The Cardinals placed Conner (knee) on injured reserve Wednesday, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.
In the last two days, Arizona has placed its top two running backs on IR, with rookie third-round pick Trey Benson (ankle) getting deactivated Tuesday. Conner thus will finish the 2024 campaign with 283 touches for 1,508 yards from scrimmage and nine total touchdowns in 16 games. In a corresponding move, the Cardinals signed Michael Carter off the practice squad, and he likely will lead the backfield Sunday against the 49ers while DeeJay Dallas plays a complementary role.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Doesn't return to Week 17 loss
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Conner (knee), who exited Saturday's game against the Rams in the second quarter and was deemed questionable to return, never re-entered the contest despite wanting to retake the field, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports. Conner finished the defeat with four carries for four yards along with two receptions on three targets for four yards.
According to Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon, Conner may have aggravated the knee injury he initially suffered last Sunday against Carolina by being "twisted up on" at the end of a carry early in the second quarter. After the Cardinals announced that the veteran running back was questionable to re-enter the contest, Conner spent much of the rest of the game with his helmet on along the sideline, and he was never formally ruled out, though he did get looked at by trainers. Gannon mentioned that the plan going into the game was for Conner to be "full go," and the head coach suggested that the talented tailback "wasn't healthy enough to go back in" after being pulled despite Conner's desire to do so. Arizona has already been eliminated from postseason contention, which could be a factor in Conner's status for the team's regular-season finale next weekend against San Francisco.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Exits due to knee issue Saturday
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Conner is questionable to return to Saturday's Week 17 game against the Rams due to a knee injury, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Conner injured his knee last Sunday in a loss to Carolina and was limited throughout practice this week. He received a questionable tag heading into Saturday's contest but was ultimately able to suit up. However, Conner was ineffective early in the game, rushing four times for four yards and catching two of three targets for another four yards, before being deemed questionable for the remainder of the contest in the second quarter. If the star running back is unable to return against Los Angeles, Michael Carter figures to lead Arizona's backfield, with DeeJay Dallas also likely to get some offensive snaps.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Suiting up Saturday
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Conner (knee) is listed as active Saturday at the Rams, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Less than a week removed from injuring his right knee last Sunday in Carolina, Conner will be available to the Cardinals offense Week 17, as a report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network implied he would be. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network also relayed that Conner will be a "full go" Saturday, meaning he should approach the 18.5 touches per game that he's averaged this season. With rookie third-round pick Trey Benson (ankle) out again, Michael Carter and DeeJay Dallas are the backfield options not named Conner for Arizona this weekend.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Expected to play Saturday
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Conner (knee) is expected to play Saturday night against the Rams, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Along with Rapoport's report, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com indicated Friday that Conner -- who is officially listed as questionable after being deemed a limited practice participant Tuesday through Thursday -- was trending in the right direction ahead of the contest. In any case, confirmation of the running back's Week 17 status will arrive once the Cardinals' inactives are revealed prior to the team's 8:10 ET kickoff.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Trending toward playing Saturday
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Conner (knee) is "trending in the right direction" to play Saturday against the Rams, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Conner left last Sunday's Week 16 game against the Panthers early in the second half and was unable to return. However, he got in a trio of limited practice sessions this week, and coach Jonathan Gannon has sounded optimistic about the veteran running back's chances of suiting up for Week 17. DeeJay Dallas and Michael Carter filled in for Conner last week, as Trey Benson (ankle) also was out. Like Conner, Benson is listed as questionable for Saturday's contest.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Officially questionable for Saturday
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Conner (knee) is listed as questionable for Saturday's game at the Rams, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.
Conner made an early departure from this past Sunday's loss in Carolina due to a knee injury, which contained him to limited listings on all three Week 17 practice reports. The Cardinals held practice Wednesday and Thursday, the latter of which Conner was spotted with a sleeve on his right leg, per Mackie. Coach Jonathan Gannon told Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com earlier Thursday that Conner has made "good progress" in his recovery, but he also was unsure of the statuses of both Conner and fellow RB Trey Benson (ankle), who also is listed as questionable. Ultimately, Arizona will post its list of inactives for Saturday's game about 90 minutes before an 8:00 p.m. ET kickoff, but if either or both RBs are inhibited or sidelined, Michael Carter and DeeJay Dallas are the next options at the position.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Another limited showing
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Conner (knee) was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.
In the wake of hurting his knee this past Sunday in Carolina, Conner has taken part in Tuesday's walk-through session as a limited participant and was limited once again in practice a day later. Conner's practice regimen has been mimicked by his top backup Trey Benson (ankle), making Thursday's practice a vital one in determining whether either or both running backs will carry designations into Saturday's game at the Rams. If Conner is active this weekend, he likely would retain his role as Arizona's lead runner. Aside from Conner and Benson, Michael Carter and DeeJay Dallas are the healthy backs on the active roster.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Limited in first Week 17 practice
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Conner (knee) was estimated as a limited participant in Tuesday's walk-through practice, Zach Gershman of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Despite exiting Sunday's 36-30 overtime loss to the Panthers with the knee injury, Conner looks like he still has a chance at being available for the Cardinals' Week 17 matchup with the Rams on Saturday. Head coach Jonathan Gannon said as much earlier Tuesday, and Conner backed up that optimism by being able to take the field for the Cardinals' first Week 17 session, albeit with a cap on his reps. Even if Conner makes enough progress in his recovery from the injury to play Saturday, he could be in store for a lighter workload than he's handled in previous weeks, as the Cardinals have no incentive to push him while the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Could play in Week 17
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Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said Tuesday that Conner (knee) has a chance to play in Saturday's game against the Rams, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.
Even though they were eliminated from the playoffs after Sunday's 36-30 overtime loss to the Panthers, the 7-8 Cardinals aren't looking to shut Conner down due to the knee injury he suffered in Week 16. That said, given that Arizona has little at stake over the final two games of the season, Conner may not be cleared to play Sunday if the knee injury affects his practice participation leading up to the contest. Even if Conner gets the green light to suit up, the Cardinals could also look to lighten his workload in order to preserve his health heading into next season. With Trey Benson (ankle) also working through an injury that kept him sidelined for the loss to Carolina, Michael Carter would be the next man up for work out of the backfield if neither Conner nor Benson are able to play in Los Angeles.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Injures knee Sunday
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Conner suffered a knee injury during Sunday's game at Carolina, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Conner went in the sideline tent in the third quarter, and after some time he was deemed questionable to return. At the time of his exit, he was putting together a big performance, turning 19 touches into 166 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown. With Emari Demercado (back) on injured reserve and Trey Benson (ankle) inactive, DeeJay Dallas and Michael Carter are the healthy running backs on Arizona's active roster.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Top DFS Play
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James Conner is once again a workhorse running back, and with a matchup against the Panthers, he has an outside chance to be the number one back on this week's slate. Conner has at least 20 touches in each of his last three games. Over that stretch, only Chase Brown and Josh Jacobs have scored more Fantasy points than Conner.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Big game Sunday
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Conner rushed 16 times for 110 yards and two touchdowns while catching all five of his targets for 28 yards in Sunday's 30-17 win over the Patriots.
Conner was the star on offense for Arizona on Sunday, punching in a pair of short touchdowns while cracking the century mark in rushing yards for the fifth time this season. The bruising tailback combined for 21 touches, finishing well ahead of backup Trey Benson's five against New England. Conner remains the bell cow for a 7-7 Cardinals squad that will hit the road in Week 16 to face Carolina next Sunday.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Racks up 122 total yards, TD
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Conner rushed 18 times for 90 yards while catching all four of his targets for 32 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 30-18 loss to the Seahawks.
Conner caught a two-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter on an underhand pass from Kyler Murray for the veteran running back's first receiving touchdown of the season. This was also Conner's highest rushing yardage total since Week 9, as he had only 109 yards on the ground in three games in between. Conner will look to build off this bounce-back effort in a favorable Week 15 matchup against the 3-10 Patriots.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Bottled up early in loss
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Conner carried the ball 17 times for 68 yards and caught three of four targets for 13 yards in Sunday's 23-22 loss to the Vikings.
While he wound up topping 80 scrimmage yards for the eighth time in 12 games this season, Conner had little success early against a tough Minnesota run defense, and his first gain of 10 or more yards didn't come until late in the third quarter. The veteran RB still went over 1,000 scrimmage yards for the season in Sunday's game, a mark he's reached in all four of his campaign with the Cardinals. Conner has topped 100 combined yards in four straight home games, a streak he'll look to continue in Week 14 against the Seahawks.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Signs extension
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Conner signed a two-year, $19 million extension with the Cardinals on Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Conner was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent and a marquee name ahead of another deep class of available running backs, but the Cardinals proactively locked down one of their main offensive pieces through the 2026 season instead. With Arizona in the midst of a playoff push in a tough NFC West, the 29-year-old is on pace to surpass his career high in rushing yards (1,040) and receiving yards (497) thanks in large part to his health, as Conner is poised to miss four or fewer games for just the second time in his eight-year career.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Does little on ground Sunday
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Conner rushed seven times for eight yards and hauled in all five targets for 41 yards during Sunday's 16-6 loss in Seattle.
Conner was one of four Cardinals to earn a carry, pacing the team, but his yardage total was last among the quartet behind Trey Benson (4-18-0 rushing line), Emari Demercado (1-14-0) and Kyler Murray (2-9-0). In fact, Conner's eight yards on the ground were less than half his previous low on the season (17 in Week 3). Fortunately for the eighth-year pro, he salvaged his day somewhat as a pass catcher, with his 41 receiving yards ranking third most in his 11 appearances to date. Conner may have difficulty getting back on track next Sunday against the Vikings' No. 1 run defense (74.7 yards per game allowed).
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Cardinals' James Conner: Goes for 100-plus yards and TD
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Conner rushed 12 times for 33 yards and a touchdown while corralling all five of his targets for 80 yards in Sunday's 31-6 win over the Jets.
Conner struggled as a rusher outside of a short touchdown Sunday, but he offset that with his biggest game of the season as a receiver. The bruising back was dealing with a finger injury during the practice week, which could have had something to do with rookie Trey Benson (10-62-0) cutting into the starter's workload in the first half against the Jets. The 29-year-old Conner will get an extra week to recover as Arizona enters its bye before resuming action against the Seahawks on Nov. 24.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Avoids injury designation
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Conner (finger) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Jets, Bo Brack of GoPHNX.com reports.
Conner was a full practice participant Friday after limited showings the previous two days. He should be fine to handle his usual role, which entails the upside for 20-plus touches in close games. Conner has at least 10 touches in every game this season, including 21-plus in four of the past five weeks.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Limited again Thursday
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Conner (finger) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.
Conner is averaging 18.4 touches for 92.3 yards from scrimmage per game while scoring four rushing TDs in nine appearances this season. He has yielded some reps at times to reserve RBs Emari Demercado and Trey Benson, but their usage has been up and down while Conner has maintained his workload throughout the campaign. Having said that, Conner had a cap on his practice reps Wednesday and Thursday due to a finger injury, meaning his status will continue to be monitored as the week goes on.
