James Conner

Week 4 at San Francisco 49ers

James Conner has been quietly productive so far this year. He has two straight games with a touchdown and managed 116 yards on 14 carries and a pair of receptions against the Cowboys last week. Conner is currently the RB8 in half-PPR leagues and his status as the primary back in Arizona is unquestioned, as he’s seeing 73% of the team’s offensive snaps.

The 49ers actually rank 20th in aFPA to opposing running backs and gave up a touchdown to Matt Breida last Thursday night, so the matchup isn’t quite as bad as it seems. Conner’s only downside is if the Cardinals get behind early and have to abandon the run, but if the game stays reasonably close, he should get enough touches to be productive. Start him as a RB2 option this week.

Week 2 vs. New York Giants

James Conner gained 70 yards from scrimmage last week against the Commanders on 14 carries and five receptions. It’s always good to see your running back receive 20 touches in a loss, however, making Conner an intriguing buy-low option moving forward.

The Giants almost have to be better than they were last week when they were destroyed by the Cowboys, but they still gave up 70 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Tony Pollard on just 14 carries. If the Cardinals can keep the game relatively close, expect a full workload with solid results for Conner, who we have ranked as a quality RB2 for Week 2.

Fantasy Upside
As Fantasy Pros put it, "When James Conner was healthy in 2022, it was hard to argue with his elite production and role in the Arizona Cardinals offense." Indeed, 4for4's John Paulsen notes from Week 10 to Week 17, he was the fantasy RB5, averaging 21.3 touches for 102 total yards and 1.0 touchdown per game. He also played over 90 percent of the team's offensive snaps in five different games. Adding to the positive vibe, this isn't Kliff Kingsbury's Air Raid offense anymore. New coach Jonathan Gannon hired a first-time offensive coordinator in Drew Petzing whose work history leaves little for fantasy managers to go on. He's worked mainly with quarterbacks and receivers in Cleveland and Minnesota, but his former boss in each location, Kevin Stefanski, does like to run the ball.

Fantasy Downside
Conner missed four games entirely and left three other games early because of injuries last season. He just turned 28 and Fantasy Pros notes he didn’t fare particularly well in the yards after contact or tackle-breaking advanced metrics. But age and the "when healthy" caveat aren't the only concerns here. The Cardinals, a team that started the 2021 season 10-2, has come completely undone. So the coaching change, uncertainty surrounding Murray and the overall direction the team is going in need to be taken into account.

2023 Bottom Line
Without a timetable for Murray's return from his ACL injury and with DeAndre Hopkins gone, someone on this team needs to score the touchdowns, why not the guy with two seasons of double-digit TDs on his ledger? The Cardinals made no significant additions at the position in the draft and free agency, leaving Conner with a stranglehold on this backfield, and his ability as a receiver shouldn't be overlooked. Given the anticipated workload, Conner projects to be a very good value given his ADP.