The Arizona Cardinals were dealt a tough blow to their offense in Week 3 after veteran running back James Conner suffered a season-ending injury.
Conner sustained an ankle injury that required surgery and the expectation is he's going to miss the remainder of the 2025 campaign.
With Conner out, the Cardinals will be sporting a new starting running back in Week 4 against the Seattle Seahawks.
But will it be second-year back Trey Benson? Here's what we know.
Is Trey Benson RB1 for Cardinals?
Based on the Cardinals' official depth chart, Benson is listed as the backup behind Conner, so the expectation is he's going to be Arizona's lead back moving forward.
For further confirmation, we turn to Cardinals beat reporter Bo Brack, who labeled Benson the team's RB1 on Wednesday.
"I'm looking forward to him running the rock tomorrow," head coach Jonathan Gannon said of Benson during the week.
More evidence that Benson will lead the backfield comes from the fact that he was the only other Cardinals running back to have any semblance of a role when Conner was healthy.
Benson tallied an average of eight touches per game over the first two weeks, and he had a season-high 13 touches last week when Conner went down.
We would project the 2024 third-round pick to get around 15-20 touches in Week 4. Emari Demercado should be the one to spell him.
Trey Benson start or sit advice Week 4
Benson is, at the very least, a flex option in Week 4 simply because of his expected volume.
The 23-year-old should get a heavy workload on the ground, and he was already a factor in the passing game before Conner's injury, so that should increase, also, which only adds to his value.
The Seahawks' defense has been a borderline middle-of-the-road unit against backs this season. Seattle's unit is tied for the 13th-fewest fantasy points per game surrendered to the position, so this isn't a scary matchup.
Start Benson with confidence in Week 4.
Verdict: Start
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