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Fantasy Football: What James Conner, Najee Harris injuries could mean for your lineups

It was a rough day for injuries in the late window in Week 3 with two key fantasy football running backs going down. First, it was Los Angeles Chargers RB Najee Harris, who appeared to suffer a non-contact lower-leg injury. He was carted off the field and ruled out for the rest of Los Angeles' matchup vs. the Denver Broncos. Then, we had a similarly bad situation with Arizona Cardinals RB James Conner, who was also carted off with what appeared to be a gruesome leg injury.

Harris and Conner could be out long-term and each injury has a sizable impact on the fantasy football landscape moving forward for the rest of the season. We're going to break down what each injury means and how fantasy managers can approach them.

Najee Harris, Chargers

With Harris out, that could open things up for rookie RB Omarion Hampton to take over as the lead back for the Chargers the rest of the season. It didn't take long for Hampton to capitalize on Harris exiting the game. Prior to leaving, Harris looked great, taking six carries for 28 yards. But after Harris left, it was all Hampton, who put together his best game of the young season. Hampton finished with 19 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown, plus six catches for 59 yards, good for 21.9 fantasy points.

This injury should solidify Hampton as a solid RB1/2 in all formats. If nothing else, Hampton should get heavy volume and see around 15-20 (if not more) touches per game.

What will be interesting is whether the Chargers opt to bring someone in. Right now, Hassan Haskins is the other RB on the roster and we saw WR Derius Davis take a carry against Denver. Kimani Vidal and Nyheim Hines were signed to the Chargers practice squad before the season. We could see one or both elevated to the 53-man roster before Week 4. Or, Los Angeles could opt to sign someone or trade for a back to add depth behind Hampton.

James Conner, Cardinals

This is another cut-and-dry situation in terms of who will step up with Conner out: That's Trey Benson. The second-year back had already been looking good through the first two weeks, averaging 7.5 yards per carry on 11 carries for 83 yards. Prior to exiting, Conner had already been given nine carries with a modest 22 yards. It had already seemed like Benson would slowly overtake Conner as the lead back. It's just going to happen earlier now that Conner appears out for the season. Benson finished Week 3 with 10 carries for 42 yards and three catches for nine yards (6.6 fantasy points).

If you had Conner, hopefully you stashed Benson for this exact situation. If not, try and add Benson off the waiver wire if possible. If you had Conner and didn't have Benson, hopefully your RB depth is good enough to withstand this blow. Emari Demercado is the other RB on the depth chart behind Benson and could see some work. Arizona could also opt to bring another back in. There's also RB Michael Carter, who appeared in three games for the Cardinals last season. He could be added to the roster from the practice squad.

If you have Benson, he should be a strong RB2/FLEX play the rest of the season in all formats. We need to see how he handles a full workload but Benson is in a very good spot to succeed.

Waiver Wire Advice

This is more for managers who rostered Conner without Benson in deeper formats. But even if you had Harris and were expecting him to contribute, you may be in need of a back off the waiver wire. Here are some recommendations:

Tyjae Spears, Titans (30%) — Managers are jumping ship on Spears, who started the season on injured reserve. If he's available and you can afford the IR spot, scoop him up in hopes he returns and gets some work with Tony Pollard in the Titans backfield.

Ollie Gordon II, Dolphins (19%) — Gordon saw nine carries for 38 yards and a TD on TNF vs. the Bills. He could see more work to keep De'Von Achane fresh and would be in line for a lead role if anything were to happen to Achane.

Blake Corum, Rams (17%) — Kyren Williams will continue to be the lead back for L.A. but Corum has been productive with 13 carries for 97 yards and a TD over the past two weeks.

Any Commanders RB — Jacory Croskey-Merritt likely won't be available. But Chris Rodriguez Jr. (5%) and Jeremy McNichols (3%) should be. It's a three-man split for Washington but McNichols and C-Rod each got some work in Week 3. One or both could emerge as a decent start in deeper formats if you're desperate.

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