James Conner Fantasy Football Outlook (2021)

By Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros), Thu, Aug 12th 2021, 7:04am EDT

It's never a good thing for a running back to go from a workhorse role into a timeshare, but in Conner's case, it might be for the best. While operating as Le'Veon Bell's backup, Conner had pep in his step and performed like an RB1 when given the opportunity. But once he took over as the team's No. 1 running back, injuries continually piled up, letting his body know he wasn't capable of being that guy. Many are assuming that Chase Edmonds is the No. 1 running back in this offense, and while I believe that's the case, there's a non-zero percent chance that Conner takes over the Kenyan Drake role from last season that netted 239 carries and 31 targets. There's a reason the Cardinals signed him in free agency, so he will have a role, but the question is "how big?" He might be worth a late-round pick just in case he does get the Drake role (or even 80 percent of it).