Why Fantasy Football Managers Should Fade James Conner In 2025 Drafts

James Conner enters 2025 fantasy football drafts as a risky yet intriguing RB2 option after a career year with over 1,000 rushing yards, raising questions about durability and whether he’s a value or trap pick for managers.

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) takes the field before they play the New England Patriots at State Farm Stadium on Dec. 15, 2024. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In 2021, in a split role for the Cardinals, Conner gained only 3.7 yards per rush, with three of his 202 carries gaining 20 yards or more. He made the best of his opportunity by scoring 15 rushing touchdowns. In the passing game, Conner looked more explosive (10.1 yards per catch) with an exceptional catch rate (94.9). 

Most of his success catching the ball came over four matchups (5/77/1, 5/37, 9/94, and 6/41/1) over the second half of the year. Conner gained over 60 yards in only five contests in the run game. His best value rushing the ball came from Week 9 to Week 13 (72/272/4).

He finished 19th in running back scoring (201.20) in PPR formats while playing 13 games in 2022. A rib issue knocked him out of action for three weeks early in the year, and in Week 18, he suffered a shin injury. From Week 10 to Week 17, Conner delivered seven productive games (23.60, 13.40, 22.00, 23.40, 18.10, 25.00, and 14.00 fantasy points). He rushed for over 100 yards in one matchup (25/120 with three catches for 20 yards and one score).

Conner had his best season rushing the ball in 2023. He gained an impressive 5.0 yards per carry, with 11 runs of 20 yards or more. His success over 13 games led to his first season with more than 1,000 rushing yards (208/1,040/7). Conner missed four weeks midseason with a right knee injury. 

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) runs with the ball against the Minnesota Vikings in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. | Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

His best value came over his final five games:

• 25/105/2 
• 14/86/1 with three catches for three yards
• 112 combined yards with one score and five catches
•  26/128/2 with one catch
•  204 combined yards with one touchdown and four catches.

Over this span, Arizona gave him 23.4 touches per game. He finished 18th in running back scoring (201.50) in PPR formats.

Despite bringing the injury tag into 2024, after missing eight games over the previous two seasons, Conner played in a career-high 16 games, along with new highs in carries (236), rushing yards (1,094), and total touches (283). His success led to the 11th-ranked running back season (254.80 fantasy points), with four games (22.30, 22.20, 30.80, and 26.60) with 20.00+ fantasy points. Three of these outcomes came from Week 14 to Week 16, when fantasy championships were on the line.

Unfortunately, Conner left Week 17 after 12 plays due to another knee issue, costing him the final game of the season.

James Conner 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook, Projections, And Ranking

This draft season, drafters must decide if Conner is a value or a trap based on his favorable running back ranking (20th). His ability to be on the field on all three downs with a reasonable floor in scoring will certainly look inviting. I can’t predict when a player will get hurt, but avoiding injury risk is a critical part of winning in fantasy sports.

Conner comes off a career year with his highest workload. He’ll start 2025 at age 30. I’m putting him in my fade column, or at the very least, handcuffing him with Trey Benson. The Cardinals had Conner on the field for 56.5% of the plays last year, and he averaged 18.5 touches over his first 15 games.

Conner is currently the RB18 in both our 2025 PPR Rankings and Non-PPR Rankings.