Trey

Benson

Benson amassed 11 carries in garbage time last week. With the Cardinals meandering to a seven-point loss this time around, that game script never materialized. Benson is a low-volume backup without standalone value. He is not on the fantasy radar for the Cardinals’ Week 4 matchup with Washington.

Benson had an inefficient day running the ball, averaging less than one yard per carry with his longest run of the day being four yards. He is still the clear backup to bell cow James Conner, and got many of his touches in garbage time. Emari Demercado is still a factor, getting two carries for 46 yards. Benson is unlikely to be fantasy relevant with this role, but has value as a handcuff to Conner.

James Conner is the clear lead back in Arizona, but Benson got the entire second drive of the game to himself. That made it seem like this would be more of a split, but Benson rarely saw the field the rest of the way. An additional concern is that Emari Demercado worked as the clear passing down back, often coming into the game on third and long situations. It seems like Benson will need an injury to Conner to have much fantasy value this season.

Petzing said Conner is the top running back for the Cardinals backfield, while Trey Benson will need to be ready. The 29-year-old Conner has not played a full season in his career yet. Though he has missed eight games over the last two seasons, it seems the Cardinals will give him a heavy workload when active, similar to his three straight seasons of over 16 touches per game. Meanwhile, the rookie Benson is one of the most valuable handcuffs in fantasy football, ready to take on a large workload should Conner miss time.

Benson’s longest run of the night came on a 19-yard gain, forcing his way up the middle for a physical gain on the ground. The Florida State product has now rushed for 64 yards on 17 preseason carries but has yet to haul in a pass in his two outings. We wouldn’t read too much into that, however. Benson caught 33 passes in his two seasons as a starter and averaged 11.2 YPR. He remains a solid backfield backup to starter James Conner.

Benson’s signing comes just days before the Cardinals report to training camp. The former Florida State Seminole blazed a 4.39 40-yard dash at the combine earlier this offseason and has a versatile skillset that we’ve come to expect from a three-down back. For now, Benson will serve as the RB2 behind veteran James Conner. However, he remains a solid fantasy stash who could prove to have some stand-alone value in PPR leagues if he sees enough work in the passing game. He would profile as a high-end RB2 if Conner were to miss time at any point in the season.

The Arizona coaching staff, Venerable said, “loves” Conner and his tough running and veteran leadership. “The best version of this offense last year ran through [Conner],” Venerable said during an interview with Rotoworld’s Patrick Daugherty and Denny Carter. “James Conner is one of their best players.” Venerable suggested Michael Carter could mix in behind Conner, rather than rookie RB Trey Benson functioning as the clear RB2. Benson, the 66th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, is considered an explosive back, though he never had more than 20 rushing attempts in a single game during his college career. We would expect Benson to be the Cardinals’ lead back should the 29-year-old Conner once again miss time with injury in 2024.

Redshirting as a freshman at Oregon in 2020, Benson (6’0/216) suffered a devastating knee tear — ACL and much, much more — in December practice and ended up handling the ball just six times the following season. An FSU transfer ensued, and Benson was finally allowed to fly in 2022, averaging 6.4 yards per carry and dodging tackles at an elite rate. A Jonathan Taylor-ian 6-foot-0, 216 pounds, Benson also has Taylor-type speed at 4.39. A plus pass catcher, Benson averaged a ridiculous 11.2 yards per grab for his career, including 12.3 on true “backfield” catches. The knocks are that Benson needs to be more physical and never handled bell-cow-level workloads in Tallahassee, just once reaching 20 carries in a contest. He nevertheless comes with breakaway ability on the ground and three-down upside in a modern offense. Benson is exceptionally intriguing in dynasty.

Benson checked in at six feet tall and weighed 216 pounds. The former Seminole’s 4.39 ranked as the third-fast time amongst all backs, while his 9.77 RAS is elite for the overall position. Considered by some to be the top back of the class, Benson’s strong showing at the combine could be enough to earn him early Day 2 draft capital and a chance to contribute early in the season.

Benson (6'1/211) was a member of the 2020 recruiting class, but didn’t see any action on offense that year. In 2021, his season was cut short due to a knee injury that resulted in him appearing in just two games. In this two games, Benson rushed six times for 22 yards and had one touchdown. It’s unlikely Benson will step into any kind of significant role right off the bat, but he could be asked to eventually fill the role left by running back Jashaun Corbin, who departed for the 2022 NFL Draft.