There were plenty of brutal injuries across Sunday’s Week 3 slate, and James Conner suffered a significant leg injury against the San Francisco 49ers.
He was carted off the field, and here’s the latest update on his status:
James Conner Injury Update
Conner was another running back who went down with what looks like a potential season-ending injury. His right ankle was trapped underneath a 49ers defender, which resulted in a brutal injury.
Conner immediately grabbed his ankle as medical staff rushed over. The injury was so severe that he couldn’t put any weight on it and had to be carted off the field.
NFL insider Josh Weinfuss provided an update on Conner after the game. “A source told ESPN that they assume James Conner’s right ankle injury is severe enough to end his season but an official prognosis hasn’t been made yet,” he wrote on X.
A source told ESPN that they assume James Conner’s right ankle injury is severe enough to end his season but an official prognosis hasn’t been made yet.
— Josh Weinfuss (@joshweinfuss) September 22, 2025
NFL insider Ian Rapoport then provided another concerning update on Conner. “James Conner, who was carted off with his ankle immobilized, will need surgery to repair the injury he suffered today, sources say,” Rapoport wrote. “He’s still undergoing tests to determine the full extent of the damage. But the respected Conner is out indefinitely.”
With Conner potentially done for the season, the Cardinals will now rely on Trey Benson as their RB1 and Emari Demercado as their RB2.
Benson and Demercado are unproven, entering Sunday with just five combined games of 10+ carries. Benson did flash last season in Week 10 vs. the Jets, posting 87 scrimmage yards on 7.3 yards per touch with a 90.4 (A-) RB Impact grade.
Benson was already trending upward with more usage in the receiving game and is now positioned to be the weekly starter — a plug-and-play RB2 in fantasy. While he may come off the field on third downs, given the lack of depth behind him, there’s an outside shot he sees true three-down work with Demercado mixed in.
Conner had been a steady starter for years, though he opened 2025 slowly (73.2 RB Impact grade, 24th entering Week 2). Still, he was coming off a resurgent 2024, finishing with an 86.1 grade, the second-highest of his career and sixth among RBs last season.
The Cardinals lost 16-15 to the 49ers in Week 3, and are now 2-1 on the season. Here are their next five fixtures:
- Week 4: vs. Seattle Seahawks
- Week 5: vs. Tennessee Titans
- Week 6: at Indianapolis Colts
- Week 7: vs. Green Bay Packers
- Week 8: BYE
- Week 9: at Dallas Cowboys
Arizona has shown improvement each year under Jonathan Gannon, but Conner’s injury is a major setback. Hopefully, this pushes the team to lean more on Marvin Harrison Jr. and the passing game than they have so far.
