Carter turned seven carries into 11 yards and caught both of his targets for 25 yards during Sunday's 27-23 loss to the Packers.

EDGE Analysis

For the second week in a row, Bam Knight had a slight lead on Carter in terms of offensive snaps (34-28), and the former also was far more effective with his reps, notching 57 yards on 14 rushes while hauling in three of four targets for seven yards. With fellow RB Emari Demercado (ankle) inactive, even practice-squad elevation D'Ernest Johnson got in the mix, seeing 14 snaps and taking one carry of no yards. Such a breakdown of work between Knight and Carter will continue for as long as Trey Benson (knee) is sidelined, which is expected to last beyond the Cardinals' Week 8 bye for at least one more game.

Carter rushed nine times for 34 yards and brought in two of five targets for 30 yards in the Cardinals' 31-27 loss to the Colts on Sunday.

EDGE Analysis

Prior to the game, it was announced that Bam Knight would serve in the lead-back role, theoretically relegating Carter to complementary duties. However, Carter ended up lagging just two carries behind Knight while equaling his teammate's rushing yardage, and he provided a nice chunk play as a receiver with a 16-yard catch. Although Knight did score a short rushing touchdown, the gap between the two players doesn't seem to be much heading into a Week 7 home matchup against the Packers next Sunday afternoon.

Bam Knight is expected to take on a bigger workload out of the Cardinals backfield alongside Michael Carter and Emari Demercado in Sunday's game against the Colts, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

EDGE Analysis

Per Schefter, in a game that QB Jacoby Brissett is expected to start in place of Kyler Murray (foot), Knight -- who logged five touches in last week's 22-21 loss to the Titans -- is expected to see an expanded role, with Schefter suggesting that Knight is on track to work ahead of Carter, who had 23 touches versus Tennessee. With that context in mind, and with Demercado (three carries Week 5) also in the mix, Carter profiles as a hit-or-miss fantasy lineup option Sunday.

Carter has consistently been the first running back in Arizona's rotation in practice, suggesting he'll maintain the lead role Sunday against the Colts, Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Carter turned 23 touches into 73 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in the Cardinals' Week 5 loss to the Titans. Head coach Jonathan Gannon said Emari Demercado won't be punished for his costly Week 5 fumble, so Demercado likely will continue to mix in for passing situations, while Bam Knight is on hand as the third-string backfield option with James Conner (foot) and Trey Benson (knee) on injured reserve. Conner's out for the season, while Benson won't be back any earlier than Week 10 against the Seahawks.

Carter rushed the ball 18 times for 51 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 22-21 loss to the Titans. He added five receptions on five targets for 22 yards.

EDGE Analysis

Carter was expected to step into an expanded role with both James Conner (foot) and Trey Benson (knee) sidelined, though it was unclear exactly how touches would be distributed. Carter resoundingly served as the lead back for Arizona, accounting for 23 total touches, while Emari Demercado and Bam Knight combined for nine. He wasn't particularly efficient with the touches, though he did manage to find the end zone on a one-yard plunge early in the first quarter. Carter's involvement as a receiver was also particularly notable, as Demercado was projected to take over duties as the primary pass catcher out of the backfield. Carter looks to have reliable volume heading into a Week 6 matchup against the Colts, though this situation could remain fluid.

The Cardinals are expected to "lean on" Carter on first and second downs during Sunday's game against the Titans after Trey Benson (knee) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

EDGE Analysis

Just over a quarter of the way into the season, Arizona is already down its top two running backs. James Conner suffered a foot injury Week 3 that required season-ending surgery, while Benson is appears set to miss at least 4-to-6 weeks after undergoing meniscus surgery earlier this week. Emari Demercado had opened the season as Arizona's No. 3 running back behind those two players, but rather than elevating Demercado to the lead-back role, Schefter relays that the Cardinals instead plan to keep him in his usual pass-catching/change-of-pace role. Carter, who had previously been elevated from the practice squad for Week 4 before being signed to the 53-man roster Monday, thus looks poised to see the brunt of the early-down work and represents the best bet to lead the Arizona backfield in carries Sunday. Even so, Carter could still struggle to see enough overall touches to make for a comfortable option in fantasy lineups. In addition to losing out on some third-down snaps to Demercado, Carter could also cede some red-zone running opportunities to dual-threat quarterback Kyler Murray.

Carter is positioned alongside Emari Demercado as one of Arizona's top backfield options with Trey Benson (knee) on IR and recovering from arthroscopic surgery, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

Carter, who was signed to the active roster from the practice squad Monday, now has a significant backfield opportunity with Adam Schefter of ESPN reporting that Benson will miss 4-to-6 weeks, and James Conner (foot) already out for the year. Head coach Jonathan Gannon said "we'll see how the week goes" when asked whether Carter or Demercado will start Sunday's matchup against the Titans, suggesting that reps remains up for grabs. Carter appeared in three regular-season games with the Cardinals in 2024, in which span he logged 35 carries for 131 yards (3.7 YPC) and one score, while securing all 11 of his targets for 57 yards. In theory, Carter projects more for early-down work while Demercado is more suited to a pass-catching role, but if either tailback demonstrates a hot hand he could secure the No. 1 gig until Benson returns.

The Cardinals signed Carter off their practice squad Monday.

EDGE Analysis

With James Conner (foot) expected to miss the remainder of the year, Carter's signing adds much-needed backfield depth. The North Carolina product was elevated for the Week 4 loss to the Seahawks, rushing once for one yard over just four offensive snaps. He's expected to continue playing behind both Trey Benson and Emari Demercado in the Arizona's Week 5 matchup against the Titans.

Carter reverted to the Cardinals' practice squad Friday, per the NFL's transaction log.

EDGE Analysis

Carter was elevated from the practice squad for the first time this season in the wake of James Conner's season-ending foot injury. However, Carter logged just four snaps on offense and one play on special teams during Thursday's 23-20 loss to the Seahawks, and his only carry for one yard on third down in the middle of the second quarter was followed by a Blake Gillikin punt. Trey Benson (37 of 67 offensive snaps) and Emari Demercado (26) handled the bulk of the backfield reps, with the former turning 13 touches into 54 yards from scrimmage and the latter recording 21 total yards and a receiving TD on his four touches. While Carter can be elevated two more times, he doesn't appear to be an immediate candidate to contribute to the Cardinals' running game.

The Cardinals elevated Carter from the practice squad to the active roster ahead of Thursday's game against the Seahawks.

EDGE Analysis

Carter didn't make Arizona's 53-man roster out of training camp but found himself back on the practice squad, where he spent the first three games of the campaign. With James Conner (foot) on injured reserve and out for the season, Carter will join Emari Demercado and Bam Knight as backfield options behind new No. 1 RB Trey Benson. When both Conner and Benson were banged-up Weeks 17 and 18 of last season, Carter racked up 30 carries for 113 yards and one touchdown and gathered in all six targets for 27 yards.