James Conner Fantasy Football Outlook (2026)

By Derek Brown (FantasyPros), Wed, Aug 12th 2026, 12:40am EDT

James Conner is a nice final-round flier in fantasy drafts right now. I still think Conner could get traded prior to Week 1, with Detroit and Green Bay being the likely destinations. Conner only had 32 carries last season before getting sidelined for the rest of the season with a broken ankle. In that small sample, he posted a 19% missed tackle rate, which is quite strong (per Fantasy Points Data). We are only one season removed from Conner posting an RB15 finish in fantasy points per game (2024). In 2024, among 46 qualifying backs, Conner ranked sixth in explosive run rate, second in missed tackle rate, and 11th in yards after contact per attempt. Conner could easily still be an efficient per-touch player in 2026 in the right system. Take the last-round flier and see if it pays off. If he remains buried on the Arizona depth chart, then he's an easy cut candidate prior to Week 1.