Cardinals' Michael Carter: Struggles behind starter Sunday
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Carter gained 13 yards on three carries and caught two of four targets for 18 yards in Sunday's 45-17 blowout loss to the Rams.
Fill-in starter Bam Knight (7-18-0) struggled against the Rams' defense, but Carter didn't fare much better in his limited opportunities. The 26-year-old depth piece is averaging just 3.0 yards per carry this season, which puts no pressure on the coaching staff to elevate Carter's role amidst all of Arizona's backfield injuries in 2025. Carter will continue to carry little fantasy value in a brutal matchup against the Texans next Sunday.
Cardinals' Michael Carter: Gets 10 touches in Week 13
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Carter recorded five carries for 17 yards and gathered in five of six targets for 47 yards during Sunday's 20-17 loss at Tampa Bay.
Aside from a Week 9 win in Dallas, when he was active but didn't play, Carter has handled various workloads in eight games since his season debut Week 4. The personnel available to the Cardinals backfield due to a litany of injuries has resulted in as few as one touch (Week 4) to as many as 23 touches (Week 5), but he's settled into roughly seven touches per game (6.9, to be exact) in his last six appearances. On Sunday, Carter took a back seat to Bam Knight (14 touches for 98 total yards and one TD), with Trey Benson (knee) still on injured reserve and Emari Demercado inactive due to a high-ankle sprain. If Benson and/or Demercado are able to return next Sunday against the Rams, the aforementioned workload for Carter may dry up to almost nothing, but he should remain involved as long as that duo is sidelined.
Cardinals' Michael Carter: Leading rusher on five carries
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Carter rushed five times for 28 yards while adding three receptions for 30 yards in Sunday's 27-24 overtime loss to the Jaguars.
Carter finished Sunday's narrow loss as Arizona's leading rusher despite seeing five fewer carries than fill-in starter Bam Knight (10-12-1). The latter cashed in a short rushing score, making Knight the preferred fantasy option when also factoring in his starting role. Trey Benson (knee) and/or Emari Demercado (ankle) could return in Week 13, although nothing has been confirmed on either front, which would push Carter and Knight into smaller roles on offense. For now, Carter is nothing more than a desperation play for those in deeper formats against the Buccaneers next Sunday.
Carter had two carries for six yards and gathered in five of seven targets for 22 yards during Sunday's 41-22 loss to the 49ers.
Carter's 44 percent snap share marked his highest workload since Week 7, which can be attributed to Emari Demercado's early exit due to an ankle injury. Carter ended up playing one more offensive snap (33-32) than Bam Knight, who led the backfield with nine touches for 45 yards from scrimmage and one rushing TD. Demercado's status for Week 12 is unclear, but if he misses any time and Trey Benson (knee) isn't activated from injured reserve, Carter would split the backfield with Knight for at least this coming Sunday's game against the Jaguars.
