Trey Benson

Trey Benson enters 2026 as one of the more interesting late-round running back darts because the talent is real, but the path to steady volume is still murky. The Cardinals kept him in the mix under the new coaching staff, and he remains under contract through 2027, so there’s no team-change complication to worry about, but his role is still tied to how Arizona sorts out the backfield behind James Conner.

The biggest storyline is health. Benson dealt with a left-knee meniscus injury last season, had surgery, and never made it back to full form after the setback. More recently, he experienced another flare-up in the same knee during training camp, and Arizona has been cautious with him on a day-to-day basis. The good news is the current issue has been described as non-long-term, and the expectation is that he should be available for the regular season.

From a fantasy perspective, Benson is still a classic upside stash rather than a safe weekly starter. He flashed enough before the injury to keep managers interested, but Arizona’s backfield has become more crowded, which makes it harder to project a big workload right away. If Conner stays healthy, Benson likely needs efficiency and touchdown chances to matter early in the year.

The most realistic 2026 fantasy case is that Benson opens as a bench piece with contingent RB2 upside if injuries or a role shift break his way. In deeper leagues, he’s worth drafting for his ceiling and the possibility that his workload grows as the season goes on. In shallower formats, he’s more of a late-round lottery ticket than someone to rely on every week.