Demercado (ankle) does not carry an injury designation into Monday's game against the Cowboys.
Demercado was limited by an ankle issue in the first two practices of the week but he will avoid an injury tag for Week 9 after logging a full practice Saturday. Per Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site on Saturday, head coach Jonathan Gannon said that Bam Knight will be the first running back to handle carries Monday but reiterated that he'll lean more heavily on whoever out of Knight, Demercado or Michael Carter is most effective as the game progresses.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Another limited session
Rotowire
Demercado (ankle) practiced in a limited capacity Friday, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.
Demercado has cobbled together back-to-back capped sessions to begin the week as he seeks his first game action since he suffered a left ankle injury Week 6 in Indianapolis. He'll have one more chance to practice in full Saturday, or else risk heading into Monday's contest at Dallas with a designation. If Demercado is able to return to action Week 9, he'll be in the mix for touches behind the backfield tandem of Bam Knight and practice-squad member Michael Carter.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Limited in return to practice
Rotowire
Demercado (ankle) was a limited practice participant Thursday.
Demercado thus logged his first on-field work since he injured his left ankle Week 6 at Indianapolis. He proceeded to sit out Week 7 against the Packers, but a Week 8 bye seemingly has afforded him enough recovery time to put himself in a position to play again. With James Conner (foot) out for the season and Trey Benson (knee) still on injured reserve for a few more weeks, the Cardinals are set to roll with Bam Knight as their primary runner, but who between Demercado and practice-squad members Michael Carter and Jermar Jefferson is the No. 2 on Monday in Dallas remains to be seen.
Demercado (ankle) did not practice Thursday.
Demercado has now missed back-to-back practices due to a left ankle injury sustained during Arizona's loss to the Colts in Week 6. Unless he's able to return to practice in at least a limited capacity Friday, Demercado appears on track to miss Sunday's game against the Packers. That would position Michael Carter and Bam Knight to again split backfield opportunities with James Conner (knee) out for the year and Trey Benson (knee) on IR until at least Week 10.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Emari Demercado: No practice Wednesday
Rotowire
Demercado (ankle) was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice, Zach Gershman of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Demercado didn't return to this Sunday's defeat at Indianapolis after favoring his left ankle while going to the locker room in the second quarter. In the end, Michael Carter (11 touches for 64 yards and no touchdowns on a 44 percent snap share) and Bam Knight (12-54-1 on 51 percent) split the backfield almost evenly Week 6. However, Knight was limited Wednesday due to a knee issue, leaving Carter as the sole healthy running back on Arizona's active roster.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Hurts ankle Sunday
Rotowire
Demercado suffered an ankle injury during Sunday's game in Indianapolis.
Demercado went to the locker room with a slight limp while favoring his left ankle in the second quarter. He's part of a backfield committee for the Cardinals along with Michael Carter and Bam Knight with James Conner (foot) and Trey Benson (knee) on injured reserve. Demercado had one carry for one yard and didn't haul in his only target prior to his exit.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Won't be punished for fumble
Rotowire
Demercado has been the second running back in Arizona's rotation in practice, and head coach Jonathan Gannon said Demercado won't face additional punishment for his costly fumble in this past Sunday's loss to the Titans, Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic reports.
Demercado appears set to reprise his change-of-pace role behind Michael Carter against the Colts on Sunday, which resulted in only thee touches for Demercado against Tennessee, one of which should have been a 72-yard touchdown run but instead resulted in a fumble at the goal line. Arizona could lean more on its backfield of Carter, Demercado and Bam Knight if starting quarterback Kyler Murray (foot) isn't available.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Key mistake in loss
Rotowire
Demercado rushed the ball three times for 81 yards in Sunday's 22-21 loss to the Titans.
Demercado was expected to see an expanded role in the absence of Trey Benson (knee), but Michael Carter dominated opportunities out of the backfield. Demercado's lack of involvement as a pass catcher was particularly surprising, as he was not targeted. He looked to have made the case for a more expanded role with a long 72-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, but he fumbled on a premature celebration before crossing the goal line for a touchback. The Cardinals still gave him one additional touch before the end of the game, but the key error isn't likely to help his role heading into a Week 6 matchup against the Colts.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Set to remain in passing-down role
Rotowire
The Cardinals plan to keep Demercado in his usual role as a passing-down specialist in Sunday's game against the Titans, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Though James Conner (foot) and Trey Benson (knee) have both been sent to injured reserve within the past two weeks, Demercado won't be asked to take on the same three-down role that the other two backs had handled prior to going down with their respective injuries. Instead, the Cardinals plan to have Michael Carter take on the brunt of the snaps on first and second downs, allowing the more explosive Demercado to remain more of a change-of-pace option. That being said, Carter was only recently signed off the practice squad and may not have as much security on early downs as Conner and Benson did when healthy, so Demercado could still have a path to getting more involvement as a runner after carrying just four times through Arizona's first four games. The third-year back has shown the ability to reel off some big gains in the past; he's averaging 6.0 yards per carry on 86 totes through 31 career NFL games.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Opportunity knocks
Rotowire
Demercado is slated for expanded backfield opportunities, beginning Sunday versus the Titans, with Trey Benson (knee) in line to be placed on IR, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Demercado looked solid in a change-of-pace role behind Benson during last Thursday's 23-20 loss to Seattle, in which he rushed twice for eight yards and secured both of his targets for 13 yards and a touchdown. With Benson now out at 4-to-6 weeks, per Adam Schefter of ESPN, and James Conner (foot) already lost for the season, Demercado and Michael Carter now become positioned to lead Arizona's backfield, while Bam Knight steps into the No. 3 role. It's possible that Demercado still primarily operates as a pass-catching specialist, but at 215 pounds he's more suitable than the 201-pound Carter for between-the-tackles work. Especially in PPR formats, this development places Demercado firmly on the fantasy radar, though the Cardinals now become strong candidates to pursue further backfield additions.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Week 5 Waiver Priority List
Rotowire
In the first game without James Conner (ankle) in Week 4 against Seattle, Demercado worked in tandem with Trey Benson and had two carries for 8 yards and two catches for 13 yards and a touchdown on two targets. He played a season-high 39 percent of the snaps against the Seahawks, and Demercado might be a potential flex option in deeper leagues moving forward. He's worth adding for 1 percent of your remaining FAB heading into Week 5 against the Titans.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Scores key TD in loss
Rotowire
Demercado rushed twice for eight yards and brought in both targets for 13 yards and a touchdown in the Cardinals' 23-20 loss to the Seahawks on Thursday night.
Demercado served as the clear No. 2 back behind Trey Benson in the Cardinals' first full game without James Conner (IR, foot), logging six fewer carries than his backfield mate. However, it was Demercado who caught a game-tying seven-yard touchdown reception with 28 seconds remaining, a play that was quickly one-upped by Jason Myers' game-winning field goal. Demercado proved capable of serving as an effective complementary option in his first pair of seasons, and even his modest usage Thursday suggests he'll remain involved, especially as a pass catcher, in future games.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Garners 30 total yards in loss
Rotowire
Demercado rushed seven times for 22 yards and brought in two of three targets for eight yards in the Cardinals' 20-10 preseason win over the Raiders on Saturday night.
Demercado, who was the first Arizona running back to log a touch Saturday, finished the preseason by upping his yardage total over that of the previous game for the second straight week, but he still finished with a modest yardage total. The third-year pro has proven capable of filling a complementary role in the Cardinals' backfield over the past two seasons, but with Zonovan Knight breaking off a 67-yard touchdown run and Michael Carter averaging 9.4 yards per carry Saturday, it remains to be seen if one or both will vault over Demercado come final roster cuts.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Fills dual role in preseason loss
Rotowire
Demercado rushed six times for 15 yards, failed to bring in his only target and returned two kickoffs for 60 yards in the Cardinals' 27-7 preseason loss to the Broncos on Saturday night.
Demercado was the second back in the game behind Michael Carter, the player he's trying to hold off for the No. 3 running back job. Neither back was able to find much in the way of running room, but that presumably leaves Demercado with at least a slight edge in the competition given his speed and ability to contribute as a returner. Next Saturday night's home preseason finale against the Raiders may serve as the setting for the final installment of the job battle before head coach Jonathan Gannon and his staff make a final decision.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Ends campaign on IR
Rotowire
Demercado (back) took 24 carries for 223 yards and one touchdown, hauled in 16 of 20 targets for 104 yards and no TDs and returned three kickoffs for 64 yards during 13 regular-season games in 2024.
Prior to landing on injured reserve due to a back issue after Week 14, Demercado operated in a regular, albeit small, role out of the Cardinals backfield, seeing touches in all but one of his appearances. He averaged a robust 9.3 YPC on the campaign, and even if one removes his two runs of 40-plus yards, he boasted 5.9 YPC on his other 22 rushes -- a shade above the 4.9 he logged as an undrafted rookie in 2023. With both James Conner (knee) and 2024 third-rounder Trey Benson (ankle) under contract next season, Demercado will remain a depth RB for Arizona in 2025.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Still not practicing
Rotowire
Demercado (back) didn't practice Thursday, Zach Gershman of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Demercado has yet to take part in drills this week due to a lingering back injury that limited him during the entirety of Week 13 prep. His lack of activity this time around may be maintenance related, but his status is one to monitor to see if he could be in danger of missing Sunday's game versus the Patriots. If Demercado is inhibited or sidelined this weekend, rookie Trey Benson would be the Cardinals' unquestioned No. 2 RB behind starter James Conner.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Suiting up Sunday
Rotowire
Demercado (back) is listed as active Sunday at Minnesota, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Arizona capped Demercado's practice reps during the entirety of Week 13 prep due to a back injury, but the issue won't stop him from being available to the team's backfield Sunday. Nevertheless, with 32 touches in 11 appearances this season, he doesn't hold much sway with James Conner leading the Cardinals' rushing attack and rookie third-rounder Trey Benson taking 58 touches himself in 10 outings to date.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Ready for Week 12
Rotowire
Demercado (shoulder) doesn't have a designation for Sunday's contest in Seattle, Bo Brack of GoPHNX.com reports.
Demercado began Week 12 prep with back-to-back limited practices due to a shoulder issue, but his ability to handle every rep Friday paved the way for him to continue to be available out of the Cardinals backfield. Still, rookie third-rounder Trey Benson seemed to take over the No. 2 role behind starter James Conner in the team's two games before a Week 11 bye, as the former logged 32 offensive snaps and 21 touches versus 21 and nine, respectively, for Demercado during that span. At the very least, though, Demercado should be good for at least a handful of touches Sunday, as he averages 3.1 per game on the season.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Tending to shoulder issue
Rotowire
Demercado was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice due to a shoulder injury, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.
Demercado took a back seat to rookie third-round pick Trey Benson in the two games before the Cardinals' Week 11 bye, earning 21 snaps and nine touches versus 32 and 21, respectively, for the latter. Benson also averaged 5.5 yards per carry, while Demercado averaged 4.7 YPC outside of his 53-yard touchdown run Week 9. With a health concern now in tow, Demercado may fall even further behind in the backfield pecking order to starter James Conner and Benson.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Garners three carries in Week 10
Rotowire
Demercado tallied three carries for 22 yards during Sunday's 31-6 win against the Jets.
One week removed from his second-highest touch count (six) of the season, Demercado took a back seat to James Conner and fellow reserve RB Trey Benson out of the Cardinals backfield. Conner again led the way with 17 touches for 113 yards from scrimmage and one rushing TD on a 54 percent snap share, while Benson handled 12 touches for 87 total yards on 27 percent of plays. As for Demercado, he was third with 12 percent, and even DeeJay Dallas got three carries on four snaps in garbage time. It seems clear at this point in the campaign that Demercado is third in the pecking order, and with a Week 11 bye on tap, his next chance to contribute will come Sunday. Nov. 24 at Seattle.
