Michael Carter

The No. 2 back behind Michael Carter with James Conner, Trey Benson and Emari Demercado all sidelined, Dallas mustered two touches in a 47-point Cardinals outburst. Playing on a one-year deal, Dallas seemed to only ever fall down the depth chart, but he was active all 17 games as a special teamer. The third unit is the key to his NFL future.

With James Conner, Trey Benson and Emari Demercado all on injured reserve, Carter made his first start since 2022. No one is going to call home about 59 yards on 21 touches, but Carter did his job for the Cardinals (absorb work) and DFS players (find the end zone) alike. Hanging around the fringes of Arizona's roster for a little over the past year, Carter turns 26 in May. He's going to have to earn his 53-man roster spot all over again this summer. He's probably on the outside looking in.

Cardinals RB James Conner (knee) won't play in this weekend's game vs. the 49ers, HC Jonathan Gannon said Wednesday. RB Trey Benson (ankle) was placed on IR on Tuesday, leaving Michael Carter as Arizona's lead back for the finale. He out-touched RB DeeJay Dallas 15-1 in last week's loss to the Rams and sits surprisingly high in the Week 18 RB Rankings.