The Arizona Cardinals continue to wait for reinforcements in their backfield as they approach Week 15. Trey Benson has not played since Week 5 due to a knee injury. Is it time for fantasy football managers to accept that Benson won’t be playing again this season?
Trey Benson Injury Update
Benson has been sidelined for over 10 weeks since sustaining his knee injury during Arizona’s Week 4 matchup against Seattle. The issue was initially thought to be minor, but additional testing revealed a meniscus tear that required surgery. Benson underwent an arthroscopic procedure to repair the tear, with a projected recovery window of four to six weeks.​
The second-year running back was placed on injured reserve on October 1. Benson became eligible for activation following Week 9, but Arizona did not open his 21-day practice window until Week 12.​
The Cardinals officially designated Benson to return from injured reserve on November 19. He got in four limited practices between Weeks 12 and Week 13, his first since sustaining the injury. Head coach Jonathan Gannon said Benson looked good during those practice sessions.​
Benson appeared to suffer a setback during Week 13 preparations. According to reporting by Theo Mackie, Benson was present at Wednesday’s practice but did not look super comfortable going through individual running back drills during the open portion. Mackie noted that Benson went through all drills while we were out there but just looked a bit uncomfortable, kept shaking his leg, reaching toward his knee, hunching over after drills.​
Since that report, Benson missed five straight practices. He did not practice on Thursday or Friday of Week 13, and the Cardinals ruled him out for the team’s contest against Tampa Bay. Ahead of Week 14, Benson did not practice at all.​
Head coach Jonathan Gannon refused to acknowledge a setback despite the obvious signs. When asked about the possibility of Benson experiencing a setback, Gannon refrained from confirming that notion. He continued to state that Benson was assessed on a day-to-day basis.​
The Cardinals were required to activate Benson to the 53-man roster by December 10 or he would revert to season-ending injured reserve. That deadline represented the end of his 21-day practice window that opened on November 19.​
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wednesday that the Cardinals are not activating Benson, and his season is over. With four games left in a lost season, there wasn’t much sense in bringing Benson back. Arizona sits at 3-10 and has been eliminated from playoff contention.​
Anyone who has been reading our Benson injury reports for the past two weeks was prepared for this report. From the moment Mackie’s observation about Benson feeling uncomfortable at practice came out, our position was that Benson would not play again this season. Hopefully, fantasy managers were able to capitalize on this information.
Benson’s Fantasy Outlook
The Cardinals have cycled through multiple running backs during Benson’s absence, creating an unreliable committee with limited fantasy value. Bam Knight has served as the primary ball carrier in recent weeks with Emari Demercado dealing with his own injury issues. Michael Carter operates as the change-of-pace option, though neither back has provided the explosiveness Arizona’s offense desperately needs.​
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Before getting hurt, Benson had been trending upward in his second season. He accumulated 29 carries for 160 yards and 13 receptions for 64 yards through four games, delivering efficient production on a per-touch basis.​
With Benson officially done for the season, fantasy managers can move on from him entirely and reallocate that roster spot to more reliable options for the final weeks of the fantasy season. Hopefully, you did that two weeks ago. Arizona’s backfield will continue to be an unpredictable committee for the remainder of 2025.
Do not start anyone in this backfield in Week 15 against the Houston Texans.
