Trey Benson Injury Update is Bad News for Bam Knight & Other Cardinals Running Backs

Trey Benson’s expected Week 13 return shakes up the Arizona Cardinals backfield, putting Bam Knight, Michael Carter, and Emari Demercado’s fantasy value in flux.

Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson (33) walks off the field after their 23-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Sept. 25, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson has been out since Week 4 with a knee injury. He got injured in his first start in place of another injured Cardinals' running back, James Conner, who went down for the season with an injury of his own in Week 3. He had been getting increased snaps and opportunities even before Conner got injured, and in his lone start, he carried the ball eight times for 35 yards and caught five passes for 19 yards before getting injured. 

While we can only make so much of such a small sample size, it's worth noting, in his final three games before landing on injured reserve, Benson caught 12 of 15 targets. What that tells us is that he is capable of being a bell-cow running back who can play in both an early-down and pass-catching role. For the season, he is averaging 5.5 yards per carry. He has proven he can handle both roles. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that the Cardinals will give him all the touches, especially in the first week back. 

There is a chance that some combination of Bam Knight, Michael Carter, and, once he's ready to return from his ankle injury, Emari Demercado, is used alongside Benson. The fact that Benson was being used while Conner was healthy, and how the backfield has been utilized since Benson went down, suggests that they might want to use a backfield by committee regardless of who's healthy.

Back to back games with a TD for Bam Knight!

Will Trey Benson be back next week?
pic.twitter.com/eKoxTpXp1d

— RotoWire (@RotoWire) November 23, 2025

We are expecting to get the answer to these questions soon, because it sounds like Benson is likely to return in Week 13. He was close to playing in Week 12, and he's running out of time in his 21-day window to be activated off injured reserve. It's not a lock that he plays this week, but we would be surprised if he's not out there.   

Fantasy Football Impact of Trey Benson Injury Update

Arizona Cardinals running back Bam Knight (20) warms up before they play the Jacksonville Jaguars at State Farm Stadium on Nov. 23, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

RB Bam Knight, Arizona Cardinals

Knight is the closest thing to a starting running back that the Cardinals have run out there since Benson went down with his knee injury. In Benson's first week back, we'd expect Knight to come close to splitting carries and eventually get phased out to a role of about four or five carries per game. 

RB Emari Demercado, Arizona Cardinals

Demercado missed Week 12, and could miss Week 13. Once he is back, we'd expect him to play a limited role where he plays on some passing downs. While he is capable of making the huge play on limited opportunities, any fantasy value he has will be nearly impossible to predict. He could still be an interesting DFS dart throw. 

RB Michael Carter, Arizona Cardinals. 

We wouldn't be shocked to see Carter either cut, sent to the practice squad, or inactive on a weekly basis once all four running backs are healthy. It seems like the Cardinals view Carter as redundant with Knight, and they view Knight as the better option.