Michael Carter
Arizona Cardinals·#22Season Stats · 13 games
Advanced Metrics EPA & Next Gen Stats
STM Take
Three STTM rankings across five seasons (#40 in 2021, #76 in 2024, #50 in 2025), all tier 8, define the career arc. The 2025 game log shows the standard backup pattern: occasional spike weeks (Wk 15 13.4 PPR) plus consistent sub-7 PPR work behind Conner. He is a roster-spot insurance piece with one decent week per month as the ceiling.
Carter came out of North Carolina as the New York Jets' 4th-round pick (107th overall) in 2021. He posted 639 rushing yards plus 36 receptions as a rookie, earning a tier 8 #40 STTM finish that remains his career high. Breece Hall's 2022 draft selection and rapid emergence compressed Carter's role with the Jets; he was waived in 2023 and signed with Arizona as a depth piece. He has played behind James Conner in Arizona for two seasons in a clear backup role.
Strengths
- Rookie 639 rushing yards plus 36 receptions in 2021 showed real three-down ability before Hall arrived. His career 248+ receptions are a defined passing-down skill.
- Wk 15 2025's 13.4 PPR and the Wk 13 11.4 PPR show the spike-week ceiling when Conner is limited; the Arizona offense will lean on him when forced to.
Concerns
- Three tier 8 finishes in five seasons confirms the floor is the ceiling. There has been no positive year-over-year trajectory since the 2021 rookie sample.
- Two zero-PPR games in the 2025 game log (Wk 12, Wk 18) show what happens when Conner is healthy and Trey Benson absorbs the change-of-pace work.
What to watch: Whether Arizona retains him through final cuts in 2026 or moves on for a cheaper younger option behind Conner and Benson.
Fantasy Outlook
Michael Carter scored 99 PPR points, 7.6 per game this season. Compare him against any RB and track weekly rankings in our fantasy tools.