If you drafted Trey Benson in fantasy football leagues, it’s been a rollercoaster of a season. He was a solid backup, then was almost instantly thrown into starting duties after James Conner was injured. Benson showed his potential, then suffered injury struggles of his own, leading to a multi-week stint on IR. Now, with the stretch run of the regular season and fantasy playoffs on tap, Benson had his three-week practice window opened.
So, can we expect Benson to return for this upcoming week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
Analysis
It’s been nearly two months since Benson’s last game. When he went down, the Cardinals were sitting at 2-2 and still had hopes for this season. In his absence, they’ve spiraled to 3-8 with their playoff hopes on life support. But that doesn’t mean they’re going to give up entirely; the coaching staff is likely coaching for its own livelihood, plenty of the players are trying to justify their spots, and Benson himself wants to prove he should be at the forefront of their plans for next season.
But first, we have to figure out whether or not he’s playing. Benson’s practice window was opened this past week, giving the team 21 days to activate him before he reverts to season-ending IR. Obviously, he didn’t play last week, but head coach Jonathan Gannon sounds optimistic. He referred to Benson as “day-to-day,” which is a great sign for his Week 13 status.
If Benson gets back in the lineup for next week, it’s going to be in a good spot. The Buccaneers are struggling after a solid start to the year and have been in the bottom-10 in scoring offense with a middling run defense. It’s unclear if Benson would return to a full workload this Sunday, but with Emari Demercado out and Bam Knight struggling, I assume he will get all he can handle.
Make sure you keep track of Benson’s practice status throughout the week. If you have him in your IR spot, you should prepare to activate him. If he’s sitting on waivers, I’d throw a waiver claim his direction.
