The Arizona Cardinals continue navigating their 2025 campaign while dealing with significant injuries in the backfield. Bam Knight suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans and was carted off the field. Will fantasy football managers have their running back available for the final stretch?
Bam Knight Injury Update
Knight hurt his ankle in the first quarter of Sunday’s contest. His left ankle became trapped beneath a Texans defender during a tackle. He was carted off the field and did not return.​
NFL reporter Joss Weinfuss provided additional insights during the broadcast, mentioning that Knight was unable to apply any pressure on his left ankle and appeared to be in considerable pain as he exited the field. The Cardinals initially labeled him as questionable before officially ruling him out.​
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On Monday, Adam Schefter reported that Knight is unlikely to play in Week 16 with a bad sprain.
It is safe to say Knight is out this week. Schefter went on to say that nothing is broken, which is good news, but Knight is clearly not going to play in Week 16.
It would not be surprising if the Cardinals put him on IR.​ The reality is the season is at the point where any injury is basically a season-ender with just three weeks left. Knight appears to have avoided a severe injury, but a bad ankle sprain could still notably impact his availability for the last three weeks of the regular season. The Cardinals are already down James Conner and Trey Benson.​
Before leaving the game, Knight managed one carry for a loss of two yards. His exit forced the Cardinals to make rapid adjustments in the backfield.​
Knight’s Fantasy Outlook
With Knight out, Michael Carter led the way, handling 18 opportunities. Carter carried the ball 14 times for 56 yards and caught all four of his targets for 38 yards in Sunday’s loss.
Carter got the first crack at lead back duties when Benson first went down, but was ultimately benched in favor of Knight.​ Now it is back to Carter, who was clearly the preferred option ahead of Emari Demercado.
Demercado struggled mightily in his return, managing only three yards on seven offensive plays against Houston. Although the matchup was tough, Carter performed adequately after Knight left early.​
Carter is obviously not some incredible talent, but the volume will be there and he is going to be the lead back. He led the team in rushing yards while setting new season highs in touches, rushing yards and scrimmage yards. On the season, the fourth-year running back has 453 scrimmage yards and three total touchdowns.​
Carter is easily the No. 1 waiver add this week. Trey Benson will not return in 2025, and with Knight now dealing with a multi-week ankle sprain, Carter could be set for significant volume once again in Week 16 against the Atlanta Falcons.​
Securing Carter in case he becomes the RB1 again is a smart strategy, even if fantasy managers do not plan to use him against Atlanta in Week 16. At minimum, acquiring him prevents competitors from strengthening their lineups during the fantasy playoffs. Carter profiles as a volume-based RB2/Flex option for the remainder of the season given Arizona’s depleted backfield situation.​
