Trey Benson Breakout Looms After James Conner's Season-Ending Injury

Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson is poised for a breakout campaign following a season-ending injury to James Conner.

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) takes the field before their game against the Carolina Panthers at State Farm Stadium on Sept 14, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Arizona Cardinals suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the loss on the scoreboard wasn’t the team’s only loss of the day. 

Veteran running back suffered an apparent ankle injury early in the second half of Sunday’s game. Conner was attempting to shed a tackle attempt when his leg twisted awkwardly, resulting in the injury. 

Late Sunday night, ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed that Conner’s ankle injury will require surgery and keep him sidelined through the remainder of the 2025 season. The ninth-year running back will appear in under 10 games for the first time in his career. 

From a fantasy football perspective, Conner’s injury will present major concerns for owners, as the veteran back entered the season with an Average Draft Position (ADP) of 47.0, according to FantasyPros data, ranking him as a top-20 running back in fantasy. 

Here’s a fantasy outlook on the Cardinals’ backfield following Conner’s season-ending injury: 

Arizona Cardinals RB Room Fantasy Outlook

Sep 21, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson (33) carries the ball as San Francisco 49ers safety Jason Pinnock (25) defends during the second half at Levi's Stadium. | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Conner was a consensus RB2 in fantasy, rostered in over 97% of leagues, eclipsing 12 fantasy points in PPR leagues in each of his first two games. The two-time Pro Bowler posted 14.4 points in Week 1, finding the endzone on one of his four receptions. 

He struggled in Week 2, but salvaged a lackluster fantasy performance with a second touchdown in as many games, this one on the ground. In Week 3, Conner was off to a promising day, posting 6.7 points at the time of his injury. 

With Conner sidelined for the remainder of the season, second-year running back Trey Benson will likely take over as the feature back in Arizona’s offense. Benson has eclipsed 8.0 points in each of the first three games of the season, providing a safe floor for owners who kept him stashed to this point of the season. 

Benson will likely see the vast majority of the snaps in the Cardinals’ backfield following Conner’s injury, as he’s appeared in 46% of the snaps so far this season. Entering Week 4, Benson is rostered in roughly 53% of leagues and will likely be one of the top waiver pickups of the week. 

Emari Demercado will also likely see a bump in touches. The third-year back notched two carries versus the 49ers in Week 3, appearing in seven snaps to Benson’s 40, which resulted in nearly 61% of the total snaps. 

Conner’s fantasy owners should strongly consider adding the versatile Benson to this week’s waiver wire.