Fantasy News: Cardinals' James Conner Expected to Play vs. Rams Despite Knee Injury
December 28, 2024
The Arizona Cardinals are expected to have their starting running back on the field for Saturday's matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, James Conner, who was listed as questionable due to a knee injury, is expected to suit up for Arizona's penultimate game even with the Cardinals having no chance of reaching the playoffs.
In his eighth season in the NFL, Conner has had one of the best years of his career. He's recorded 1,090 rushing yards and eight touchdowns along with 410 receiving yards and a touchdown through the air. He's already notched a career-high in rushing yards and has his second-most receiving yards in a season.
Conner, who has played all 15 games for the Cardinals, suffered a right knee injury in last week's loss to the Carolina Panthers. Though he wasn't ruled out of the game, he did not return to the field after the injury.
Arizona running backs coach Autry Denson said earlier this week that Conner has had "good" progression in the days leading up to the matchup with the Rams.
"(He looks) like he does every week," Denson said, per the Arizona Republic's Theo Mackie. "James is always ready to go."
Per Mackie, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said Conner "wants to play" even though his presence won't make a difference in Arizona's playoff chances.
The Cardinals, who have missed the playoffs the last two years, were still in the postseason mix heading into the final weeks of the season, but last week's defeat to the Panthers eliminated them from contention.
Had Arizona avoided the upset, the stakes would have been high for Saturday's NFC West matchup. Instead, the Cardinals would look to play spoiler as the Rams continue their playoff push.
Though it didn't reach the playoffs in 2024, Arizona showed improvement this year after going 4-13 in each of the last two seasons. That growth can certainly be attributed somewhat to Conner's strong play and the Cardinals will hope to get another productive season from him in 2025.