The return of Trey Benson is imminent and it will drastically affect the endless Cardinals backfield. Emari Demercado has gone out and he may not see any relevance for the remainder of the season. In his absence, Michael Carter and Bam Knight elevate to takeover the work this week. When Benson does return, he will likely regain full control. The question at hand is, when will Benson return? Well, let’s dive in and find out.
Benson played just one game post-James Conner injury. This was all the way back in Week 4. Since then, this backfield has been musical chairs. Their season is very well in doubt of any playoff hopes, but they will still fight. Jonathan Gannon needs his team to play hard to avoid any firing rumors. I do expect Gannon will stay into 2026.
Trey Benson (knee) has 21-day practice window opened.
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) November 19, 2025
There has been lingering optimism that Benson will return in Week 12, but that appears to be very much in doubt. We can expect Benson to return in Week 13, and Week 14 at the worst. He will require a short ramp-up to his full form, but the final month of the season will likely be the Benson show.
As has been stated, Benson is very likely to own this backfield. It is vital to know that Benson likely will not show this command in his first game back, as it will be a ramp up. It is likely that in his second and third games back, he will own the work. This is what we project the share to look like:
Initial tests revealed that Cardinals RB Emari Demercado suffered a high ankle sprain against the 49ers and now is unlikely to play Sunday vs. the Jaguars, per source. pic.twitter.com/HThlzU9mHm
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 18, 2025
* This will have volatile output. Refer to our Week 12 outlook, but know that this backfield has been a week-by-week flip flop in terms of touches.
The Cardinals are 24th in Rushing Yards per Game. They should see a moderate increase to become a mid-pack unit down the stretch. This will make Benson RB2 viable, Flex at worst.
There is definitely a chance that you can trade for Benson and get him for a relatively cheap price. However, is it worth it?
It all depends on the price of Benson. This will vary by owner that you are dealing with. In a situation like this, you are playing for upside. That rises the simple question — does the upside and playoff value overdo your outgoing player(s)? This is the Cardinals schedule for the Fantasy Football Playoffs (Rank vs RB):
The Falcons and Bengals offer prime matchups of high-upside. It helps even further that the Cardinals appear to be a Top-10 offense with Jacoby Brissett. I would venture to say that Benson has Top-10 upside in those two games.
The Cardinals do run the ball around 40% in the Red Zone, but we can see this adjust with rushing success and game script.
Trey Benson is a buy-low candidate despite being out for another week or two.