Hayden Winks uses James Conner as the ideal "anchor RB" in a modified zero-RB build. He outlined a start of Nico Collins, Brian Thomas, Lamar Jackson, and another upside wideout, then grabbing Conner at the 5-6 turn to lock in weekly volume. The Cardinals have little proven depth behind Conner, so Winks is comfortable relying on the veteran's steady workload while continuing to hammer high-upside positions elsewhere.

Claudia Bellofatto urged fantasy managers to tread carefully with 30-year-old James Conner, calling him “one of the least explosive running backs in the NFL.” Conner’s 4.6 yards per carry mask declining burst, and he still picked up a late-season knee injury despite a career-high 16 games played. Bellofatto worries age-related regression and the arrival of rookie Trey Benson could siphon touches, making Conner a risky RB2 at his current draft cost.

Jakob Sanderson highlighted James Conner as the superior Round-6 pivot to Kamara. Despite turning 30, Conner has posted the two most efficient seasons of his career, ranking near the top of the league in success rate and yards after contact. With Kyler Murray healthy and Marvin Harrison Jr. stretching defenses, Sanderson expects the Cardinals to fight for a Wild Card spot, keeping Conner’s late-season touchdown equity sky-high. He concedes Conner will never match Kamara’s reception totals, but in half-PPR that gap matters less than the veteran’s red-zone dominance—"he earns his points like a real man by running the ball into the end zone repeatedly." The cleaner team context, goal-line role and recent efficiency create a higher probability of Week 15-17 spike games, making Conner a priority selection whenever he slips past ADP.

Sean Koerner continues to hammer James Conner at his RB20 ADP, calling the veteran the safest play in what he dubs the “frozen-pond” running-back tier. Conner finished 14th in Best-Ball Points Added per game last season and missed only the meaningless Week 18 finale, debunking the narrative that he’s perpetually unavailable. Koerner argued Conner merely hits the positional median of 2–3 missed games per year while offering proven weekly ceiling in an offense that returns Kyler Murray and upgraded its line. Age (30) is the lone red flag, but Koerner sees fewer question marks than with similarly priced backs coming off role changes or committee uncertainty. He is comfortable drafting Conner as an every-week RB2 and letting the rest of the room chase flashier but riskier profiles.

Andy Holloway doubled-down on James Conner as the safest fifth-round back, pointing to efficiency numbers most drafters miss. Conner ranked #2 in forced-missed-tackle rate last season—trailing only Kenneth Walker—while logging six 100-yard rushing games and his second straight 1,000-yard campaign. He added 47 catches for 400+ yards, giving him every-down utility even when the Cardinals trail. Despite that résumé he’s falling to 5.05 (RB20). Holloway said that, in a vacuum, he prefers Conner over Walker at equal cost because Conner’s week-to-week floor is “bankable” and both backs carry similar injury risk. He advised drafters to grab the veteran for a steady RB2 slot, ride the early production, then consider trading once the wear-and-tear narrative resurfaces.

Andy Holloway urged drafters to scoop up James Conner yet again, noting that Arizona faces the league’s 11th-easiest schedule and is favored in five of its first six games. Conner was the RB10 last year despite missing a game, and the Cardinals are projected to win 8.5 games—up from seven a season ago—setting up plenty of positive game scripts. Holloway loves using Conner as an early-season points engine, then trading him before wear and tear mounts. With rookie Quinshon Judkins still a "question mark" and Arizona’s depth chart otherwise thin, Conner profiles for another high-volume start that can anchor season-long and best-ball rosters while the market drafts him outside the top-20 backs.

Wyatt said James Conner is once again a screaming dynasty value right now. Every offseason Conner’s dynasty ADP falls because managers fixate on age and injury risk, yet redraft drafters still project him as a locked-in RB2 whenever he is healthy. Conner has finished in the RB12-RB16 range whenever he’s logged at least 13 games, and he’s still the unquestioned early-down back for Arizona. Wyatt noted you can usually pry Conner away for a 2025 second-round rookie pick, plug him straight into an RB2 slot, and even flip him for more later in the year when points get scarce. The predictable dip-and-rebound cycle makes him an easy short-term acquisition for contenders who need bankable volume without spending premium capital.

Coventry’s favorite Round 4/5 pick is James Conner, even if it requires a small reach. Conner has produced RB1 per-game numbers in three of the last four seasons with Arizona, averaging 18.1 PPR points when active. While he typically misses 1–3 games, Coventry argues that’s par for the position and the Cardinals still funnel red-zone touches his way, giving Conner top-12 upside whenever he’s in the lineup.

Sean Koerner said fantasy managers should continue treating James Conner as a locked-in RB2 because Arizona has no incentive to change last year’s formula. Conner averaged 17 touches and 4.6 yards per carry in 2024 and, on film, "still looked excellent." Koerner noted that durability worries are overblown—Conner has suited up for 13-16 games in five of six seasons—so a healthy Conner should once again handle the bulk of early-down and goal-line snaps while adding just enough targets to keep his weekly floor intact. Trey Benson lost work as his rookie year went on and almost never played on passing downs, which tells Koerner the staff views him strictly as a change-of-pace back unless Conner gets hurt. He advised drafting Conner confidently in Season-long leagues and viewing Benson only as an injury stash or late Best-Ball flier.

Josh Norris hammered that James Conner remains a screaming value at pick 62 even after Arizona spent a Day-2 selection on Trey Benson. Conner ranked RB13 in points per game last year and returns to a Cardinals offense Vegas pegs ninth in projected scoring—higher than Cincinnati. He owned 77% of the team’s red-zone attempts with Kyler Murray healthy and averages three catches per game. Norris doubts Benson will steal high-leverage snaps, projecting another 17-touch weekly workload and double-digit TDs for Conner, who he says should be drafted a full round earlier in both best ball and season-long formats.

Jakob Sanderson said James Conner is the lone gray-beard runner he is actively targeting in the sixth round. Sanderson cannot understand why Conner’s ADP lags behind Joe Mixon and Alvin Kamara, insisting that "all of his advanced metrics profile the last couple of years are absolutely excellent" while Mixon and Kamara look "pretty washed and just living on volume." Outside of age there is, in Sanderson’s words, "nothing about him to not like and appreciate." Conner’s early-season floor also fits Sanderson’s rookie-heavy builds—he called the veteran a "fast starter" who can keep lineups afloat while younger backs such as Hampton get their feet under them. Sanderson is drafting Conner ahead of Mixon in Best Ball Mania and treating him as a stabilizing RB2/3 with real ceiling.

Rich Hribar maintained that James Conner "still kind of looks like a value" despite his age. Conner was hyper-efficient again in 2024, stayed healthy for the first time in three seasons, and showed no tangible decline in yards after contact or explosive-run rate. With Arizona yet to add meaningful backfield competition, Hribar expects Conner to retain a three-down workload that has produced top-15 fantasy finishes each of the past two healthy campaigns, making him a priority RB2 target in the middle rounds.

Ian Hartitz called James Conner "the Tyler Lockett of running backs" because he beats ADP every season and nothing about Arizona’s current depth chart says that will change. Hartitz pointed out that Kyler Murray took only one carry inside the five last year, leaving Conner with a virtual goal-line monopoly. The Cardinals quietly handed Conner a late-season contract extension—same timeline as Chuba Hubbard and David Montgomery—signaling zero appetite for a committee. Rookie Trey Benson handled five or fewer touches in every 2024 game that wasn’t a blowout, so Hartitz views him as a pure handcuff. With Conner’s price slipping to pick 58 (RB24), Hartitz projects another 275-touch, double-digit-TD campaign and urges drafters to scoop him as a rock-solid RB2 when the room chases shinier rookies.

Jim Coventry forecasted James Conner to finish around RB15, noting managers should plan for the usual two-to-four missed games but ride RB1 production when he suits up. Conner just logged 1,094 yards, eight TDs and 47 receptions while grading in the 85th percentile for broken-tackle rate and delivering back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at 4.6 and 5.0 YPC. Arizona extended him last year and still views him as the offense’s heart and soul even after adding Trey Benson. Conner closed 2024 with three 22-plus PPR games in Weeks 14-16 and saw 3-5 targets in each of his last 12 contests. Coventry called him the Cardinals’ engine and a perennial cheat code at his discounted price.

Pat Fitzmaurice urged win-now managers to kick the tires on James Conner, noting that his sellers are fully aware the cliff is coming and therefore motivated to cash out. Conner is still a clear three-down back in Arizona and averaged 17.4 PPR points over his final six healthy games in 2024, yet Fitzmaurice has routinely acquired him for less than a 2027 second-rounder—far cheaper than using a future first on a younger, unproven back. With the Cardinals’ offensive line ranking 10th in adjusted line yards and Kyler Murray’s dual-threat profile freezing linebackers, Conner has an easy path to another 240-touch season and red-zone dominance (29% team share inside the 10 last year). Fitzmaurice labeled the current rookie-hype period as the perfect window because Conner’s value will harden once redraft content reminds the market he is still a locked-in RB2.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound advised scooping James Conner after Cardinals coaches reiterated that Conner is "ready to carry the workload again." Pat mocked early projection systems that slotted rookie Trey Benson ahead of Conner, reminding viewers that Conner has survived similar challenges each of the past two off-seasons and still handled 70-plus percent of Arizona’s backfield touches when healthy. The fresh coach-speak confirms there is no committee on the horizon, yet Conner’s price continues to hover in the sixth round of Underdog’s Sprint and Pug lobbies. Pat views the veteran as a rare mid-round bell-cow who pairs nicely with zero-RB or hero-RB structures and expects him to beat ADP simply through volume and red-zone equity in Kyler Murray’s offense.

Davis Mattek pointed out that James Conner is still priced almost exactly where he was last summer—even after dropping 230.8 fantasy points in 2024. Conner’s closing ADP last year was 72.8, and Mattek was able to grab him at pick 65 with a current ADP of 67.9. Mattek said this shows drafters remain stubborn about fading 29-year-old backs, creating a clear value pocket for anyone willing to ignore the age narrative and lock up Conner’s every-down role in Arizona.

Chris Raybon ranked James Conner RB20 versus an ADP of RB23 and reminded listeners that Conner has never finished worse than RB33 despite missing 23 career games. Under OC Drew Petzing, Conner has logged his two best fantasy seasons (RB11 last year, RB17 in just 13 games the year before) while posting career-high yards-after-contact marks of 3.3 and 3.9. Raybon is baking in a 5-7 percent workload dip due to age but still projects a safe RB2 floor because Arizona left the backfield untouched, retained the same run-centric scheme, and could field an improved offensive line. Conner even increased his receiving role late in 2023, signaling continued three-down trust. Raybon likened him to “Frank Gore aging in reverse” and will scoop up the discount wherever possible.

Mike Wright called James Conner the easiest value pick among so‑called dead‑zone running backs. He argued that Arizona—projected for 7‑9 wins—has no incentive to replace Conner after Trey Benson failed to seize a larger role. The Cardinals have not hosted any top‑30 running‑back visits, and Kyler Murray routinely praises Benson as a change‑up rather than a starter, reinforcing Conner’s status as the "running back room." Over the last two seasons Conner has averaged 17.4 half‑PPR points in games he finishes, ranking eighth among backs, while soaking up 78% of the team’s red‑zone carries. Wright sees no path to that workload evaporating and intends to roster Conner everywhere as an underpriced RB2 who could flirt with top‑12 numbers if Arizona’s improved defense helps secure more positive game scripts.