Emari Demercado injury update: Latest on Cardinals RB for Fantasy Football Week 10

Emari Demercado has become a solid fantasy football option in recent weeks after elevating his offensive role with the Arizona Cardinals. After combining to record just nine total touches across his first three games during the 2023 NFL season, he has totaled more than 10 touches in three of his past four games. This includes a career-high 21 touches in his most recent game.

The issue for Demercado is that he missed the Cardinals' most recent game with a toe injury. It was unfortunate timing for the injury, as Demercado emerged as the starting running back in Arizona, at least temporarily. His status for Week 10 is now in question, including his availability as well as his offensive role for the remainder of the season.

Emari Demercado injury update

Emari Demercado

After being unable to practice all week ahead of the Arizona Cardinals' Week 9 game against the Cleveland Browns, Emari Demercado was officially ruled out with a toe injury.

He was made inactive for the contest, with Keaontay Ingram drawing the start at running back. Demercado's contributions appeared to be missed as the Cardinals totaled just 58 offensive yards against the Browns.

It's unclear at this point if the breakout running back will be able to return in Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons, but his practice activity this week will give a better idea about his potential availability.

Fantasy football managers will want to monitor his progress, as well as check his listing on the Cardinals' injury report this week. His first official listing should be released following Wednesday's practice session.

What happened to Emari Demercado?

Demercado turned in the best performance of his young NFL career so far in his most recent game when the Arizona Cardinals faced off against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8. He set career-highs with 21 touches for 79 total yards. Making this even more impressive is that the Ravens' defense has been one of the best overall units in the entire NFL this year.

The downside to his breakout performance is that Demercado reportedly suffered a toe injury along the way. The Cardinals have reported that they don't believe the injury to be serious, but it still forced him to miss at least one game. He was not placed on the injured reserve list, so Arizona is presumably expecting his absence to be short-term.

When will Emari Demercado return?

While a timeline for his return has not been released by the Cardinals, Emari Demercado should be considered questionable to play against the Falcons in Week 10. His recovery process will likely be monitored this week, as well as his practice activity, before the team makes an official decision on his status for their upcoming game.

Fantasy football managers should also keep in mind that even if Demercado does play this week, he may no longer be their starting running back. James Conner is reportedly nearing a return to the lineup after his practice window has officially been opened.

This means he could be activated as early as Week 10 after missing the past four games. He will likely resume his RB1 role whenever he is healthy enough to do so, decreasing Demercado's fantasy value.