Demercado rushed once for 14 yards in Monday's 17-15 win over the Chargers.
Demercado played just six of the Cardinals' 57 offensive snaps Monday, while starter James Conner handled the majority of playing time out of the backfield with 48 snaps. The latter was a major bright spot for Arizona's offense, finishing with 152 yards from scrimmage on 21 total touches on a day in which the Cardinals scored just 17 points in a narrow victory. With Conner dominating the workload with success, Demercado and fellow backup running back Trey Benson won't consistently garner enough opportunities to be relevant for fantasy. The 25-year-old Demercado is best left off the fantasy radar when the Cardinals visit the Dolphins in Week 8.
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Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Nine touches in lopsided loss
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Demercado rushed four times for 25 yards and brought in five of seven targets for 39 yards in the Cardinals' 34-13 loss to the Packers on Sunday. He also returned two kickoffs for 48 yards.
Demercado was the surprising runner-up in receptions, receiving yards and targets on the afternoon for the Cardinals, tallying season-high figures in all three categories as well. The second-year pro has played a minimal role on offense for the most part behind James Conner, but Demercado logged only two fewer touches than his veteran teammate Sunday. However, rookie Trey Benson was also involved to the tune of five rush attempts, so Demercado's fantasy outlook remains volatile on a week-to-week basis heading into the Week 7 bye.
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Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Records one touch in Week 5
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Demercado didn't have a carry and gathered in his only target for no yards during Sunday's 24-23 victory at San Francisco.
For the second time in five contests this season, Demercado didn't record a carry, but he at least earned snaps (13 of 58), which can't be said for 2024 third-rounder Trey Benson. The rookie was active, but Demercado was the only one of the duo to get any work behind starter James Conner, who played 79 percent of the offensive plays and turned 21 touches into 100 yards from scrimmage. At the very least, Demercado seems to have a firm grasp on the No. 2 RB role in Arizona, but he's so far averaging just 2.4 touches per game.
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Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Earns five touches Sunday
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Demercado notched four carries for 24 yards, hauled in his only target for no yards, had one kick return for 16 yards and recovered a fumble during Sunday's 24-14 defeat to the Commanders.
James Conner continues to dominate the Cardinals backfield, earning a 58 percent snap share and turning 19 touches, 18 of them rushes, into 113 yards from scrimmage and one TD on the ground. Behind Conner, Demercado logged more time on offense (24 percent) than rookie third-rounder Trey Benson (19 percent), but the latter had more touches (nine carries) for higher output (50 yards). The majority of Benson's work occurred with the game well out of hand in the waning minutes, though, so Demercado remains Arizona's No. 2 RB for the time being.
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Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Sparse usage Sunday
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Demercado tallied two carries for seven yards and wasn't targeted during Sunday's 20-13 defeat to the Lions.
Demercado now has exactly two touches in all three games this season, but his yards from scrimmage Sunday marked a season low. Subtracting his 41-yard run from Week 2, he's still averaging 4.0 YPC on his other three rushes and also has hauled in both of his targets for 26 yards. Meanwhile, rookie third-rounder Trey Benson is averaging a miserable 1.9 YPC on 16 carries to date. The pair doesn't stand a chance for more than a handful of touches weekly, though, as long as No. 1 RB James Conner (46 carries, five catches) is healthy.
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Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Salvages day with long run
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Demercado notched two carries for 46 yards during Sunday's 41-10 win versus the Rams.
Demercado's first touch didn't come until midway through the fourth quarter, but he did the most with it to the tune of a 41-yard rush. Otherwise, he seems to have ceded the No. 2 RB role to rookie Trey Benson, who had a 33 percent snap share to Demercado's 13 percent. James Conner gobbles up most of the snaps and touches in the Cardinals backfield, leaving Demercado to fight for scraps with Benson (12 touches for 18 total yards Week 2).
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Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Has pair of catches in Week 1
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Demercado didn't have a carry and recorded two catches (on two targets) for 26 yards during Sunday's 34-28 defeat at Buffalo.
Most of Demercado's output in Week 1 occurred on a 24-yard catch and run in the first quarter, but both he (13 offensive snaps) and rookie third-rounder Trey Benson (four touches on four snaps) were well behind James Conner (19 touches on 41 snaps) in the backfield pecking order for the Cardinals. Such a breakdown of work can be expected to continue Sunday against the Rams and beyond, as long as Conner stays healthy.
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Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Returns from injury Saturday
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Demercado (shoulder) had 10 carries for 24 yards and caught his lone target for nine yards in Saturday's preseason loss to the Colts.
Demercado returned from a shoulder injury that held him out of last week's exhibition tilt. The sophomore tailback entered the game in the second quarter behind rookie Trey Benson (9-43-0), but it could have been the coaching staff easing Demercado off the shelf as opposed to a demotion from his projected No. 2 role behind James Conner. Next week's preseason finale should be telling based on how the backup RBs are deployed.
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Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Nets 79 touches as rookie
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Demercado tallied 284 yards and two touchdowns on 58 carries and hauled in 21 of 30 targets for 119 yards in 14 regular-season games in 2023.
The undrafted rookie had a moment in the spotlight from Weeks 5-8, a span in which he earned two starts in place of an injured James Conner and netted 228 yards from scrimmage and one TD on 52 touches. Otherwise, Conner dominated the Cardinals backfield, and midseason waiver-wire pickup Michael Carter even surpassed Demercado on the RB depth chart over the final six outings of the season. All of Conner, Carter and Demercado will be back in 2024, so Demercado again won't be higher than No. 2 or 3 at the position as the roster currently stands.
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Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Manages one touch Sunday
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Demercado hauled in one of three targets for nine yards but didn't record a carry during Sunday's 35-31 victory at Philadelphia.
In a Cardinals backfield paced by James Conner, Demercado appeared to be making some headway, with 14 touches for 120 yards from scrimmage and a rushing touchdown in the previous two contests. Instead, Michael Carter was the main backup to Conner on Sunday, producing 67 total yards and a receiving TD catch on eight touches. Neither Demercado (12 percent) nor Carter (17 percent) had big snap shares. After another huge Conner performance (133 yards from scrimmage, two TDs on 27 touches), Demercado and Carter are vying for scraps on a weekly basis ahead of Sunday's game against the Seahawks.
Demercado (neck) practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Demercado left Arizona's last game Week 13 at Pittsburgh in the first quarter to be evaluated for a concussion in addition to a neck injury. He eventually was ruled out of the contest, but he cleared concussion protocol, leaving him to recover from the neck issue during the team's Week 14 bye. Following the respite, Demercado will look to increase his activity level as the week goes on in order to avoid a designation ahead of Sunday's matchup with the 49ers. Assuming he's able to return to action, Demercado and Michael Carter would be the candidates for backfield reps behind starter James Conner.
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Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Exits Sunday's game
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Demercado is being evaluated for a concussion and a neck injury during Sunday' game against the Steelers.
Priot to his exit from the contest, Demercado hadn't recorded a carry. In his absence, Michael Carter is on hand to provide the Cardinals with RB depth behind James Conner.
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Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Sparse usage in return
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Demercado tallied three carries for 15 yards during Sunday's 37-14 loss to the Rams.
The Cardinals' No. 1 running back James Conner had among his quietest games of the season in this one, turning a 42 percent (30 of 71) offensive snap share into 10 touches for 32 yards from scrimmage. Meanwhile, Michael Carter ranked second among the team's RBs with eight touches for 34 total yards on 38 percent (27) of plays, with Demercado bringing up the rear with three touches on 20 percent (14) of snaps. Perhaps Arizona was easing Demercado back into the mix after he missed the previous three games due to a toe injury, but he at the very least remains a very distant second or third at the position among the Cards' backfield options. His next chance for action arrives Sunday at Pittsburgh.
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Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Returning to action Sunday
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Demercado (toe) is active for Sunday's contest against the Rams, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
A toe injury has sidelined Demercado for the last three games, but after being listed as limited on five consecutive practice reports dating back to Week 11 prep, he's been deemed healthy enough to suit up for the first time since Week 8. This time around, he'll be playing behind workhorse James Conner, but Demercado showed enough before getting hurt to mix into the Cardinals backfield in some capacity. Overall, the undrafted rookie has averaged just under 4.0 yards on his 49 carries, gathered in 12 of 16 targets for 64 yards and scored one rushing touchdown in eight appearances.
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Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Expected to face Rams
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Demercado (toe) is expected to suit up for Sunday's game against Los Angeles, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Demercado is officially listed as questionable for Week 12, but he's expected to be available for Arizona. If so, he will stand to work as the top backup to veteran starter James Conner, while Keaontay Ingram and Michael Carter could also mix in. Official word on Demercado's status will come 90 minutes prior to Sunday's 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff.
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Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Questionable for Week 12
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Demercado (toe) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Rams.
Demercado was limited in all three of Arizona's practices heading into the Week 12 clash between NFC West rivals. He has missed the last three games. If the rookie running back suits up Sunday, he'll likely work as the top backup to James Conner. Keaontay Ingram and Michael Carter are the other options in the Cardinals' backfield.
Demercado (toe) was listed as limited on Thursday's practice report, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Demercado so far has followed the same regimen as he did a week ago with limited listings Wednesday and Thursday. As a result, if he's anything other than DNP on Friday, there's a good chance he receives a questionable designation ahead of Sunday's contest against the Rams. Demercado is looking to put an end to what currently has been a three-game absence, but even when he returns he'll be no better than No. 2 in the Cardinals backfield behind starter James Conner.
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Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Limited again Wednesday
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Demercado (toe) was a limited participant in practice Wednesday, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.
Demercado seemingly inched closer to a return to action last week with two limited practices, but ultimately he was ruled out for this past Sunday's game in Houston on the Cardinals' final injury report. He again is operating with a cap on his reps to kick off Week 12 prep, and he may need to upgrade to full activity Thursday or Friday to have a realistic shot at being available Sunday versus the Rams. Even if Demercado gains clearance to play, he's unlikely to be more than second fiddle to Arizona's lead runner, James Conner.
Demercado (toe) was limited at Thursday's practice, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.
After managing no on-field work for two weeks and missing a pair of games as a result of a toe injury, Demercado has been able to put together back-to-back capped sessions to kick off Week 11 prep. Friday's practice report could be telling for his chances to return Sunday at Houston, but even if Demercado is cleared to play in that contest, he won't be much more than a change-of-pace option with the Cardinals' lead runner James Conner back in the mix.
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Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Back at practice Wednesday
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Demercado (toe) returned to practice Wednesday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Demercado hasn't practiced since Week 8, missing the last two games due to a toe injury. Prior to the absence, he was the main beneficiary of James Conner's stint on injured reserve, racking up 41 touches for 171 yards from scrimmage and no touchdowns from Weeks 6 through 8. With Conner making his return from IR in this past Sunday's win over the Falcons, Demercado likely won't be much more than a change-of-pace option, once he proves his health. Wednesday's practice report ultimately will reveal how much work Demercado was able to handle.
