Emari Demercado
Houston TexansEmari Demercado has 5 carries for 15 yards and 0 rushing touchdowns in 2 games for the Houston Texans this season through Week 8, 0.8 PPR points a game (updated November 4, 2026).
Model Score by season
Down 0.9 from last season.
How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →
STM Take
A third-string back good for a spike week or two.
The case for
- 1,151 senior rushing yards at TCU and three full NFL seasons on an Arizona roster confirm he can hold a depth role. Pass-protection grades are above the UDFA-class baseline.
- Wk 10's 13.4 PPR shows the spike-week ceiling when Conner or Benson is limited. UDFA who has lasted three seasons is the meaningful sample.
The worry
- Two tier 8 finishes (#59, #53) with no 2024 ranking show the role has not grown. Six of eight late-2025 games scored under 7 PPR.
- Behind Conner and Benson he is a clear third in line. UDFA pedigree plus age 26 means there is no long-term role expansion path.
What to watch: Whether Arizona keeps him through 2026 final cuts behind Conner and Benson or moves on for a cheaper UDFA depth piece.
Full take and bio
Two tier 8 finishes (#59 in 2023, #53 in 2025) with no 2024 ranking confirm the role: third-back depth with one or two spike weeks per season. Wk 10 2025's 13.4 PPR is the high point of his year, surrounded by sub-7 PPR weeks. He is a roster lock for camp but not a fantasy-relevant piece.
Demercado came out of TCU as an undrafted free agent in 2023 after a five-year college career split between Sacramento State and TCU. He posted a senior 1,151-rushing-yard season for the Horned Frogs that earned him a UDFA contract with Arizona. He has spent three NFL seasons as depth behind James Conner and Trey Benson, with brief opportunities when both starters have been limited. At 26 years old he is a known commodity: passing-down specialist and emergency early-down body.
Comps
The players whose size, testing and production looked most like his at the same point in their careers. The percent is how close.
Plays like: Robert Holcombe, Ladell Betts, Jerious Norwood. Coming out: Juwan Thompson, Chris Evans, Shaun Draughn.
Of his 20 closest coming out: 0 stars, 1 starter, 6 backups, 13 didn't stick.
Emari Demercado Injury StatusNot listed
Emari Demercado is not on the injury report as of Nov 4. Source: the official NFL injury report, refreshed daily.
This season · 2 games
0.8 fantasy points a game, 2 PPR on the season. Every game on the Game Log, every season on Career. Advanced numbers are EPA and Next Gen Stats.
Contract2026 cap
Every year of the deal, the dead money and what a cut or trade saves on the Contract tab.
Fantasy outlookWeek 9
Our rest-of-season board has Emari Demercado at RB77 (the public consensus says RB80); the model has 46 PPR points left for him this season.
Price a trade for him on the fantasy trade calculator, or see the whole board on the Fantasy hub.
Draft & College
Undrafted in 2023, out of TCU (Big 12).
In college, 2018-2022, 43 games: 1,447 rush yds, 9 TD, 4.6 yds/carry, 37 rec.
Recruited
Class of 2018 · Running back · Junior college: Saddleback College, Mission Viejo, CA
TCUHis full list of offers is not on our record yet; offers for the 2018 class are still being added.