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Jeremiyah Love is one player who has caused throbbing headaches for fantasy football owners. Love has already missed two games this season, and after aggravating his right ankle against the Cowboys, he may miss another 2-3 weeks. As a result, Tyler Allgeier and Bam Knight will see an upgrade in their roles. The following tells fantasy managers just what to anticipate.
Love specifically suffered his ankle injury at the start of the third quarter in Week 8. Before that, he missed Weeks 6 and 7. So we can compare the workloads of his backups, Allgeier and Knight, over the last three games for the sharpest outlook.
Over the past three games, each player has recorded the following statistics:
More importantly, Allgeier had 13 carries compared to Knight's three in Week 8. In that game, Allgeier rumbled for 147 yards on the ground, while Knight didn't even reach 10.
The recency bias from Allgeier's Week 8 should absolutely affect Week 9. We cannot nail down an exact snap split. But I would project that Allgeier owns ~70% of the Cardinals' rushing snaps, and Knight gets most of the rest.
In the red zone, the Cardinals have not been very strong this season. Including Love, the team has 35 rushing attempts by running backs in the red zone. They have converted only one touchdown.
We can expect that while Love is out, Allgeier should handle most of the goal-line role. But as noted above, the Cardinals aren't very strong there. Over 8 games, their running backs have only 8 rushing attempts from inside the 5-yard line. As a fantasy owner, do not bank on touchdown upside. Instead, consider it a nice bonus.
For an early outlook, Allgeier will rank as a low-end RB2 in fantasy football. I wouldn't start him unless I'm playing in a very deep format. Knight may rank in the RB40-50 range.
Love has not only aggravated his right ankle but has also dealt with injuries to both of his ankles for a number of weeks.
In mid-August, Love endured a right high-ankle sprain. He returned to practice just in time for Week 1, but didn't play at 100%.
As for his left ankle, there was never a specific reference point for when Love injured it. However, it was confirmed that Love had been dealing with it, as the media had been told in mid-October.
It's been quite impressive that Love has played well while injured for most of the season. He is averaging 13.4 rushing attempts per game, excluding Week 8. Love ranks 21st out of 44 qualified running backs in PFF Rushing Grade. In the passing game, Love is also averaging one target per five routes run, with an 85% catch rate.
That matters little right now, though. Love's newest ankle aggravation is projected to sideline him for at least two weeks. According to Deepak Chona, MD. SMA, Love is likely to have a high re-injury risk for many more weeks, killing his fantasy football upside.
If you own Love in fantasy football, there is not much you can do. Stash him in your IR slot and hope for a speedy and effective return.
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