Cardinals rookie guard Jonathan Cooper was carted off the field after sustaining a broken leg in the Saturday's preseason game versus the Chargers.
Jonathan Cooper fractures leg in preseason game
The Cardinals’ top pick in the 2013 NFL Draft will miss time due to a fractured leg sustained versus the Chargers on Saturday. We break down the fantasy implications.
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Though no official recovery timetable has been released, Cooper will undoubtedly miss an extended period of time, and likely the entire season. Depending on the severity of the injury, the Cardinals may place Cooper on the injured reserve list with a designation to return, although just one player per team each year can have that eligibility.
Fantasy Spin: This is bad news for a team that was in dire need of upgrading its offensive line during the offseason, and will now have to scurry to find Cooper’s best replacement within the roster. Cooper is a high-ceiling prospect who was looked upon to add some certainty in the running game with an unstable group of running backs behind him.
Most of all, he would have aided immensely in providing Carson Palmer with a clean pocket, which is of utmost importance for a veteran quarterback with extremely limited mobility. While it's not impossible for players like Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd to put up good numbers without Cooper, their chances for doing so don't become better with him out of the picture.
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