Reports came out this past Sunday morning that Bam Knight ($5,300) was going to start ahead of Michael Carter ($4,800) for the Cardinals’ Week 6 matchup vs. the Colts. That wasn’t eventually the case; however, while Knight didn’t draw the start, he did end up seeing slightly more work and having a better fantasy performance than Carter.
Knight finished with 12.4 FPTS, compared to 8.4 FPTS for Carter. Knight rushed 11 times for 34 yards and a touchdown and he caught one of his two targets for 20 yards. Meanwhile, Carter rushed nine times for 34 yards and caught two of his five targets for 30 yards.
Knight handled 52.4% of the running back carries for Arizona, including three red zone rushes, while logging 50.7% of the snaps, whereas Carter saw 42.9% of the attempts and one red zone carry, while logging 43.8% of the snaps. Knight was utilized more as a rusher, yet Carter held the edge in the passing game. The veteran saw four targets on 20 routes, compared to just one target on 13 routes for Knight.
Carter was more effective as a rusher than Knight, but it wasn’t by much, with the backs averaging 3.8 and 3.1 yards per attempt, respectively. Emari Demercado ($4,300) only played three snaps and hurt his ankle in the loss to Indianapolis, so Arizona’s backfield should continue to be a two-man committee between Knight and Carter this Sunday vs. the Packers, with Knight seeing more work as a rusher and Carter seeing more work as a receiver.
This is a terrible matchup, with Green Bay being the third-highest graded defense on PFF and giving up the fourth-fewest yards per rush this season (3.6). Both Knight and Carter’s upside is limited, but given the Cardinals are likely to pass at a high rate as 6.5-point underdogs on DraftKings Sportsbook, this is a better spot for Carter, given he is likely to see more action as a pass catcher out of the backfield. Especially for DFS on DraftKings — where players are rewarded a full point per reception and Carter costs $500 less than Knight — the more affordable Carter is the better option of these backs.
