Who Should I Start? Trey Benson or Devin Neal

Wednesday, December 10, 12:00 PM

Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson (knee) will not be activated off Injured Reserve for the team's Week 15 matchup against the Houston Texans, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Since Benson will not return within his 21-day activation window, he will revert to season-ending IR and will not be eligible to return in 2025. Benson suffered a knee injury in Week 4 that was serious enough to land him on IR, but was not thought at the time to be season-ending. It's unclear whether the 23-year-old suffered a setback once his activation window was opened, or if the 3-10 Cardinals are simply choosing to be cautious with their potential running back of the future. Either way, Benson should now be completely off the radar of redraft fantasy managers for the remainder of 2025. His absence ups the value of Cardinals running backs Bam Knight and Michael Carter, who should continue to see the majority of the team's backfield snaps. Emari Demercado (ankle) could play a role in Arizona as well once he returns from the ankle injury that has sidelined him since Week 11.

Thursday, December 11, 9:50 PM

New Orleans Saints running back Devin Neal (abdomen) remained a limited participant in practice for the second consecutive day on Thursday. The rookie has handled an increased workload lately with Alvin Kamara (knee, ankle) sidelined and Kendre Miller (knee) on injured reserve. He's averaging 71.3 scrimmage yards as the starter and scored his first career touchdown last week. Kamara is trending toward missing another game, leaving Neal in line to start against the Carolina Panthers, assuming he's healthy enough to play. At this rate, Neal has a decent chance to suit up in Week 15 as long as he logs a limited or full practice on Friday. If Neal is confirmed as active and Kamara is out, the rookie will rank as a mid-to-low RB2 in fantasy football.