James Conner

James Conner

28-Year-Old Running BackRB
Arizona Cardinals
2023 Fantasy Outlook
It's a shame that a player as skilled and tenacious as Conner can't play for a competitive team, because he's good enough to be a starter in a standout offense. Unfortunately, the Cardinals don't appear to be any such thing, and Conner has a long history of injury concerns pulling his floor down even further. On the other hand, there's a nice ceiling if he stays healthy and the Cardinals commit to the run and can move the ball some on offense. Conner did nice work his first two seasons with Arizona, scoring 26 touchdowns and catching 83 passes in 28 games. As those numbers imply, Conner is tough to stop at the goal line and also one of the best pass catchers among big backs. His bruising methods exact a toll on his durability – he missed time with rib and shin troubles at separate points in 2022 – but that punishing style is also what affords him the ability to produce while dealing with poor blocking and bad playcalling in Arizona. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
$Signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Cardinals in March of 2022.
Logs first 1,000-yard season
RBArizona Cardinals
January 7, 2024
Conner finished with 27 carries for 150 yards and a touchdown Sunday, adding four receptions on as many targets for 54 yards in a 21-20 loss to Seattle.
ANALYSIS
Conner nearly wore a hero's cape for the second week in a row after scoring another late touchdown to give the underdog Cardinals a shot at victory. Unlike the Eagles before them, the Seahawks were able to strike back on Sunday and spoil Conner's first 200-total-yard game of the campaign. The veteran workhorse was unconscious over the last quarter of the schedule (104/514/5) to produce the first 1,000-yard season of his career in just 13 games. Conner will enter the final year of a three-year contract with Arizona with little competition for the starting role pending the club's offseason roster moves.
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NFL Stats
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.
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Advanced NFL Stats
How do James Conner's 2023 advanced stats compare to other running backs?
This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
  • Broken Tackle %
    The number of broken tackles divided by rush attempts.
  • Positive Run %
    The percentage of run plays where he was able to gain positive yardage.
  • % Yds After Contact
    The percentage of his rushing yards that came after contact.
  • Avg Yds After Contact
    The average rushing yards he gains after contact.
  • Rushing TD %
    Rushing touchdowns divided by rushing attempts. In other words, how often is he scoring when running the ball.
  • Touches Per Game
    The number of touches (rushing attempts + receptions) he is averaging per game
  • % Snaps w/Touch
    The number of touches (rushing attempts + receptions) divided by offensive snaps played.
  • Air Yards Per Game
    The number of air yards he is averaging per game. Air yards measure how far the ball was thrown downfield for both complete and incomplete passes. Air yards are recorded as a negative value when the pass is targeted behind the line of scrimmage. All air yards data is from Sports Info Solutions and does not include throwaways as targeted passes.
  • Air Yards Per Snap
    The number of air yards he is averaging per offensive snap.
  • % Team Air Yards
    The percentage of the team's total air yards he accounts for.
  • % Team Targets
    The percentage of the team's total targets he accounts for.
  • Avg Depth of Target
    Also known as aDOT, this stat measures the average distance down field he is being targeted at.
  • Catch Rate
    The number of catches made divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Drop Rate
    The number of passes he dropped divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Avg Yds After Catch
    The number of yards he gains after the catch on his receptions.
  • % Targeted On Route
    Targets divided by total routes run. Also known as TPRR.
  • Avg Yds Per Route Run
    Receiving yards divided by total routes run. Also known as YPRR.
Broken Tackle %
22.1%
 
Positive Run %
77.9%
 
% Yds After Contact
70.1%
 
Avg Yds After Contact
3.5
 
Rushing TD %
3.4%
 
Touches Per Game
18.1
 
% Snaps w/Touch
47.1%
 
Air Yards Per Game
-2.4
 
Air Yards Per Snap
-0.06
 
% Team Air Yards
-0.8%
 
% Team Targets
6.1%
 
Avg Depth of Target
-0.9 Yds
 
Catch Rate
81.8%
 
Drop Rate
0.0%
 
Avg Yds After Catch
8.4
 
% Targeted On Route
16.2%
 
Avg Yds Per Route Run
0.81
 
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Arizona CardinalsCardinals 2023 RB Snap Distribution See more data like this | See last season's snap counts
#% of Team Snaps

49946%
28226%
10610%
787%
414%
273%
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Receiving Alignment Breakdown
See where James Conner lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.
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2023 James Conner Split Stats
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Measurables Review View College Player Page
How do James Conner's measurables compare to other running backs?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
* The Cone Drill metric is from his Pro Day. All others are from the NFL Combine.
Height
6' 1"
 
Weight
233 lbs
 
40-Yard Dash
4.65 sec
 
Cone Drill*
7.41 sec
 
Vertical Jump
29.0 in
 
Broad Jump
113 in
 
Bench Press
20 reps
 
Hand Length
9.88 in
 
Arm Length
31.25 in
 
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40 days ago
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55 days ago
Breece Hall gets the No. 2 spot in Jerry Donabedian's initial 2024 PPR rankings for RBs after leading the position with 95 targets this past season.
Box Score Breakdown: Snaps, Routes, Air Yards & Personnel from Week 18
80 days ago
Incentives and milestones had a big impact on Week 18 fantasy scoring and helped drive a throwback week for some of the league's older running backs.
Latest Fantasy Rumors
Multiple signs pointing to return
RBArizona Cardinals
November 10, 2023
Arizona coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters Friday that Conner is "trending in the right direction" for a Week 10 return against the Falcons, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
ANALYSIS
Gannon's optimism comes one day after the Cardinals waived running back Tony Jones. Those two signs point to a likely Conner return, as Arizona had little reason to waive Jones otherwise with Emeri Demercado trending towards another absence due to a toe injury, leaving Keaontay Ingram as the only healthy running back on the roster. Conner has been on injured reserve since injuring his knee in Week 5, but his 21-day return window was opened Wednesday, and he has been practicing with the team throughout the week.
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
After four injury-plagued seasons in Pittsburgh, Conner signed a one-year, prove-it deal with Arizona, where it was thought he might work in a committee with Chase Edmonds if he could stay healthy for the first time in a few years. Instead it was Edmonds who was the less durable of the two backs, and Conner erupted in the lead role with 394 rushing yards, 341 receiving yards and 10 total TDs over his final seven games. The big campaign earned him a three-year deal with the Cardinals and another chance at a No. 1 role. Conner did a large portion of his damage at the goal line, especially earlier in the year when he was in a committee, with all 15 of his scores on the ground coming inside the 20-yard line. It's a good thing he was able to find the end zone so often and catch 37 of 39 targets, as he averaged only 3.7 yards per carry. To be fair, a combination of short-yardage work and poor offensive line play played a role in limiting him to 3.7 YPC, with Conner's 1.6 yards before contact per carry ranking second worst in the league. He nearly stayed healthy the entire year, but ultimately missed multiple games for a fifth time in as many seasons, sitting out Weeks 16-17 with a rib injury. Conner's physical running style may always leave him injury-prone, but with Edmonds now in Miami he doesn't have a lot of competition for touches in the Arizona backfield — the other options are Darrel Williams, Eno Benjamin and sixth-round pick Keaontay Ingram.
The 2020 season started out like gangbusters for Conner as he racked up three 100-yard performances in the first five weeks. Unfortunately, by the end of the year he was once again banged up and ineffective, missing three of Pittsburgh's final seven games and failing to top 37 rushing yards in any of the four games he played. 
Conner is a physical runner who looks the part of a lead back when he's healthy, and despite his struggles staying in the lineup he still finished just outside the top 10 among running backs in broken tackles last season. However, instead of grinding down opposition defenders, he's the one who seems to break down. And so, despite Conner's status as a hometown hero dating to his days at Pitt, the Steelers didn't make an effort to re-sign him, and he eventually got a one-year, $1.75 million contract from the Cardinals in mid-April. Conner and Chase Edmonds are the only Arizona running backs with significant NFL experience or draft pedigree, so it'll likely be a joint effort between the two, perhaps looking something like the split between Edmonds and Kenyan Drake last year. Conner is a capable pass catcher in his own right, but he might be put in an early down role, as coach Kliff Kingsbury seems to trust Edmonds with receiving work.
The Pittsburgh offense was a disaster throughout last season due to injuries, and while quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's elbow surgery was the biggest blow, Conner's inability to stay on the field didn't help. The Pitt product struggled out of the gate, but he seemed to have found his rhythm by Week 4, piling up 449 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns over the next four games. A shoulder injury suffered in Week 8, and then a quad strain in Week 16, ruined his second half, and Conner managed to suit up for only 56 snaps in the Steelers' final nine games. When he's healthy, Conner combines a rugged, physical running style with strong receiving skills, but that accumulation of violent contact took its toll last year, and even when he was in the lineup he wasn't as effective as he had been the year before, dropping to 34th in yards per carry and 43rd in broken tackle rate. Roethlisberger's return should take pressure off the whole running attack, but given his already extensive medical file, Conner could find himself losing backfield touches to some combination of Benny Snell, Jaylen Samuels and rookie fourth-round pick Anthony McFarland.
In his second year, Conner became a true hometown hero for the Steelers. He was born in Erie, Pa., and matriculated at Pitt, where he ran for 26 touchdowns as a sophomore and then overcame Hodgkin's lymphoma to become a third-round pick in the 2017 draft. Conner got a chance to start for the Steelers when Le'Veon Bell's annual preseason holdout became a slow, season-long divorce between the star running back and the franchise. Conner's 135-yard, two-TD performance on the ground Week 1 helped fans quickly forget all about Bell. While the rest of his season was a little more erratic, Conner still showed enough to solidify his hold on the No. 1 job before an ankle injury cost him three games late in the season. Seen as primarily a power back coming out of college, Conner proved to be adept as a receiver, but it's still his ability to plow through contact that remains his best asset --- his 24 broken tackles on rushes tied for ninth in the league, and his 17 carries inside the 5-yard line tied for third as he converted 53 percent. That bulldozer approach may lead to further injuries (he's missed time late in the year twice in two seasons) but with Jaylen Samuels and Benny Snell on hand as capable backups, the Steelers aren't likely to grind Conner into the dirt with a massive workload the way they did with Bell.
A third-round pick in last year's draft, Conner didn't get much of a chance to show he was worth the investment as Le'Veon Bell dominated the backfield before Conner suffered a Week 15 knee injury that ended his campaign early. The 23-year-old is accustomed to setbacks – he's already come back from Hodgkin's lymphoma, so a little MCL strain should be no big deal. Conner is a burly back who ran with power and anger during a prolific college career at Pitt, frequently shoving defenders aside with stiff arms before lowering his shoulder at the end of runs. He also displayed the balance to keep his feet in traffic, but he isn't particularly elusive and his skills as a receiver and pass-blocker are rudimentary. His best fit in the NFL might be as a short-yardage back, and in that role he could be an effective complement to Bell. Of course, the Steelers seemingly intend to wring every snap they can out of their star before he walks out the door – a plan that would once again leave little work for Conner.
Currently listed at 6-1, 233 pounds, Conner overcome Hodgkins lymphoma and a torn MCL from 2015 to return to the field in 2016, and he came back with a leaner build and improved pass-catching skills. The 2017 third-rounder doesn't look like a standout talent and won't have much opportunity to produce behind Bell, but he's probably talented enough to produce if Le'Veon Bell should miss any time. Conner finished his college career at the University of Pittsburgh with 3,733 yards (5.6 YPC) and 52 touchdowns over the span of 39 games.
More Fantasy News
Hero of upset victory
RBArizona Cardinals
December 31, 2023
Conner took 26 carries for 128 yards and a touchdown while catching his only target for five yards and another touchdown in Sunday's 35-31 win over Philadelphia.
ANALYSIS
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Goes past 100 yards from scrimmage
RBArizona Cardinals
December 24, 2023
Conner compiled 12 carries for 45 yards and five catches (on five targets) for 67 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 27-16 loss in Chicago.
ANALYSIS
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Stays hot with another TD
RBArizona Cardinals
December 17, 2023
Conner rushed 14 times for 86 yards and a touchdown while catching all three of his targets for three yards in Sunday's 45-29 loss to San Francisco.
ANALYSIS
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Two scores in return to Pittsburgh
RBArizona Cardinals
December 3, 2023
Conner rushed the ball 25 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 24-10 win over the Steelers.
ANALYSIS
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Quiet day in loss
RBArizona Cardinals
November 26, 2023
Conner rushed six times for 27 yards and brought in four of five targets for five yards in the Cardinals' 37-14 loss to the Rams on Sunday.
ANALYSIS
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