The Arizona Cardinals have had a turbulent season due to injuries with their running back situation continually shifting all season. In Week 16, they are hosting the Falcons, and they’re expected to rely on Michael Carter and Emari Demercado as their backfield rotation. Can either one contribute to your fantasy football plans for the week? Which one of the backs will serve as the lead back
Let’s take a quick look at how we got here and what to expect from the Arizona backfield over the next few weeks as a disappointing regular season winds down for The Red Birds.
Injuries all around
The Cardinals started the year with a platoon of James Conner and Trey Benson. Conner was lost for the season in Week 3 to a foot injury, and Benson went down with a knee injury towards the end of Week 4. Benson was expected to return but never made it back from IR.
Zonovan “Bam” Knight helped fill in for multiple weeks, ultimately taking the starting job and posting double-digit fantasy points from Week 11 through Week 13. In Week 15, though, he played just one snap before leaving with an ankle injury that landed him on IR for the rest of the year.
With Conner, Benson, and Knight all out for the season, Carter and Demercado are the last two standing in the backfield. Let’s take a look at each of them to see what we can expect the rest of the way.
Michael Carter fantasy football outlook
Last week, Carter took 14 carries for 56 yards after Knight’s exit and also added four catches for 38 yards on his way to 13.4 fantasy points. Carter had double-digit fantasy points in Week 13 against the Bucs as well. He has been involved as a pass-catcher, hauling in multiple receptions in eight of his last nine games.
He hasn’t found the end zone since Week 5, when he scored against the Titans in one of his best games of the season. He had 18 carries for 51 yards and a touchdown and five catches for 22 yards, finishing with a season-high 18.3 fantasy points.
Carter hasn’t found the end zone since then, though, and didn’t get double-digit carries again until last week.
Following Knight’s exit, Carter played 80% of snaps last week. Coach Jonathan Gannon named Carter as the Week 16 starter, and he’ll likely get most of the work. He has done well enough in the top spot to be worth a look as an emergency flex play in standard leagues against the Falcons.
The Bottom Line
The Cardinals face the Falcons this week, who have been a slightly above-average matchup for running backs, but then next week, they face the Bengals, who have been a great matchup for running backs. If Carter or Demercado can claim the full-time role with a big week this week, they would have real value next week in that smash spot.
Both backs should probably be rostered in deep leagues since they could go off, but Demercado can be left on the bench this week. If you’re in a deep league and desperate for a low-end RB2 or flex play, Carter has enough juice to be worth a look, and his receiving work keeps him from being totally touchdown-dependent.
In one-week contests on DraftKings, like the NFL $2.25M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st], Carter comes with an affordable salary at $5,400. He’s one of the safest value plays on the board since he should get plenty of work and his PPR production gives him both a high floor and a high ceiling. Demercado is even cheaper at $4,600, but he’s just a high-risk flier option if you think he can break one loose for a big play.
