Fantasy Upside
After the retirement of Rashard Mendenhall, the Cardinals picked up another former Steelers running back. Jonathan Dwyer, a 2010 sixth-round pick of the Steelers who has played his entire career in Pittsburgh, signed with Arizona in March. HC Bruce Arians was the Steelers’ offensive coordinator for Dwyer’s first two NFL seasons, so Dwyer already knows the offense.
Fantasy Downside
In 2013 Dwyer was largely phased out of the Steelers’ offense, carrying just 49 times for 197 yards. There was a reason for that. He appears to be a plodder at best when asked to handle more than a complementary role.
Bottom Line
In 2012, however, Dwyer showed that he can provide solid production, getting six starts and rushing 156 times for 623 yards. In addition to providing some depth in the backfield behind Andre Ellington, who had a very promising rookie season in Arizona last year and is widely viewed as a breakout candidate this season, Dwyer seems to have moved ahead of Stepfan Taylor for goal-line work during the preseason. That doesn't seem like a sufficient role to make him draftable, but Dwyer is a player worth keeping on your waiver-wire list.