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When is James Conner coming back? Will James Conner play again this season? Read about James Conner's return date and injury updates for 2026.
Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (foot) suffered a massive ankle injury in Week 3 of 2025 that saw him carted off the field, unable to walk under his own power. He was later placed on season-ending injured reserve.
It seemed like it could be the end of his career, as he's now 31 years old, but he remains under contract with the Cardinals. He started the season off on the Physically Unable to Perform list, forcing him to miss at least the first four games.
But we're now into Week 6, and since he got hurt early last year, he may not need another full season to recover. So when is Conner returning for the Cardinals?
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James Conner Injury Update for Fantasy Football
His practice window hasn't been activated yet, and he remains on PUP. But Cardinals longtime Arizona Sports radio host John Gambadoro reported that Conner was "getting close" to being ready to return to practice.
It's been over a year since the injury, and accounting for a bit longer of a timeline due to age, this lines up. Expect Conner back at practice within two weeks. He'll need to have his 21-day window opened first, so he'll have three weeks to be elevated to the active roster.
James Conner with an awful leg injury. Sucks to see, hope he comes back strong. https://t.co/XrIoFkSytT
— Footballholics (@Footballholics2) September 21, 2025
You can see the injury in the above video. It's not for the squeamish -- his ankle was forcibly bent to the outside at an extreme angle. This mechanism sometimes causes high-ankle sprains, but the angle was so severe it cause a dislocation and potentially other damage.
The video makes it clear why it's been taking so long for him to return.
James Conner Fantasy Football Outlook
Arizona currently has three active running backs on its roster -- Jeremiyah Love, Tyler Allgeier, and Zonovan Knight. Love has quickly taken over as the lead back, though he's dealing with a nagging ankle injury that's hampered his performance in his rookie season.
If he got hurt, we'd likely see workhorse usage from Allgeier, who's proven that he can play well with a big workload in previous seasons. Knight has flashed here in and there, but isn't a starting-caliber RB. Even if Conner returns, he probably won't get much work.
45-yard catch and run by James Conner for the score!
📺: #NYJvsAZ on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge https://t.co/lJzAiHSDjV— NFL (@NFL) November 10, 2024
He was excellent in 2024, finishing as the RB11 overall in PPR fantasy football leagues. He was elusive and powerful, efficient despite not having a highly effective offensive line, and scored nine total touchdowns.
He also got plenty of usage in the passing game. This season, Cardinals starting quarterback hasn't thrown to his RBs much. Love was an extremely talented pass-catching RB in college, and yet saw just two targets total in Week 4 and Week 5 combined.
Arizona's offense has been struggling early in games and racking up points in garbage time by airing the ball out down the field. The upside case for Conner won't involve much receiving work at all, unfortunately.
James Conner just makes it look easy...
@JamesConner_ x #RedSea https://t.co/lgR9nLvAZ5
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) October 24, 2021
Even if he hadn't gotten injured, he'd probably be working behind Love and not getting many touches. And upon his return, it's hard to imagine him getting much work at all. A handful of rushes per game could be on the table.
But Arizona's offensive line has been awful. They've made Love, one of the best RB prospects in recent memory, look quite pedestrian. There's very little upside here at all. It's more likely that this is one of Conner's last seasons in the NFL, and his days as a productive RB for fantasy football are over.
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Popular Week 6 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 6 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 6 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
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