JamesConner

News: 3 days agoThe Cardinals are placing Conner (foot) on injured reserve with a designation to return, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix reports.

Spin: Conner continues to deal with complications from the foot injury that ended his 2025 campaign Week 3 of last season. Initially, when Arizona didn't place him on the active/PUP list at the start of training camp, it was an indication that he had a chance to be available for Week 1. Instead, Conner will be required to miss at least the first four games following this transaction. Considering rookie third overall pick Jeremiyah Love's status is up in the air due to a high-ankle sprain, Tyler Allgeier may be the team's lead runner in the early going, with Bam Knight backing him up.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Conner is entering his 10th NFL season without a clear path to touches. For starters, we haven't seen him in a while after he suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 3 last season. Even prior to the injury, Conner was splitting work with Trey Benson, totaling 28 touches in two full games. Conner restructured his contract during the offseason, but his days as Arizona's lead back are over after Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier were added to the roster during the offseason. Conner, who delivered four straight top-15 fantasy (points per game) campaigns prior to 2025, will need to find a new home in order to have any shot at 2026 fantasy relevance. He'll begin the season on IR.