James Conner Fantasy Football Injury Update Looms Large With Jeremiyah Love Injured And Trey Benson Waived

A new injury update on James Conners' foot suddenly has a lot more significance with what's going on with the Arizona Cardinals' running back room. Jeremiyah Love is currently dealing with a high-ankle sprain and is questionable for Week 1, and the team just waived Trey Benson earlier in the week, who has been dealing with a knee issue of his own.

Cardinals head coach Mike LeFleur has stated that Conner is "progressing well" from his foot injury, but it's still too soon to know if he'll be ready for Week 1 or not. Hopefully we get a definitive answer on his Week 1 status sooner rather than later.

LaFleur: James Conner (foot) "progressing well" but too early to tell if he'll be ready Week 1.
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) August 26, 2026

Fantasy Impact

RB James Conner, Arizona Cardinals

Conner has been essentially written off this fantasy season. It makes sense with the Cardinals bringing in Tyler Allgeier in free agency and selecting Love with their third-overall pick. However, the team gave Conner an extension this offseason when they didn't have to. The team clearly plans to have a role for him.

If he is active for Week 1, we expect him to serve as the 1b in a committee with Allgeier if Love is not ready to go, but he will likely be an afterthought if Love is out on the field. As of now, we are expecting Love to be ready for Week 1.

RB Tyler Allgeier, Arizona Cardinals

If Love and Conner are both out for Week 1, Allgeier becomes a must-start in most fantasy leagues. However, that's a big "if." There are two other scenarios that could also play out.

With just Conner active, Allgeier would still be an intriguing flex option or low-end RB2. However, if Love is active for Week 1, we would not consider starting Allgeier until he proves that he has a defined role in the Cardinals' offense.

RB Jeremiyah Love, Arizona Cardinals

The only thing that matters to Love is how his ankle feels. Once he's healthy, he's going to be the unquestioned starter in Arizona. You don't draft a running back with the third overall pick in the NFL Draft to be a backup or even in a split committee.

We saw everything we needed to see from him in his limited touches in Arizona's opening preseason game. He looked great, and we fully expect him to be a fantasy superstar as soon as he gets healthy.

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