Bam Knight suffered cramps in second half

Knight seemingly earned more work as the game progressed by simply outplaying Allgeier, the team’s Week 6 starter. After a few unproductive Allgeier runs, the Cardinals got Knight involved as a receiver on the second drive, his first catch coming via a slant route and generating a first down. They gave him three carries on the third drive, culminating in a 31-yarder on a well-blocked run to the left. Allgeier subbed in for the red zone sequence on that drive, but the coaching staff gave Knight three red zone touches on the fifth drive, compared to just one for Allgeier. They gave Knight two more red zone touches on the seventh drive. Blocking failed him on the second one, and it may have resulted in a right hand or wrist injury. Knight trotted over to the medical staff after the play, and a trainer could be seen stabilizing Knight’s wrist while putting him through sideline testing. Knight did return to the game on the next drive, but this is worth keeping an eye on. If Jeremiyah Love (ankle) misses the Cardinals’ Week 7 game against the Broncos, and Knight’s apparent injury is a non-issue, Knight could end up getting the start next week. Stay tuned.

Love engaged in a long, candid conversation with Cardinals beat reporters after the game today, saying his snaps are being managed because he currently is “not able to go out there and do spectacular plays every single time.” Love said this is probably going to be the “longest year” of his life, and his preseason ankle injury is not the only thing he is dealing with. Love said his body is sometimes just “tired,” and that he would “probably just hinder the team” if he took on more work in his current state. He rhetorically asked, “why not put somebody else out there that’s playing better?” For those wondering, the Cardinals don’t go on bye until Week 14. They face the fantasy-friendly Lions defense in Week 5, which could help Love get his confidence back with an efficient performance.

Useful depth last year for Arizona as the entire running back room got hurt, Knight now enters the 2026 season as no better than fourth on the depth chart for the Cardinals. He’s behind James Conner, Tyler Allgeier, and Trey Benson. Knight won’t be a priority in offseason Best Ball drafts and will only pick up steam if more injuries happen ahead of him in the pecking order.

The ankle injury suffered against the Texans in Week 15 will send the running back to season-ending IR. Knight had control of the lead role in the Cardinals backfield for the majority of the season after season-ending injuries to James Conner and Trey Benson left Arizona reliant on depth. The 24-year-old acquitted himself well with a 82/269/4 line on the ground, adding one receiving score on a 22/160 line through the air. He’ll be a restricted free agent this offseason. Knight showed enough to stick on a roster somewhere, even if he isn’t necessarily someone dynasty managers should build around.

Knight is expected to undergo an MRI on Monday to confirm the diagnosis, but the belief is that he did not break anything. Knight is highly unlikely to play in Week 16’s game against the Falcons, and depending on the severity of his injury, it wouldn’t be surprising if this proved to be season-ending. We’ll check back in with an update when the team provides one, but an already thin Cardinals backfield could be looking at Emari Demercado and Michael Carter as it’s top two options down the stretch.

He was carted off the field after being tackled on his first carry. Knight left with minus-2 rushing yards. Though they initially called him questionable, FOX’s sideline reporter Jen Hale described Knight as being “in a tremendous amount of pain.” Knight may be staring at a season-ending injury.

Demercado has been sidelined since suffering a high-ankle sprain in Week 11. He’s expected to be active, according to Schefter, after getting in three limited practices during the week. Bam Knight has consistently out-touched Michael Carter in recent weeks and even if Demercado is active, he doesn’t figure to command even a third of the backfield touches in his first game back. None of the Cardinals’ running backs are particularly enticing against the Texans defense in the fantasy playoffs and Knight is truly the only usable option.

Even if Demercado does play this weekend, he seems unlikely to play on more than a few snaps. Demercado suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 11 against the 49ers and has been sidelined on game day since then. Expect Bam Knight to lead the backfield in touches this week, though he is just a FLEX, given the tough matchup.

Demercado could need another week to rehab his high-ankle sprain, but Friday’s report will clarify things. Cardinals RB Bam Knight has out-touched RB Michael Carter in each of the last three games, totaling 38 touches to Carter’s 23. Should Demercado return this week, he could reduce both players’ workloads. With all three on the field in Weeks 10-11, Knight totaled 20 touches while Demercado handled 14 and Carter took 10. Stay tuned.

The season is over for Benson, who never came back from the knee injury he suffered in October. He ends the season with 160 rush yards (5.5 yards per carry) and 13 receptions for 64 scoreless yards. Benson was set to function as the Cardinals’ lead back after James Conner went down for the year. That never materialized, and now Bam Knight serves as the nominal RB1 in the Arizona backfield. Knight, who has 25 touches over the past two games, profiles as a usable flex this week against the Texans.