Who Should I Start? Ameer Abdullah or James Conner

Monday, August 11, 8:41 PM

The San Francisco 49ers have placed running back Ameer Abdullah (ribs) on season-ending injured reserve, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Abdullah, who just joined the 49ers as a free agent on July 31, suffered a rib injury in a preseason-opening 30-9 loss to the Denver Broncos this past Saturday. While the 32-year-old was unlikely to make much of an impact this season (if any), it's another hit to San Francisco's depth in the backfield. The team is already set to go multiple weeks without injured Christian McCaffrey backups Isaac Guerendo (shoulder) and Jordan James (finger). The 49ers brought back Jeff Wilson Jr. in free agency on Sunday in the wake of Abdullah's injury to provide some much-needed healthy depth behind McCaffrey.

Monday, September 8, 10:21 AM

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner did not have an efficient game, but did score a touchdown in his team's 20-13 Week 1 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Conner rushed for 39 yards on 12 attempts and added four catches for five yards and a touchdown as a receiver. Notably, second-year Cardinals running back Trey Benson was much more successful as a rusher, finishing with 69 yards on eight carries. Arizona may feature Benson more heavily in 2025, especially given that Conner is now 30 years old. The veteran still figures to be his team's goal-line back, but the workload split between Conner and Benson is one for fantasy managers to monitor closely in the coming weeks.