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The Arizona Cardinals' offense will have some new weapons this upcoming season, especially at the running back position. That's because the Cardinals selected Florida State running back Trey Benson in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Benson was the second back selected in that draft class.
Benson will now join veteran running back James Conner to complete Arizona's backfield. As for Conner, he will enter his eighth NFL season and just turned 29 years old. So, age is obviously not on his side heading into the year.
Will Benson come in and immediately take over the RB1 job in Arizona? Will Conner keep the RB1 job? Let's dive in and find out.
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Who is the Arizona Cardinals' RB1?
Despite the Cardinals adding a young, explosive running back to this offense, Conner will undoubtedly open the year as the team's lead back. He has been extremely consistent in that role for Arizona since he arrived in 2021, and that shouldn't change this upcoming season.
As a result, fantasy managers can once again take Conner as their RB2 this season. He finished in the top 20 in PPR formats in all three seasons with the Cardinals while averaging 15.5 PPR fantasy points per game in 2023. The veteran also averaged 23.9 fantasy points over the final five weeks of the season.
“That was the floor.”
Arizona Cardinals RB James Conner on his 1,000 yard rushing season in 2023. pic.twitter.com/MEO0OdDAth
— PHNX Cardinals (@PHNX_Cardinals) May 28, 2024
Now, Benson will surely eat a little bit into Conner's workload, especially in the receiving game. It would be a shock to see the 29-year-old continue to play over 70% of the team's offensive snaps every game, considering his age and injury history. That injury history will also help the rookie stay fantasy-relevant throughout the year.
Conner has never played a full season in his career and has missed eight games over the past two seasons. So, expect Benson to have some fantasy value in Year 1. That makes him a nice handcuff with potential standalone flex value as the season progresses.
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