Bam Knight: What's the Week 7 Appeal?
Jeremiyah Love could miss another week with an ankle injury, so the Cardinals can get him healthy enough to play the rest of the season at his best, especially after Bam Knight and presumed backup, Tyler Allgeier, combined for 33 carries for 118 yards on the ground and 2 catches for 28 yards as receivers from the backfield in a victory over the Rams.
It's not an elite total for two runners, but it helped the Cardinals sustain drives, and the surprise was that the best production came from the veteran UDFA journeyman. Knight amassed 15 carries for 80 yards and 2 catches for 18 more in the passing game.
The Broncos have a good defense based on its personnel, but haven't been as good as advertised this year. The offensive woes have likely been a contributing factor.
Even so, Denver's defense is the eighth-most generous to fantasy running backs heading into Week 7. While we should expect a committee split between Knight and Tyler Allgeier if Love is on the bench, the film showed how well Knight performed, which means the Cardinals won't hesitate to ride the hot hand.
RB injuries lead to desperate times for fantasy managers to plug a potentially productive player into a spot in their starting lineups. Knight will be a compelling candidate in these situations.
We'll look at Knight's role, film, and pre-draft scouting report. Then, we'll discuss his short- and long-term outlook for the season.
Bam Knight's Role with the Cardinals Thus Far
Knight has been the third back in Arizona's backfield, which has rendered him a non-factor in most games. Of his 20 touches this year, 17 of them came last week when Jeremiyah Love missed his first game of the season.
If Love plays and plays well, Knight offers no value unless Tyler Allgeier gets hurt. The fact that the Cardinals rolled with Knight's hot hand in a close game against a top divisional rival last week tells us the team trusts Knight's versatile skill set -- and they should.
Let's look at the elevator pitch from Knight's pre-draft NFL scouting report that's in the 2022 Rookie Scouting Portfolio and intersperse it with film from the Rams' game.
Bam Knight's RSP Pre-Draft Scouting Report And Last Week's Film
When Knight earns a comparison to all-time RSP fave, Spencer Ware, it means if you're a defender, then you must tackle Knight for real. Even then, it might not work out in your favor...Knight's game is 17-20 pounds heavier than his 209-pound listing at the NFL Combine.
Bam Knight Good footwork once again to set up cutback after patient outside approach to get LB to overrun pursuit. If you don't wrap up a hit won't usually drop Knight. https://t.co/Tori6TvayM
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) October 21, 2026
Knight runs through reaches, wraps, and hits—often enough on the same play and from all three levels of defenders—that his nickname is well-deserved.
What most people don't know about Knight is that he is one of the best, if not the best, pass-catcher and route-runner in this class. I've watched every target he earned for the past two years, and he only dropped two targets—one was arguably uncatchable and foolish to even make the attempt based on the situation.
Bam Knight #Cardinals Knight was one of the best passing-down backs of his class because he ran good routes from the backfield or when detached, and he catches the ball well in traffic or when extending from his frame. Good work here with contact arriving. https://t.co/hglTdZV0mK
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) October 21, 2026
Bam Knight #Cardinals Part of being a top receiver from the backfield isn't just routes and hands, but positioning and awareness when transitioning downhill. Many RBs make the catch, but turn outside and momentum takes them out of bounds early. Knight turns inside. https://t.co/PFwy6P65AL
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) October 21, 2026
Because he lacks starter-level speed and acceleration, Knight will be cast as the unimaginative plodder, when he's a lot like Ware in the respect that he's efficient, creative, and difficult for opponents to earn a favorable angle on him between the tackles or in the open field. Like Ware, Knight's route-running and tackling-breaking make him a far more appealing passing-down prospect than it may appear.
Why does Bam Knight continue earning work in the league despite lacking top-drawer athletic ability? He has "IT"... He integrates his skills at a high level: Eyes-mind-feet-hands-pads-game scripts - play design This play? Adjusts feet to time crease, drops pads in advance, times spin, knees high, uses free arm to work through traffic.
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) October 21, 2026
If Knight still has viable muscle to add to his frame and can enhance his explosion as an athlete, he could become a productive committee back with a productive role in an offense – a lot like Ware's big year in Kansas City prior to his injury and the addition of Kareem Hunt.
Bam Knight #Cardinals Knight is also a mature runner. Presses w/in a step of play design's lead block, sees how situation with two LBs will unfold and choose the deepest one, gets his pads low into the contact to maximize what's there. https://t.co/lPACjTgyZw
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) October 21, 2026
If Knight remains his current size, he's still a compelling option for a depth chart. He has the potential to become a versatile enough player who can earn situational roles in short-yardage/green zone and the two-minute offense, as well as spell a lead back for entire drives throughout a game.
Bam Knight #Cardinals Decisive attack with pullers leading the way. This looks easy because the hole is large, but when there's a pre-snap show of A-gap pressure and you're working the angle Knight is off the toss, he's easy to get too far ahead of the puller. The widening before turning down hill helps Knight hit this just right.
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) October 21, 2026
If the starter or lead back gets hurt, Knight can become "the guy," even if the front office will want a more appealing athlete at the position down the line.