Disaster struck the Arizona Cardinals over the weekend when running back James Conner went down with a severe ankle injury. After undergoing surgery, the veteran is now expected to miss the remainder of the season. While he’s out to rehab the issue, backup Trey Benson now takes over as the next man up. With his number called, does the second-year back have what it takes to perform and put up big fantasy football numbers against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4?
Can Trey Benson be a fantasy RB1?
The Cardinals selected Trey Benson in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft to develop him as the successor to James Conner, who received an extension later on in the same calendar year. After a rookie season in which he rarely played, the team talked over the offseason about making a point of giving Benson opportunities in a split backfield. Unfortunately, the Florida State product will now be thrust into the mix as the lead back in Arizona much sooner than anticipated due to Conner’s injury.
With the No. 1 role now secured, Benson sees the chance to make a major impact and display the talent which earned his draft capital. During his two seasons as a main contributor with the Seminoles, the halfback tallied 1,1134 and 1,1133 scrimmage yards with nine and 15 total touchdowns, showing promise as a three-down player. At 6-foot, 220 pounds, Benson is well-built but still brings elite breakaway speed with a 4.39 40-yard dash, so he blends both size and athleticism.
While he tallied just 291 rushing yards and one touchdown on the ground as a rookie last year, Benson averaged an efficient 4.6 yards per attempt. In three games this season, he’s totaled 125 rushing yards with an impressive 6.0 yards per attempt, and a 51-yard explosive run in Week 1 helped his name pop up as a favorite on the fantasy football waiver wire. Benson’s also caught 8-of-11 targets for 45 yards, so the upside appears clear with a little bit of pass-catching upside. Is it possibly enough to finish as an RB1 this week, though?
The verdict
There’s a very solid argument for Benson to qualify as a top-12 halfback assuming he gets the majority of work in this backfield. Look at how Conner performed in fantasy football over the last couple of years while serving as the Cardinals’ primary back. The veteran averaged 17.2, 15.4, 15.5 and 15.9 FPPG over each of the last four campaigns in Arizona while handling around 14 rush attempts and a handful of targets per game. The offensive system prioritizes putting the ball in the hands of its backfield playmakers, so Benson should step in as a driving force of the attack.
Now, Conner suffered his Week 3 injury around the start of the third quarter and Benson only handled 10 carries throughout the contest. However, the younger back took those for 42 yards and also saw four targets on the day, hauling in three. In a lead role, Benson should see a larger opportunity share on a run-first team, so the volume looks safe regardless of how much depth option Emari Demercado mixes in. For what it’s worth, the latter only played 11% of snaps in Week 3 despite Conner going down.
The only concern for Benson’s case as an RB1 in Week 4 is the matchup against the Seahawks. This defense looks like one of the NFL’s most underrated units with the second-best defensive EPA/rush at -0.21 while ranking ninth in total rush yards allowed thus far. That doesn’t mode well for success on the ground, but as long as Benson receives comparable volume to what Conner would have gotten as the primary runner in years past (he should, if not even more), then those opportunities can make up for a poor matchup. Factor in goal-line opportunities since the big back should handle most of those, and there’s a real possibility Benson finishes in the top 12 this week. He’s an awesome add in any fantasy football format if available.
