Who Should I Start? James Conner or Saquon Barkley

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, 7:02 AM

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni thinks running back Saquon Barkley will "be exceptional" in the new offensive system in 2026, according to Zach Berman and Brooks Kubena of The Athletic. Barkley had a down year by his standards in 2025, coming off a season in which he led the league in carries (345), rushing yards (2,005), and rushing yards per game (125.3). The 29-year-old had 1,140 yards and seven touchdowns on 280 rushing attempts in 16 regular-season games last year, when the Eagles had lows in yards per rush (4.2), average yards before contact (1.52), total rush EPA (minus-24.81), and rush-success rate (39.1) under Sirianni. The new offensive staff under Sirianni, led by offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, is expected to install "more zone-blocking concepts" that originate from the Shanahan tree. Barkley should still be considered an RB1 in fantasy despite his down 2025 season, and a bounce-back could be coming if he stays healthy.