Fantasy Football: James Conner signing solidifies Cardinals backfield but clouds Chase Edmonds' value

The Arizona backfield just became a tricky logjam, but who doesn't want shares of players in a Kyler Murray offense?

The Cardinals were one of the last teams with real questions about how their running back depth chart would shake out heading into the 2021 NFL Draft, but they answered those questions when they announced the signing of former Steelers back James Conner. That sets up a backfield split between Conner and incumbent Chase Edmonds in an offense that could be one of the best in the NFL for running backs. 

Edmonds was hoping to step into a larger role with Drake's departure, and coach Kliff Kingsbury has talked about having trust in Edmonds as a lead back in the past. However, that seems unlikely to come to fruition now, with Conner seeming like a pretty natural replacement for the role Drake filled. Conner is a viable three-down option who caught 55 passes for 497 yards back in 2018, but has struggled to stay healthy and make an impact since. The Cardinals are surely hoping that putting him in a timeshare with Edmonds can help him stay on the field and stay at full strength. And there could be plenty of room for both to be Fantasy viable, as we saw in 2020 with Drake and Edmonds. 

In 2020, Drake rushed for 955 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 239 carries in 15 games, along with 137 yards on 25 catches on 31 targets. Edmonds, on the other hand, appeared in all 16 games, rushing for 448 yards on 97 carries with just one touchdown, while adding 402 yards and four touchdowns on 67 targets and 53 catches. In PPR leagues, Drake was RB15 and Edmonds was RB25, and that was with Kyler Murray rushing for 11 touchdowns, six of which came within the 10-yard line. 

Conner could be even better than Drake was, as Drake often struggled to pick up chunks of yardage, finishing with just 4.0 yards per carry and 4.4 yards per target. If he gets a similar role to the one Drake had but is more efficient, he could be a solid No. 2 Fantasy RB. And there should still be plenty of room for Edmonds to be a solid Fantasy contributor, too, as he was last season. Plus, if the Cardinals put a priority on trying to keep Conner fresh, Edmonds could see more than his 4.8 carries per game as a non-starter in 2020. 

But there's downside for both, too. 

In Conner's case, it mostly has to do with his injury history, but also the fact that he just hasn't been a particularly explosive runner himself over the past two seasons -- he had just seven carries of more than 20 yards between 2019 and 2020. He's also grown less efficient as a pass-catcher since his breakout 2018 season and has had some issues with drops occasionally. The Cardinals didn't block particularly well in the running game -- 24th in the league per PFF's grading -- and Drake had trouble moving the ball in obvious running situations, even with the threat of Murray's rushing ability presumably keeping defenses honest. Will Conner have the same issues? Which is to say, were Drake's issues a Drake issue, or a Cardinals issue, and if it's the latter, is it one they can solve this offseason?  

And for Edmonds, there's the risk that Conner really is a significant upgrade over Drake and he winds up in a smaller role than expected. If Conner proves effective as a pass-catcher, that would especially limit Edmonds' appeal, because 69.8% of his Fantasy points in PPR came from the receiving game. 

My assumption as of now is that this split will look similar to what we saw in Arizona last season, with Edmonds taking on a slightly larger role in the running game than he had last season to keep Conner healthy. I have Conner projected for 208 carries, 872 yards, and 6.5 touchdowns, with 28 receptions for 219 yards and 2.2 touchdowns; Edmonds is projected for 556 yards on 127 carries with 4.5 touchdowns, plus 52 catches for 417 yards and 2.5 touchdowns. Add it all up and Conner comes in as RB24 in my rankings, with Edmonds right behind him at RB25. However, both are outside the tier of running backs I would feel confident starting every week, which ends with Josh Jacobs at RB22 (Myles Gaskin at RB23 would be in that tier if the Dolphins don't add a significant talent in the draft). 

Which means I'm probably drafting Conner or Edmonds as an RB3 if they fall to the sixth or seventh round range or in the same range as part of a Zero-RB build. There's potential for either or both to exceed that, but as always with a projected committee it could just end up being a bigger headache than they are worth trying to figure out when you can trust either. 

What's the exact value of every Fantasy-relevant NFL player in the rankings? And which rookie will provide shocking value? Visit SportsLine now to get optimal rankings and picks, all from a DFS pro who has won almost $2 million in his career and has simulated the entire season 10,000 times.