The Cardinals finish their regular season in Week 18 with a home game against the 49ers, who have also been eliminated from postseason contention. Both teams will be without important starters, and on Wednesday, the Cardinals ruled out starting running back James Conner with a knee injury. With Conner out and Trey Benson (ankle) and Emari Demercado (back) already on IR, Michael Carter ($4,700) will step in as the starter and be a solid fantasy option to consider in Week 18 DFS contests.
Here’s what Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said about Conner’s availability:
Arizona Cardinals RB James Conner is OUT this week vs. the 49ers, per head coach Jonathan Gannon. pic.twitter.com/ZZYHPJn4AN
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) January 1, 2025
Michael Carter’s background
The Cardinals originally claimed Carter in November of 2023 after he was released by the Jets. The 2021 fourth-round pick was involved in the Jets’ offense before being waived, and he spent the final few weeks of last season as the Cardinals’ primary backup. In Week 17 of last season, he totaled 61 yards on seven carries against the Eagles and added a six-yard touchdown reception.
This season, he was waived at the end of training camp, but he re-signed with the team’s practice squad. After Demercado and Benson both landed on IR, Carter was elevated to back up Conner in Week 16. Conner hurt his knee in that game, and Carter totaled 9.8 fantasy points with 18 rushing yards on five carries and five catches for 30 more yards. In Week 17, he was elevated again and took over as the top running back after Conner re-aggravated his knee injury.
Carter had 13 carries against the Rams for 70 yards last Saturday night and caught both his targets for 11 more yards. He finished with 10.1 fantasy points even though he didn’t get into the end zone in the low-scoring game.
Carter’s matchup in Week 18
The 49ers have been a good matchup for running backs lately. Running backs have over 150 rushing yards and a touchdown in each of the last two weeks against San Francisco and have scored 18 total touchdowns in 16 games against San Francisco this season.
Carter should get almost all the work in the Cardinals backfield with DeeJay Dallas ($4,200) as the only other running back on the active roster. Dallas has a catch in each of the last two weeks but does not have a carry. Tony Jones Jr. ($4,000) is also on the practice squad, but Carter has worked ahead of him for the past few weeks.
The Bottom Line
With James Conner ruled out, Carter will be lined up for a good workload in what should be a solid game script against the shorthanded 49ers. The Cardinals are four-point home favorites and if they play from ahead, Carter could get a significant enough workload to be an excellent value in DFS contests like the NFL $2.25M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st].
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