given that he excelled in 2023. Last year, despite being 28 years old, he delivered 1,040 rushing yards, 165 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns. Now, entering his age-29 campaign, he remains a solid RB2 option for fantasy purposes. Petzing's comments come amidst speculation that rookie Trey Benson may eat into Conner's workload. While Arizona surely hopes Benson is their future franchise running back and could need him to carry the backfield at a moment's notice, the bell cow role still belongs to Conner for now.

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.