Former FSU star is a hot name on the fantasy football waiver wire with a breakout coming

Trey Benson's rookie season in the NFL was indicative of the struggles many rookies face in their first action on the big circuit.

Benson played 13 games as a rookie and rushed for 291 yards on 63 carries, a respectable 4.6 yards per carry. But at times it seemed like he could've done more for the Cardinals and coming into this season, there were promises his role would expand. 

In Week 1, Benson was on the field for 22 snaps (starting RB James Conner played 43 snaps) and had 69 yards on eight carries. The highlight was a big 52-yard run that showed Benson has some big-play ability.

Many fantasy projections have Benson breaking out this season with the expectation that either he'll pass Conner on the depth chart or work his way into a 50/50 timeshare. Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon was excited about Benson's play on Sunday and hinted at more opportunities down the road for the former Seminole.

"I think he did a good job on first, second and third down," Gannon said. "The explosive [run] was good, but I thought he had a couple of good dirty runs in there as well. I thought he played well, and he's only going to get better."

It's no surprise that Benson was a hot name in the fantasy football community as a big-time waiver wire pickup this week.

Always remember Benson as a Seminole

Benson transferred to FSU from Oregon in 2022 and rushed for over 900 yards in 2022 and 2023. At times, Benson looked like one of the best backs in the nation. He did have to share carries with quarterback Jordan Travis and part-time starter Lawrence Toafili, which kept Benson from reaching 1,000-yard seasons. 

His biggest game was probably against Florida in 2023. With Travis hurt and FSU's offense heavily reliant on the run game, Benson scored three touchdowns against the Gators to pull out a 24-15 victory and preserve an undefeated season.