Who Should I Start? James Conner or Jaylen Warren

Monday, September 22, 6:34 PM

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (ankle) underwent season-ending surgery on Monday after suffering a significant right ankle injury in the third quarter of Sunday's game. Conner was carted off with his ankle immobilized, and head coach Jonathan Gannon confirmed he won't return this season. With Conner sidelined, the Cardinals will turn to second-year back Trey Benson, who has been highly efficient, averaging 6.0 yards per carry (second among RBs). Gannon praised Benson before the season, noting he viewed both Conner and Benson as capable starters. Benson now projects as the lead option in Arizona's backfield, while Emari Demercado is expected to mix in behind him.

Friday, January 9, 5:09 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (illness) returned to a full practice on Friday, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN. Warren was under the weather and did not practice on Thursday. Now that he's back, he should be ready to rock by Monday night when the Steelers take on the Houston Texans in a Wild-Card playoff matchup. The 27-year-old back finished as the RB17 in half-PPR scoring during the regular season with 958 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 211 carries. He added 40 receptions on 45 targets for 333 receiving yards and two more TDs. Warren will be splitting the backfield workload with Kenneth Gainwell, who has become a bigger part of the offense in the second half of the season. Warren should be considered a low-end RB1 during Wild-Card weekend while going up against a Texans defense that allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards to RBs this year.