Who Should I Start? James Conner or Kenny Pickett

Thursday, May 29, 1:04 PM

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (knee) took part in voluntary organized team activities on Wednesday. "I'm ready," Conner said. "We ain't doing this forever." Conner injured his right knee in Week 16 of last year and had six touches before being pulled in Week 17. The Cardinals placed him on Injured Reserve for the Week 18 regular-season finale, but the 30-year-old veteran appears to be fine now and ready to go for the start of the 2025 season this fall. He racked up a career-high 1,518 scrimmage yards on 236 carries while catching 47 of 55 targets in 2024. It was the healthiest Conner had been in his career, so fantasy managers definitely should expect some more missed time given his age and physical running style. For now, he's still being considered a workhorse back in Arizona, but more injuries could give Trey Benson more of a role eventually.

Monday, August 25, 8:18 PM

The Las Vegas Raiders are acquiring quarterback Kenny Pickett (hamstring) from the Cleveland Browns on Monday in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Geno Smith is the Raiders' unquestioned starter heading into the 2025 regular season in two weeks, but Pickett will now give the team plenty of backup experience after Aidan O'Connell (wrist) went down with a fractured right wrist that is expected to sideline him for six to eight weeks. Pickett himself has dealt with a hamstring injury that he suffered late in July that kept him out of all three of the Browns' preseason games, but he has a chance to be available for Week 1 for the Raiders against the New England Patriots. Back in Cleveland, this trade means that one of rookie signal-callers Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders will be the QB2 behind Joe Flacco to begin the year.