Cardinals' Michael Carter: Set for early-down role

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The Cardinals are expected to "lean on" Carter on first and second downs during Sunday's game against the Titans after Trey Benson (knee) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Just over a quarter of the way into the season, Arizona is already down its top two running backs. James Conner suffered a foot injury Week 3 that required season-ending surgery, while Benson is appears set to miss at least 4-to-6 weeks after undergoing meniscus surgery earlier this week. Emari Demercado had opened the season as Arizona's No. 3 running back behind those two players, but rather than elevating Demercado to the lead-back role, Schefter relays that the Cardinals instead plan to keep him in his usual pass-catching/change-of-pace role. Carter, who had previously been elevated from the practice squad for Week 4 before being signed to the 53-man roster Monday, thus looks poised to see the brunt of the early-down work and represents the best bet to lead the Arizona backfield in carries Sunday. Even so, Carter could still struggle to see enough overall touches to make for a comfortable option in fantasy lineups. In addition to losing out on some third-down snaps to Demercado, Carter could also cede some red-zone running opportunities to dual-threat quarterback Kyler Murray.