Who is James Conner’s handcuff? Honestly, you may want to look away instead of reading the sad answer. The Arizona Cardinals starting running back finds himself in an awkward situation as a veteran on a rebuilding side. However, the team doesn’t have much behind him on the depth chart.
James Conner’s handcuff is nominally Emari Demercado. The undrafted rookie has generated some buzz in training camp and probably best fits Arizona’s rebuilding timeline. The TCU product was okay in college. That being said, the idea that he’s some hidden gem is farfetched.
Behind, or more likely alongside, him is second-year pro Keaontay Ingram. He was underwhelming in 2022 to say the least. His 2.2 yards per carry came in an admittedly small sample size (27 carries) but is still cause for concern. Corey Clement is also lurking around in the running back room.
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Is James Conner’s handcuff worth stashing?
Hell no. Holding on to the Cardinals backup running back would be incredibly foolish even if you were to have Conner on your fantasy football roster. For starters, there isn’t a clear-cut handcuff. Who would you stash?
There is also the reality that Arizona is going to be really bad this season without Kyler Murray. Conner is serviceable enough to score points most weeks regardless of who the team starts at quarterback. And even then, most managers wouldn’t actually want to start him.
If Conner were to miss time and the Cardinals named a different starting running back, the ceiling for whoever replaces him would be incredibly low. We are talking about Rex Burkhead coming in for Dameon Pierce last season. Sure, maybe he blows up one random week. But there is no reason to keep a player of that caliber on your team.
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