Who Should I Start? James Conner or Bijan Robinson

Monday, February 16, 7:27 AM

The Athletic's Doug Haller believes that Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (foot) could be a salary cap casualty this offseason. Conner has been a major asset to Arizona's offense during his five years with the team and is among the most respected players in the locker room, but he's also coming off a severe foot injury that limited him to just three games in 2025. He'll turn 31 years old in May and is under contract through the 2026 season, and cutting him would save the Cardinals around $8 million. Cutting Conner would allow the team to use the extra money to find a younger replacement in the backfield. The Cardinals would face a $2.25 million dead-cap hit by releasing Conner if he's a pre-June 1 cut. Even though Conner had two 1,000-yard seasons before his injury last year, he will most likely struggle to find a prominent role as a lead back in either Arizona or somewhere else next season while coming off a serious injury.

Wednesday, February 25, 8:12 AM

Three years into his NFL career, Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson has established himself as arguably the best all-around player at his position in the NFL. Across 17 games played in 2025, Robinson recorded a league-leading 2,298 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns on 366 touches. He made big strides as a receiver out of the backfield this past season. After failing to crack 500 receiving yards in either of his first two seasons, Robinson hauled in 79 catches for 820 yards on 103 targets in 2025. Falcons RB2 Tyler Allgeier is now set to hit free agency, which could mean Robinson is in line for more short-yardage and goal-line opportunities in 2026. Even if Allgeier returns or Atlanta brings in another back, the team's willingness to rotate running backs could be a positive for Robinson overall. He's yet to miss a game to this point in his NFL career. At just 24 years old, Robinson should have a long window of production ahead of him and profiles as a worthy 1.01 player across all fantasy formats heading into 2026.