- Dec 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) runs for yardage against the Carolina Panthers during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

James Conner 2025 NFL Redraft Outlook

Originally posted on Total Apex Fantasy Sports
By Shane Foley | Last updated Jul 23, 2025 4:59 PM ET

James Conner hit a milestone last season, as it was the first year he played a full 16 games. His nine-season career has been plagued with injuries, but the former Pittsburgh running back has proven he can still run the football at a high level. That being said, some fantasy football players are still afraid to pull the trigger on him, given his injury history. Should drafters be picking up Conner and, if so, when?

James Conner 2024 Stats and Fantasy Production

Conner had an up-and-down year for the Cardinals, but he certainly had more good games than he did bad ones. His season high for fantasy points was 30.8, but his season low was 3.5. Overall, owners with him didn’t win every week, but there were plenty of games during the season where Conner hit it big.

Looking at the stats more closely, the games where Conner underperformed really came from a lack of carries. He only rushed the ball nine times in his 3.5-point performance against Detroit, as well as only four attempts in his 2.8-point game against Los Angeles. In the games where he got more than 15 carries, though, the vet back ended up with a good amount of fantasy points.

James Conner 2025 Fantasy Outlook

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) breaks out of the backfield past Detroit Lions linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin (42) at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Sep 22, 2024.

Conner is in a tough position this year because he has Trey Benson right behind him on the depth chart. So far, though, the Arizona coaching staff has said that Conner will be the starting running back and will get the bulk of the carries. They’ve also said they want to give him more attempts, which should lead to more production and, therefore, fantasy points.

That should make the veteran a great RB2 to pick up in this year’s draft, but figuring out when to draft him might prove a bit difficult. He is ranked as the number 16 running back by Fantasy Pros, right behind Kyren Williams. There is a considerable number of talented running backs who are ranked below Conner, though (Alvin Kamara, Joe Mixon, Chubba Hubbard, etc.).

Those guys might have similar production to Conner, so it’s tough to say one should be drafted ahead of the other. In general, it’s better to say look for Conner in the fourth round, and if he is still available, he should be picked up without question.

This article first appeared on Total Apex Fantasy Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: