The expectations for James Conner's first season in Arizona were tempered in part by the fact that Kyler Murray is a mobile quarterback and Chase Edmonds was predicted to play more than half the time. Conner proved fantasy owners plenty wrong with an astounding 18 total touchdowns and more than 1,100 yards of total offense in fifteen games despite splitting time with Edmonds. With his former backfield mate now in Miami, the former Pittsburgh running back will share time in 2022 with former Chiefs backup, Darrel Williams, a less explosive version of Edmonds. While the high touchdown rate from '21 seems unsustainable, an uptick in yardage, assuming good health, seems likely.
Conner surprisingly hasn't broken the 1,000 yard rushing plateau in his five NFL seasons; in 2018, he rushed for 973 yards, caught 55 passes for nearly 500 yards, and scored thirteen times. His 2022 ceiling is probably similar to that combined yardage total and double digit touchdowns is to be expected once again. Though he's not one of the bigger names, Conner should be off the board by the third round in most leagues and could provide top ten RB value in 2022.
Should Conner be drafted as an RB1 in 2022 fantasy drafts? Find out where he ranks in our 2022 Fantasy Football Rankings.
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