With James Conner (foot) done for the season, Trey Benson ($8,800 Showdown) is the next man up in the Cardinals’ backfield. Conner was only available for 30% of the snaps last Sunday vs. the 49ers before getting hurt, and with the veteran missing for most of the contest, Benson rushed a season-high 10 times — including one red zone carry — for 42 yards. He also caught three of his four targets for nine yards (8.1 FPTS). Benson logged a season-high 60.6% of the snaps and he saw a target on 13% of his routes.
Now, with Conner completely out of the equation, Benson should be in line for a featured role this Thursday vs. Seahawks. When asked about moving forward with Benson as the team’s lead back with Conner sidelined, Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon told the media this week: “I’m fully confident in Trey, I really am.”
Benson has been terrific as a rusher this season, averaging an 6.0 YPC, which ranks fifth among all running backs that have seen at least 10 carries. Furthermore, the 23-year-old has produced three rushes for 10+ yards despite seeing only 21 carries.
Benson should see 15-20 touches Thursday night vs. Seattle, and while this is a tough matchup with the Seahawks giving up the third-fewest yards per rush this season (3.2), Benson should still produce solid numbers with the heavy volume. Currently on DraftKings Sportsbook, Benson’s O/U prop lines for this game are 15.5 carries, 58.5 rushing yards, 3.5 receptions and 21.5 receiving yards. Plus, he carries +105 odds to score a touchdown, which are the shortest for this Thursday night matchup.
Benson is in the RB2 conversation for season-long leagues this week and he is a strong DFS target for Thursday’s Showdown slate, as Benson brings one of the best floor/ceiling combinations for this NFC West matchup.
