Veteran running back James Conner has been decent when on the field in his career. The issue is he hasn’t been able to stay healthy often. While Conner hasn’t reached the 1,000-yard plateau in a season in his career, he has been able to score 44 TDs in 52 starts. With quarterback troubles for the Arizona Cardinals, this could be Conner’s chance to break out.
2023 Fantasy Football: James Conner Profile
Recap of 2022 season
In 2022, Conner had 183 carries for 782 yards and seven touchdowns. He also added 46 receptions for 300 yards and a touchdown. It was a bumpy season and he dealt with rib and leg injuries throughout the year, which forced him to miss a few games. Despite only playing 13 games, Conner was able to turn in a solid fantasy football season as a late-round sleeper.
Updated Arizona Cardinals outlook
It could be a dreadful season for the Cardinals this year. Kyler Murray suffered a torn ACL and he’ll miss a good portion of the regular season. When he returns, he’d have an impact in the run game, which could take touches away from Conner. In the draft, the Cardinals took Paris Johnson Jr., who will be their future at left tackle, but he could play inside this season.
This should be a punt year for the Cardinals and we could see them end up with a top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Murray may not play a game this year, and if the right quarterback is there for them at the draft, we may have seen Murray’s final snaps in a Cardinals uniform.
Best-case scenario
The best-case scenario for Conner is he stays healthy and has a career year, which could mean 1,000+ yards and 12-15 touchdowns. The Cardinals don’t really have much competition behind Conner for carries. With Murray out, Colt McCoy will start at QB and Arizona should lean on the run. That could translate to plenty of touches and if Conner gets most of the goal-line work, he could have a big season.
Worst-case scenario
The worst-case scenario would be Conner gets injured or can’t stay on the field frequently. That could lead to another back — Ty’Son Williams, Keaontay Ingram or Emari Demercado — stepping up and stealing the lead-back role. Even if Conner stays healthy, the Cardinals could be the worst team in the NFL. There just may not be enough TDs or yardage for Conner to be worth playing in fantasy.
Prediction
The best-case scenario is closer to what will happen than the worst-case scenario. Conner likely won’t get to 15 touchdowns, but 1,000 total yards is reachable. He should finish around 800 rushing yards with 10 touchdowns. If the Cardinals are competitive, it could be more, but they will be playing from behind a lot and forced to throw the ball.
