Emari Demercado injury update: Latest on Cardinals RB for Fantasy Football Week 9

Due to a toe injury, running back Emari Demercado of the Arizona Cardinals didn't participate in Wednesday's practice. Moreover, three important offensive contributors, including Demercado, were listed as 'DNP' for the start of the week in the Cardinals' injury report.

With Damien Williams sidelined by a foot ailment and running back James Conner obliged to miss at least one more game following his appearance on the injured reserve list three weeks ago, it will be interesting to watch Demercado's situation to see if he can return to the field for Week 9's matchup against the Cleveland Browns.

James Conner's knee injury has helped Demercado see more minutes. He has logged 41 touches, 171 yards from scrimmage, and no touchdowns in his last three games.

Second-year RB Keaontay Ingram will see more touches if Demercado's toe injury prevents him from playing in Week 9, and Corey Clement, Tony Jones, and Hassan Hall are contenders for promotion from the practice squad.

What happened to Emari Demercado?

Many may have observed that Arizona Cardinals running back Keaontay Ingram was used more in the second half of the team's game against the Baltimore Ravens last week.

The move in duty was initially thought to be an irregular management decision, but it has since been confirmed that Demercado's toe injury, which stopped him from practicing on Wednesday, caused him to miss time in the half.

Demercado had 20 rushes for 78 yards and one yard from his single target in the Ravens' 31-24 win.

Regarding Demercado, it's unknow how serious his injury is or how it happened. But there's a probability he won't play against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

With an average of 4.0 yards per carry this season, Demercado has rushed 49 times for 195 yards and one touchdown. Moreover, he has 12 receptions for 64 yards on 16 targets.

When will Emari Demercado return?

Since taking over from injured starting RB James Conner, who is still on injured reserve with no confirmed return date, Emari Demercado has performed well.

Due to his lack of practice on Wednesday before the game against the Cleveland Browns, Demercado may be out for Week 9.

The extent of Demercado's injury is yet unknown and it's likely that the rookie's absence on Wednesday was just intended to keep him fresh, as he has been the Cardinals' primary running back in recent weeks. Further details regarding his chances of playing against the Browns will be available after Thursday's practice report comes out.

If Emari Demercado is ruled out, Keaontay Ingram is going to see more workload on Sunday.