Trey Benson Placed on IR with Knee Injury, Updated Fantasy Outlook for Cardinals RBs

Already playing without James Conner due to a season-ending foot injury, the Arizona Cardinals are down another running back for at least four weeks with Trey Benson dealing with a knee injury.

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon announced on Wednesday that Benson will be placed on injured reserve, but he is expected to return this season.

Fantasy managers scrambling to fill the void left by Benson have their choice of Cardinals running backs that includes Emari Demercado, Bam Knight and Michael Carter.

The Cardinals have been a pass-heavy team to start this season, limiting the opportunities for their running backs to make a major fantasy impact. They have the eighth-lowest percentage of running plays in the NFL through four weeks (39.7 percent).

Conner is still Arizona's leader in total carries (32), though he wasn't particularly explosive with the ball in his hands. He had just 95 yards for 3.0 yards per attempt.

Benson is leading the team with 160 rushing yards on 29 carries (5.5 yards per attempt), but he didn't find the end zone on 40 touches. That seems to be a hallmark for the best Cardinals playmakers after Trey McBride had just two receiving touchdowns on 111 catches last season.

It will be interesting to see how Gannon divides the snaps between his running backs going forward. His strategy from Week 4 seemed to indicate that Carter will be the early-down and short-yardage back, with Demercado being utilized primarily on passing downs.

Carter just joined the active roster on Sept. 29 in the aftermath of Conner's injury, so his four offensive snaps in Week 4 aren't necessarily an indication of how he will be used going forward.

Demercado is averaging a career-low 3.5 yards per touch, though he did score his first touchdown of the season in Week 4 against the Seattle Seahawks.

None of these options are likely to be major contributors if you are trying to find someone who can help you win your league, but they are okay as short-term solutions to help weather the storm until Benson is able to return.