Arizona grabbed Florida State RB Trey Benson early in Round 3. He’ll team up with James Conner in the Cardinals’ backfield. Arizona eased off Conner on passing downs last year, and his injury history speaks for itself, so there’s a path to immediate usability for an ARI offense that suddenly looks pretty solid on paper. Let’s break down Benson’s Year 1 fantasy outlook.
TREY BENSON
Projection: 167.1 carries for 675.5 yards and 4.4 TDs. 27.7 catches on 36.9 targets for 219.0 yards and 0.9 TDs.
- As a freshman at Oregon, Benson tore his ACL, MCL, meniscus, and hamstring. It doesn’t get much worse than that. He transferred to Florida State and split work with Treshaun Ward and Lawrance Toafili, but he was efficient with 6.1 yards per carry and 11.2 yards per catch at FSU. He then ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at 216 pounds, demonstrating the kind of athleticism that shines even at the next level. He has the potential to be a three-down back in the NFL, but he didn’t have a workhorse profile in college and obviously has a major injury history. Still, the upside is there for him to be one of the most prolific backs in the league.
- James Conner turns 29 years old in early May and has an extensive injury history. Benson likely opens the season as the RB2 here – although we’ll monitor camp reports – but he could easily find himself atop the depth chart at some point during the season. With Kyler Murray healthy, Trey McBride looking like a stud TE, and new star rookie Marvin Harrison Jr., the Arizona offense could actually be pretty good in 2024. Conner has proven himself as a good goal-line back, so Benson’s path to high-value touches depends on whether he earns targets. He flashed receiving ability in college and is likely better than both Michael Carter and Emari Demercado – who held that role in 2023 – right off the bat.
- Benson is a hyper-athletic back in a respectable offense, and the only roadblock between him and the RB1 role is an aging RB with a long injury history. That’s a pretty good situation to be in for a third-round rookie back.
JAMES CONNER
- Conner should be the odds-on favorite to receive Arizona’s first carry in Week 1, but Benson will be hot on his heels. It’s difficult to get excited about the aging veteran after he lost the passing-down role in 2023 and now has a Day 2 rookie breathing down his neck. His goal-line role may give him some usable games early, but touch competition is much fiercer than last season and he’s another year older. I expect Conner to go pretty late in fantasy drafts this summer.
- Carter overtook Demercado down the stretch, but neither RB3 candidate will be relevant with Benson in town barring multiple injuries.
