Analyze Micahel Carter's matchup for week 7
Carter’s touch count was slashed in half last week (23→11) while splitting work with Bam Knight, and now he draws the league’s 3rd-toughest RB matchup (68 rush yds, 2 TD allowed). Expect 5-7 PPR points and keep him glued to your bench.
Green Bay’s front is fantasy kryptonite for backs, ranking 29th in RB-friendly schedule and ceding a league-low 68.3 rush yds and 3.7 YPC with only two ground scores. Arizona arrives with a freshly minted committee: Knight handled early downs plus goal-line while Carter became the passing-down change-up. That split, combined with Carter’s 3.1 YPC inefficiency, strips him of the volume he needs to matter against a defense that has already neutralized far superior feature backs.
After an 18-touch, 13.3-point spike in Week 5, Carter’s usage cratered to 11 touches and 6.4 points in Week 6 as Bam Knight ate into early-down and goal-line work.
The arrow is pointing steeply down for Michael Carter. His brief window as Arizona’s volume-driven RB2 slammed shut the moment Bam Knight carved out 11 carries and goal-line duties last week, trimming Carter’s touches from 23 to 11 and his fantasy output by more than half. That timeshare is unlikely to reverse—Knight’s superior burst fits the Cardinals’ desire for early-down explosiveness—so Carter’s value has become touchdown- and pass-game-dependent against a Packers defense that rarely allows either. Green Bay has surrendered just two rushing scores through four games and sits third in rushing yards allowed to backs; their interior front of Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt and Rashan Gary dominates line-of-scrimmage play, limiting opponents to 3.69 YPC. With no goal-line work and an offensive line that ranks bottom-10 in run-blocking efficiency, Carter would need 15+ touches to scrape double-digit fantasy points, a threshold he probably won’t sniff unless game script turns wildly run-heavy or Knight gets hurt. Add in a Week 8 bye followed by the possible return of rookie speedster Trey Benson, and Carter’s path to relevance narrows even further. His current 3.1 YPC underscores a lack of per-touch juice, so any projection that doesn’t bake in elite volume forecasts a 5-7-point PPR day. In 12-team leagues he’s not even a flex consideration; in 14-team formats he’s merely an emergency bye-week plug with a capped ceiling. For most managers, the correct move is to bench him now and consider cutting him for a higher-upside handcuff or receiver after this week.