Cardinals Depth Chart Debate: Emari Demercado Has More Upside than Michael Carter
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The Arizona Cardinals are injured, not just hurt. James Conner went out for the season just last week and now Trey Benson tailed him onto the IR. Now missing four weeks, Benson hands the reigns to his backups that are Emari Demercado and Michael Carter. Injuries always open the door for second chances and that will present itself to struggling teams with these two gifts. As far as how the will each provide value to the Cardinals, that is what we will figure out today.
Cardinals Backfield Outlook
Indications point to Carter being the lead back in this offense, but that seems too simple to be the case. Carter has been serviceable in his five year career, but how good is he really?
Michael Carter: “It’s been a lot. You go from Pat Tillman (practice squad player of the week award) one week to starting the next.”
— Theo Mackie (@theo_mackie) October 1, 2025
As an Arizona Cardinal, Carter has 58 Carries for 281 Yards and 1 Touchdowns. These numbers are actually quite good. However, we must note that Carter had a bulk of that success back in 2023 with 6.8 YPC. Since then, Carter is averaging now just 3.6 YPC. He is just 5'8", but weighs a compact 201 lbs, so he may be able to rumble low and fast.
The Cardinals have indicated that Demercado will remain in his 3rd down role in Week 5. That should not come with expectation that he will be heavily out snapped. Demercado could still very well have split-carries with Carter. It will all depend on their respective success throughout the game and game scripting.
In 2024, Demercado was very serviceable in his depth role, rushing for 9.3 Yards per Carry (24-223-1TD).
Valuing Michael Carter vs Emari Demercado
Carter brings an element to this team that can be quite valuable. That is the fact that despite being undersized, Carter has been a great pass-blocker. Per PFF, Carter grades out around 70.0 in pass blocking, a very quality number for a running back. This is very likely a part of the reason for his starting status adding a key element to this play action offense.
Demercado is the better pure-runner of the two. He had graded out around a 90.0 in 2023 and an 80.0 in 2024. As a 3rd down back, Demercado should rush more often in ratio to his snaps, which adds up.
Michael Carter and Emari Demercado "traded off going first in individual drills" Thursday, per @theo_mackie.
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) October 2, 2025
Given these facts, I expect Carter and Demercado to have very similar value. In the end, they will likely have similar touches. It will be very hard to telegraph this red zone offense. That will have to be the variance that we are victim to.
Start 'Em Sit 'Em
Both of these running backs are very fantasy viable, but I would air caution regarding their start-ability. If you are desperate, you can start either option but given variance/risk, I would rather stash them on the bench. If either player sticks out clearly in Week 5, then you can make the Week 6 start. Arizona is top-ten in pass rate, so do not overvalue either player too much in here. If anything, McBride and Harrison Jr get boosted.
When deciding between Carter and Demercado, is it a true coin flip. It seems to me that Demercado likely has to more explosive play opportunity and ability, so if I had to absolutely pick one, I will go with Demercado. This is a hard decision to make, but can be valuable if it works out your way.
Fantasy Sports On SI Week 5 Ranking:
Emari Demercado: RB40
Michael Carter: RB44
Fantasy Sports On SI News:
Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.