• Michael Carter is the next man up for the Arizona Cardinals:James Cook and Trey Benson on injured reserve, Arizona opted to lean on Carter despite him beginning the season on the practice squad instead of Emari Demercado and Bam Knight, who started the season on the 53-man roster.
• Mid-to-late round rookies ascend:Jacory Croskey-Merritt played a larger role for the Washington Commanders.
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Estimated Reading Time: 18 minutes

Welcome to PFF’s NFL Usage and Production Report—your one-stop for the fantasy football utilization you actually need. This hub pulls together snap counts, routes run, targets per route run (TPRR), carry share, red-zone usage, alignment, ADOT, time to throw, situational splits, fantasy points and so much more, so you can quickly spot role changes and act before your league does. Use it for waiver wire decisions, buy-low/sell-high trades, rest-of-season (ROS) rankings context, dynasty stashes, DFS builds, and prop research.

Below you’ll find the top 10 most crucial usage and production takeaways. If you want more details on these top 10 players, or any other quarterback, running back, wide receiver or tight end in the league, you can jump into the interactive tool right below. It’s the most comprehensive fantasy tool, providing information on how a player is utilized, their performance, and how the defense responds to them. You can view by player, team or position, sort any column, filter by week and snaps, and switch between totals and percentages to see the full picture on anything you’re looking for. You’ll also find all of the information found in the usual recap articles.

1. Michael Carter leads the Arizona Cardinals‘ backfield

While Emari Demercado led the team in rushing yards, Carter was the primary running back on early downs.

Arizona put Trey Benson on injured reserve on Wednesday after having surgery to repair a meniscus, which will reportedly cost him four to six weeks. This is after James Conner was placed on season-ending injured reserve the week before. There was a mad scramble to pick up Carter and Demercado, as it was not obvious who would be the better option for fantasy heading into the week. Demercado has graded better as a runner and initially made the roster while Carter didn’t, but offensive coordinator Drew Petzing has consistently used a two-man backfield. Carter had been used more on early downs and Demercado played more on late downs during their time in Arizona. Typically, the early-down back has more fantasy value.

It became clear leading up to the game that the plan was for Carter to take over on early downs. He did just this, taking the same role Conner had early in the season and Benson had last week. Demercado remained the third-down back, while also playing most of the two-minute drills. Bam Knight also became involved as the primary backup on early downs, as well as taking some snaps in two-minute drill situations.

Carter ran the ball 18 times for 51 yards and a touchdown in addition to catching five passes for 22 yards. Demercado ran the ball three times, and all of his carries occurred on third downs. He broke one of those runs for 71 yards, but fumbled at the one-yard line, resulting in a touchback.

Carter should be picked up in any league where he is still available, as he should remain the Cardinals‘ early-down back. While he ideally would have taken more advantage of this matchup, he can still be a borderline RB2, especially as there are more bye weeks in the next few weeks. Demercado can be dropped in any league where he was picked up. While he might catch a few passes going forward, his fantasy value isn’t any better now than it was when Benson was healthy. If anything, his fumble could lead to a decrease in snaps. While Carter wasn’t all that effective in the run game, if Arizona wanted to decrease Carter’s snaps, it appears Knight would be the one to play more.

2. Jacory Croskey-Merritt starts for Washington

Croskey-Merritt turned his first start into his first 100-yard rushing game.