Cardinals' James Conner: Looking good in offseason program
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Head coach Jonathan Gannon said Tuesday that Conner (shin/knee) "looked good" at the start of the Cardinals' offseason program, Bo Brack of GoPHNX.com reports.
After breaking out with 18 total touchdowns in his first season with Arizona in 2021, Conner fell back to eight scores in 13 games while battling ankle, knee, rib and shin injuries over the course of the most recent campaign. With more than three months to get past shin and knee issues that kept him out Week 18, Conner appears to be healthy as the team reported for the first workouts under Gannon, who took over for Kliff Kingsbury in February. As the Cardinals' roster currently stands, Conner doesn't have much competition for backfield reps ahead of the 2023 season, barring an addition via free agency or the upcoming draft.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Sits out again Thursday
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Conner (shin/knee) didn't practice Thursday, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Conner was forced from the Cardinals' Week 17 loss in Atlanta with a shin injury in the fourth quarter, and while coach Kliff Kingsbury told Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com on Monday that the running back was day-to-day, he has yet to mix into drills this week. There was a positive sign Thursday when Conner took part in the team stretch during the open portion of the session, but he proceeded to hit the sidelines for individual drills. He thus has only one more chance to practice Friday before Arizona potentially makes a ruling on his status for Sunday's season finale in San Francisco. If Conner is limited or out, Keaontay Ingram and Corey Clement are the backfield options on the team's active roster, while Ty'Son Williams resides on the practice squad.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Present for practice Thursday
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Conner (knee/shin) was spotted at practice Thursday, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.
After logging a 'DNP' on Wednesday, Conner's presence on the field Thursday suggests that he could be available Sunday against the 49ers. The Cardinals' upcoming injury report will provide clarity with regard to the running back's official participation level.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Doesn't practice Wednesday
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Conner was a non-participant at Wednesday's walk-through practice due to shin and knee injuries, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Conner departed this past Sunday's game in Atlanta in the fourth quarter due to the shin issue, ending Week 17 with 19 touches for 110 yards from scrimmage. On Monday, head coach Kliff Kingsbury termed Conner day-to-day but called the running back's injury "nothing major" after X-rays returned negative, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. Conner also was listed with a knee concern on Wednesday's practice report, so with a pair of injuries, his activity level will continued to be watched to get a sense of the running back's potential to play Sunday in San Francisco.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Considered day-to-day
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Head coach Kliff Kingsbury said Monday that Conner (shin) is day-to-day, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.
Conner left the Week 17 loss to Atlanta in the fourth quarter due to a shin injury, but Kingsbury said the issue was "nothing major," and that X-rays were negative. The 2017 third-round pick's participation in practice should be monitored closely, but it appears like he's trending in the right direction ahead of Arizona's season finale against San Francisco on Sunday.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Picks up injury Sunday
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Conner sustained a shin injury during Sunday's game in Atlanta, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.
Prior to his departure in the fourth quarter, Conner had 16 carries for 79 yards and three catches (on three targets) for 31 yards. With Conner sidelined, the Cardinals are down to Keaontay Ingram and Corey Clement as options out of the backfield.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Good to go
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Conner (illness) returned to practice Friday and doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Falcons, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.
His return as a full participant after back-to-back missed practices sets Conner up for another large workload, though at some point the Cardinals might consider giving their backups some playing time with a playoff berth out of the equation. Conner topped 90 percent snap share in four of the past five games, and he should get plenty of touches Sunday in Atlanta even if he fails to match that number again.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Not seen at practice
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Conner (illness) wasn't spotted during the media-access portion of Thursday's practice, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Conner missed Wednesday's walk-through session due to an illness, so what the running back is able to at Friday's practice will added further context in terms of his chances of suiting up Sunday against the Falcons. Next up for the Cardinals' backfield touches if Conner is limited or out versus Atlanta are Keaontay Ingram and Corey Clement.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Comes down with illness
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Conner missed Wednesday's walk-through session due to an illness, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Conner has been a workhorse for Arizona's backfield over the last six games, racking up 130 touches for 605 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns during that span. An illness is keeping him off the practice field to start Week 17 prep, but he'll have two more chances to mix into drills Thursday and Friday and avoid a designation ahead of Sunday's visit to Atlanta.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Productive night in OT loss
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Conner rushed 15 times for 79 yards and a touchdown and brought in seven of eight targets for 41 yards in the Cardinals' 19-16 overtime loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday night.
Conner put together an efficient effort that featured both a 22-yard run and 22-yard reception. The versatile veteran logged all the Cardinals' running back touches except for one that went to rookie Keaontay Ingram, and his early fourth-quarter touchdown run gave him a rushing score for the third consecutive contest. Conner's reception and receiving yardage totals were also season highs, affording him plenty of momentum going into a favorable Week 17 road matchup against the Falcons.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Punches in seventh touchdown
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Conner recorded 16 rushes for 63 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 24-15 loss to the Broncos. He added three receptions on five targets for 28 yards.
Conner accounted for 16 of Arizona's 17 carries by running backs, though he was largely held in check. He did manage to break free for a 14-yard run early in the third quarter and also tallied a 16-yard reception midway to account for his longest gains of the day. Conner also punched in a late touchdown from one yard away -- his seventh score of the season. He may find it difficult to find running room without Kyler Murray (knee) under center, but Conner has seen at least 15 rushing attempts in four of his last five games.
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Cardinals' James Conner: RBs to Start
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It was a rough start to the season for Conner, but he's finishing strong based on his play over the past four games. And he should have another standout performance against the Broncos in Week 15, even with Kyler Murray (ACL) out for the season. Conner has now scored at least 13 PPR points in four games in a row, including at least 21 PPR points in three of those games. He has five touchdowns over that span and consecutive games with at least 110 total yards. He also had six catches for 29 yards on seven targets with Colt McCoy in Week 14 against New England after Murray was hurt. The Broncos have allowed a running back to score or gain over 100 total yards in five of their past seven games, and Conner has top-10 upside in all leagues for Week 15.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Efficient night in loss
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Conner rushed 15 times for 85 yards and a touchdown and brought in six of seven targets for 29 yards in the Cardinals' 27-13 loss to the Patriots on Monday night. He also recovered a fumble.
Conner opened the night with a nine-yard reception and six-yard rush before disaster struck on the next play and Kyler Murray went down with what appeared to be a serious knee injury on a non-contact play. The versatile back remained an integral part of the gameplan with Colt McCoy under center, often serving as a safety valve for the veteran and also recording a 10-yard touchdown run with 2:59 remaining in the first half. Conner has put together his two best performances of the season in the Cardinals' last pair of contests, and if Murray's injury is as devastating as it seemed, the veteran running back could be in line for an even bigger role in coming weeks. Conner did leave the game briefly with a minor injury but returned quickly.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Scores, tallies 140 yards
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Conner rushed the ball 25 times for 120 yards in Sunday's 25-24 loss to the Chargers. He added three receptions for 20 yards and a touchdown.
Conner accounted for 25 of 27 carries allotted to Arizona running backs and turned in his best effort of the season by a wide margin. He took advantage of a leaky Chargers' run defense to rip off runs of 20 and 18 yards and also found the end zone on a six-yard reception early in the fourth quarter. Conner will continue to see tremendous volume, though it's worth keeping expectations in check given that he had not topped 70 rushing yards in a game this season entering Sunday's matchup.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Start Him in Non-PPR (Lineup Decisions)
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Despite his team falling behind by multiple scores early in the second half of Arizona's Week 11 loss, Conner maintained a massive snap rate. This has been the story for him since returning from injury. Conner and the entire Cardinals offense will get a boost from the anticipated return of Kyler Murray to the starting lineup and this is a get-right matchup for him. Although he's not heavily involved in the pass game, he should be in your Non-PPR league lineups. Dave would start Conner over Dameon Pierce, Najee Harris, and Jamaal Williams.
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Cardinals' James Conner: RBs to Start
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Conner is not going to look pretty how he produces, but he's now scored at least 13 PPR points in consecutive games against the Rams and 49ers. He has three touchdowns over that span, which has saved him, and hopefully he'll score again in Week 12 against the Chargers. It's a good matchup since the Chargers have allowed a running back to score or gain over 100 total yards in four games in a row, and for the season, Los Angeles is No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to running backs. Conner should be considered a solid No. 2 running back in all leagues in Week 12.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Touchdown saves inefficient effort
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Conner rushed the ball 14 times for 42 yards and a touchdown in Monday's 38-10 loss to the 49ers. He added two receptions on five targets for 12 yards.
Conner joined the rest of the Cardinals' offense by turning in a fairly abysmal performance. However, he salvaged his stat line with a two-yard touchdown plunge late in the second quarter. Otherwise, his effort was highlighted by inefficiency and mistakes -- highlighted by a drop early in the second quarter that led directly to San Francisco's second touchdown of the game. With Arizona's running back depth chart extremely thin, Conner is likely to see all the volume he can handle, though that may not lead to standout production on a struggling team.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Finds end zone twice in win
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Conner carried the ball 21 times for 69 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 27-17 win over the Rams. He also caught all three of his targets for 17 yards.
The 27-year-old back hadn't scored since Week 1, but a healthy Conner finally regained the nose for the end zone he displayed in 2021. He punched in his first TD late in the second quarter on a four-yard run, then scored on a nine-yard scamper midway through the fourth. Conner will look to keep rolling in Week 11 against a 49ers defense he scored three touchdowns against in two meetings last year.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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The Cardinals are expected to be without center Rodney Hudson (knee) and right guard Will Hernandez (chest) this week, and left guard Justin Pugh (knee) is out for the season. It could be tough for Conner to find room on the ground, and he hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 1. In Week 9 against Seattle, he returned from a three-game absence with a rib injury and had seven carries for 45 yards and five catches for 19 yards on five targets, but he struggled in the first game against the Rams in Week 3 with 13 carries for 39 yards and three catches for 18 yards on five targets. The Rams have allowed just four total touchdowns to running backs this season, and Christian McCaffrey has two of them. Conner is a low-end starter or flex at best in the majority of leagues this week.
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Cardinals' James Conner: Sit Him (Lineup Decisions)
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Arizona's offensive line is still struggling to create space for its backs and Conner would have to make fresh legs pay off against a Rams defense looking for a rebound after a tough road loss last week. Their run defense has been among the most consistently good parts of their team all year, so it's not unreasonable to think that won't continue. I'd rather start Antonio Gibson, Devin Singletary (especially if Josh Allen doesn't play) and Najee Harris.
