Emari

Demercado

Demercado made the Cardinals’ final roster after training camp as the team’s third-string back. With James Conner and Trey Benson suffering season-ending injuries early in the year, Demercado got his shot in Week 5. Moments before scoring a 72-yard touchdown, Demercado let go of the ball at the goal line for a fumble that ultimately resulted in a touchback. Head coach Jonathan Gannon chewed Demercado out so aggressively after the play that he was fined $100,000 by the league. Even with opportunities up for grabs in the Arizona backfield, Gannon couldn’t bring himself to give Demercado another shot and he was relegated to a backup role for the remainder of the year. He finished the season with 44 carries for 312 yards and 13 grabs for 101 yards plus a touchdown. Demercado is a restricted free agent heading into the offseason, meaning the Cardinals can keep him on a cheap contract if they choose to do so.

Demercado remained stuck in the 5-7 touch range behind fill-in starter Michael Carter. We would not expect anything to change for Week 18 against the Rams.

Demercado failed to snag his only target and he was out-touched 6-to-5 by fellow backup RB Corey Kiner. Cardinals RB Michael Carter is the clear-cut starter and Kiner’s presence reduces Demercado’s bench-stash value. This looks like a three-player committee with one FLEX-viable player.

This news doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but we appreciate the clarity. With Bam Knight (ankle) now on injured reserve, Carter will get the opportunity to handle RB1 duties against a Falcons defense that ranks 25th in rushing yards allowed and 24th in yards per carry allowed. Carter played on 53 offensive snaps last week compared to Emari Demercado, who was in on just seven snaps. Carter will have some appeal as a FLEX play in Week 16.

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 added two catches for ... zero yards, managing just seven snaps. It was disappointing that Demercado was a clear backup to Michael Carter, but it’s possible the Cardinals wanted to bring him along slowly in his return from a high-ankle sprain. The Cardinals will never make this easy to understand, so Demercado is still a potential RB3/FLEX play against the Falcons next week despite this dud. We’d feel better starting him if we got some coach quotes about the injury limiting him here ahead of next Sunday.

He figures to see a chunk of the receiving work and should at least be a viable desperation FLEX in his return. Inactive for the Cardinals are: WR Marvin Harrison JR. (heel), CB Max Melton (heel), S Jalen Thompson (hamstring), S Rabbit Taylor-Demerson (ankle), OL Evan Brown (personal), OL Paris Johnson (knee) and WR Xavier Weaver (hamstring) — all with designations. Every questionable Cardinals player is playing — OT Christian Jones (knee), DL Walter Nolen (knee), and TE Elijah Higgins (illness) are all up.

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.